I am privileged to study the Word with an incredible, small group of women. We get our collective versions of the Bible, commentaries, a study guide, and Webster’s dictionary. At times, we go through a book of interest. A few years ago we were reading “The Women of the Bible Speak” by Shannon Bream. Because of her incredible beauty and list of impressive secular credentials, I was a little skeptical. Can she teach the Bible? The answer is yes. 

Double Name Emphatic

My favorite take away was a paragraph on the chapter regarding Martha and Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:17–44). Jesus identifies her as worried and troubled. He begins his response with, “Martha, Martha,” making her one of three people in the New Testament whom Jesus addresses in the emphatic, doubled form of their names. He says, “Simon, Simon,” when He tells Peter He has prayed for him to be strengthened in his time of trial so that he, Peter, could then strengthen the other disciples; and He calls “Saul, Saul,” to Paul on the road to Damascus, when He confronts the Apostle to the Gentiles and dramatically turns his life around. Shannon goes on to say when one looks at “Martha, Martha” in this context, His words sound less like those of an exasperated parent and more like a serious call to discipleship. 

Shannon shares more but you’ll need to get her book for that. I personally thought learning this information was monumental. 

More to the process. I somehow assumed this double-name usage was only found in the New Testament. But later, I read about Moses at the burning bush when the Lord said, “Moses, Moses” Exodus 3:4. In fact, it turns out this happens four times in the Old Testament and each time it is about a deeper call into discipleship, a reset of perspective. The other three incedents were with Abraham, (Exodus 22: 11), Jacob (Genesis 46:2), and Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10). 

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter Proverbs (25:2).