We were all at the Dinosaur Park. Steph was with the boys in the queue for the amazing
Fossil Falls Slide. She sent me a WhatsApp "The children standing next to us are called Septimus and Nineveh" We speculated, was Septimus child #7 ? [J Rees Mogg called his sixth child 'Sixtus'] Bob wondered if there was an Octavia between child #7 and child #9 [maybe pronounced Nine-eva]
I suggested it seemed rather bizarre to call a child Nineveh. "Who was Nineveh? I know it's in the Bible" said Liz. I explained Nineveh was not a person, it was a place [in northern Iraq]. And on the way home, I reminded my family of the story of Jonah. God sent him to Nineveh to preach to the people encouraging them to turn from their evil ways and do good.
But Jonah didn't want to go, so he got on a boat going the other way. There was a storm and everyone was scared. Jonah said it was probably his fault for disobeying God, so they threw him overboard. He was swallowed by a whale.
After three days, the whale spits him out, and Jonah goes off and does preach to the people in Nineveh, who do repent and turn from evil to good. Jonah is a bit annoyed and goes off out of the city to have a sulk.
But the sun gets blazing hot. God makes a tree grow up to shade him. Then a worm eats up the tree and he is uncomfortable again and starts complaining that he wants to die. God suggests that the grumpy preacher cares more for his shady tree than he does for the thousands of people in Nineveh!
A good reminder to all of us to care for other people whose situation is much worse than ours [I did the turn from evil to good sermon last week]
But why would someone call their child Nineveh?? Beats me!
I know a couple who called their daughter Homily. Beats me how parents choose.
ReplyDelete🤣🤣🤣 We are both preachers, but would never have called our daughter a word that means "sermon"!!!
DeleteMy daughter has a friend called Quintin, who really is a fifth child. A lot of names people call their children these days seem designed to set them up for a lifetime of teasing, but no doubt little Ninevah will get used to being called Ninny in time!
ReplyDeleteQuintin is an interesting name. But yes, I am concerned little Ninny will get teased. Maybe she will opt for Eva...
DeleteI did prevent a baby girl from being named Elijah by giving acceptable spelling for Alicia.
ReplyDeleteWe knew a couple who called their daughter Elisha. But pronounced it Ellie -Sha
ReplyDeleteI have seen many weird and wonderful names and spellings in my teaching career as I’m sure you have too! Unfortunately people are influenced by media stars and I’m sure some children will be changing their names when they are adults. . Catriona
ReplyDeleteSupply Teaching provided me with many examples of strange names!
DeleteWhen I worked in the Pharmacy a lot of little girls were called Kylie or Charlene! Xx
ReplyDeleteNames go in phases don't they? Apparently there were lots of Angelas born between 1950 and 1980, but the name has now dropped right out of fashion.
DeleteI used to work with medical records at a hospital and was always amazed at the names people gave their children!
ReplyDeleteI put it down to people being too tired to think straight, once they become parents!
DeleteI guess Nineveh is a better name than some of the made up ones, including using a regular name backwards! There are plenty of people names in the Bible but some of them are pretty wild for a modern day child.
ReplyDeleteLike Naeveh... Bizarre
ReplyDeleteThe oddest name I came across in a classrom was Moonyeen. Ninevah?? Poor child.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders what name that child uses now...
DeleteI regularly grumble about some names being inflicted on helpless infants, like someone dropped a bunch of Scrabble tiles and made the best of the result.
ReplyDeleteI love the story of Jonah, and the whale is definitely not the best bit.
Thank you for sharing Jonah's story, right to the sulky bit at the end and the wise way God deals with him. A favourite Bible story of mine.
ReplyDeleteSo many people only know the whale part
DeleteMaybe the parents thought it was a good name for their child? I've heard of people with other place names, such as Asia, India, Kenya, Brittany, Sydney, and Paris. Why not Nineveh? Or am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteChelsea Clinton, Brooklyn Beckham...you have made a valid point. And of course
Delete, Florence Nightingale
I really feel for teachers trying to remember all the weird and wonderful way some of these children's names are spelt, and of course for the little ones having to learn to write their own names. My great-granddaughter is called Nevaeh-Rose ... I'm hoping she rebels one day and simply calls herself Rosie.
ReplyDelete😃
DeleteNineveh is a brave choice!
ReplyDeleteI never forget that this poor girl who joined my school in year 10 was called Fukreera and it was pronounced just like that and imagine the rubbing the poor girl got at that age.
Poor child
ReplyDelete