The names of the 12 Apostles of Jesus
The 12 Apostles were the foundation of Jesus’ church and many of them wrote portions of the Bible. While we have learned about their Biblical stories or heard their names, most of us do not know the origin of their names, most with a Hebrew meaning. So after a bit of researching, we came up with a list that should satisfy your curiosity!
| Apostle Name | Hebrew Name: | Hebrew Origin / Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Simon The Zealot | שמעון (Shimon) | It means "he has heard". |
| Thomas | תאום (Ta’om) | It means "twin". It seems like Thomas looked a lot like Jesus. |
| Bartholomew | בר תלמי (Natanel Bar Talmey / Nathanel son of Talmey) | It means the “son of Talmai”. |
| John | יוחנן (Yohhanan) | It means “God is gracious”. |
| Andrew | (Greek origin, Andraus) | The New Testament does not give us any clues to his original Hebrew and Aramaic names, so most likely he used his Greek name. It means “manly, masculine”. |
| Peter | (Greek origin, variant of Petros) | It means “stone” or “rock”. |
| James the Greater & James The Lesser | יעקב (Ya’akov) | James the Less was the uncle of James the Greater. The meaning of the name is “he who supplants”. |
| Phillip | (Greek origin, variant of Philipos) | It means “friend of horses”. |
| Matthew | מתתיה (Mattathia) | It means “gift of God”. |
| Judas | יהודה (Yehudah) | It means “praised”. |
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