Canonical books used in the English Protestant Bible have had a variety of naming conventions in the past 500 years. Notably, many anglicized prophets’ names, once in common use, have been dropped. Many Old Testament given names were borrowed from Hebrew into Greek, then Latin, then English, dropping Latin suffixes along the way: if one Judas can become Jude, why not let Jeremias become Jeremy, Zacharias Zachary, and Titus Tite? Such thoroughly anglicized names were later reversed by Bible translators, but some, like Jude, stuck for some reason.
Hebrew Greek Latin Middle Eng. Modern Eng.
Yirmyá → Ieremíās → Jērĕmīas → Jeremy → Jeremiah
Newer forms like Jeremiah are attempts to reflect the Hebrew better. This iterative linguistic process has masked shared names between certain biblical characters.
- Old Testament Joshua = New Testament Jesus
- Old Testament Jacob = New Testament James
- Old Testament Miriam = New Testament Mary
- Old Testament Simeon = New Testament Simon
- New Testament Jude = Judas (thus the use of surnames)
Below I’ve created a list of useful and interesting variants for Bible book names, mostly from Wycliffe Bible (1382), Coverdale Bible (1535), and the Geneva Bible (1599 edition). I’m only listing here names that I’ve seen in printed English Bibles and commentaries (viz., most Hebrew and Greek names were not widely used). Many of these were noted while reading old commentaries; in some cases, biblical names were unrecognizable to me. (Osee? Abdy? Threni? These are Bible books?)
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers or Nombers: Numerus or Numeri (Latin)
- Deuteronomy: Deuteronomion (Greek), Deuteronomio (Latin), Deuteronomie (English)
- Joshua: Josue (Latin), Josua
- Judges: Judicum (Latin)
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel: 1 Regum (Latin), 1 Kyngis (Middle English), 1 Kings (English)
- 2 Samuel: 2 Regum (Latin), 2 Kyngis (Middle English), 2 Kings (English)
- 1 Kings: 3 Regum (Latin), 3 Kyngis (Middle English), 3 Kings (English)
- 2 Kings: 4 Regum (Latin), 4 Kyngis (Middle English), 4 Kings (English)
- 1 Chronicles: 1 Paralipomenon (Greek)
- 2 Chronicles: 2 Paralipomenon (Greek)
- Ezra: 1 Esdras (Greek), 1 Esdre
- Nehemiah: 2 Esdras (Greek), 2 Esdre
- Esther or Ester: Hester (Latin)
- Job
- Psalms: Psalterium (Latin), Sauter (Middle English), The Psalter (English)
- Proverbs: Proverbia (Latin)
- Ecclesiastes: The Preacher
- Song of Solomon or The Song of Salomon, The Canticle, Canticle of Canticles, Song of Songs, Solomon’s Song, rarely Solomons Balettes or Solomons Ballads, The Ballet of Ballettes of Solomon
- Isaiah or Esaiah: Isaias (Latin), Isaye or Esay or Esaie
- Jeremiah: Jeremias (Latin), Jeremie or Jeremye or Jeremy
- Lamentations or Lamentacions: Threnos (Greek), Threni or Treni (Latin)
- Ezekiel or Ezechiel
- Daniel
- Hosea: Oseas (Latin), Osee (English)
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah: Abdias (Latin), Abdy (English)
- Jonah: Jonas or Ionas (Latin)
- Micah or Mycha: Micheas (Latin)
- Nahum: Naum (Latin)
- Habakkuk: Abacuc (Latin), Abacuk
- Zephaniah: Sophonias (Latin)
- Haggai: Aggeus (Latin), Aggey or Aggi (English)
- Zechariah: Zacharias (Latin), Zachary (English)
- Malachi or Malaky: Malachias (Latin), Malachy or Malache (English)
- Matthew or Mathew or Matheu or Matthewe
- Mark or Marke
- Luke
- John or Jhon or Joon
- Acts: The Actes or The Acts
- Romans or Romaynes
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians or Galathians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians or Collossians
- 1 Thessalonians or 1 Tessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians or 2 Tessalonians
- 1 Timothy or 1 Timotheus (Latin)
- 2 Timothy or 2 Timotheus (Latin)
- Titus or Tytus, Tyte (Middle English)
- Philemon
- Hebrews or Hebrewes or Ebrews or Hebrues
- James
- 1 Peter or 2 Petre
- 2 Peter or 1 Petre
- 1 John or 1 Jhon or 1 Joon
- 2 John or 2 Jhon or 2 Joon
- 3 John or 3 Jhon or 3 Joon
- Jude: Judas (Latin)
- Revelation: Apocalips or Apocalypse (Greek)