Question: "Why did God sometimes change a person's name in the
Bible?" Answer: When God changed a person’s name and gave him a
new name, it was usually to establish a new identity. God
changed Abram’s "high father" name to “Abraham,” "father of a
multitude" (Genesis 17:5) and his wife’s name from “Sarai,” “my
princess,” to “Sarah,” “mother of nations” (Genesis 17:15). We
know from history that the descendants of Abraham and Sarah
formed many nations, including the Jews’ and Muslims’. God
changed Jacob’s "supplanter" name to “Israel,” “having power
with God” (Genesis 32:28). He changed Simon’s "God has heard"
name to “Peter,” "rock" (John 1:42). Why did Jesus occasionally
call Peter “Simon” after He had changed His name to “Peter”?
Probably because Simon sometimes acted like his old self instead
of the rock God called him to be. The same is true for Jacob.
God continued to call him “Jacob” to remind him of his past and
to remind him to depend on God’s strength. Why did God choose
new names for some people? The