Wednesday, March 9, 2022

The English name Jeremiah, and its shortened form, Jeremy, come from the Hebrew name ירמיהו (yirmeyahu, pronounced yir-meh-YA-hoo). The name ירמיהו (yirmeyahu) is a theophoric name made up of the verb רום (r-w-m), meaning "to exalt, be high," and the shortened name of the Hebrew God, יהו (yahu), giving us "Yah(u) (YHWH) will exalt." As is typical for many theophoric names, sometimes a shortened form, ירמיה (yirmeyah, pronounced yir-meh-YAH) appears with no final letter waw, as in Jeremiah 27:1. It was later rendered into Greek as Ιερεμιας (Ieremias), or Jeremias, and today Jeremiah results as one who is "exalted by the Lord."