 We've looked at the first daughter Job had after his trial (whose name meant "Day by day"), and now we see that he named his second daughter Qĕtsiy`ah rendered Keziah in English. Can we use our imagination a bit to conjecture a deeply personal application from Job and what Keziah may have meant to him?  This name means cassia - "a bark, similar to cinnamon, but less aromatic." The spice comes from the cassia plant (classified in the same genus as cinnamon: cinnamomum), and some even call it Chinese cinnamon. The root word meaning of this name Qĕtsiy`ah means: to scrape or peel (associated with how the bark from these trees is harvested). When I read that extended definition of this name in Hebrew, my mind immediately flashed back to this passage of Job: "Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:7-9, emphasis mine).  It was the English word "scrape" from the root word for Keziah and what Job did to his own body after he was afflicted with boils that caught my attention. Could Job have made this association himself years later when he chose a name for his second daughter? After all, Job was scraped in his life figuratively, and he scraped his body literally with a broken piece of pottery to find relief. Was naming his daughter Keziah a beautiful note to self that Satan lost, that adversity did not get the best of him? That in his brokenness and despair, ultimately he was shredded emotionally to his soul and physically to his core, yet God restored him to wholeness and health?  It's also curious that he named his daughter after an aromatic spice. Smells are powerful reminders and triggers in our brain. Offering sweet smelling aromas and incense is associated metaphorically with our prayers to God. We know that Job prayed and spoke with God during his trial. Could his daughter Keziah also have been a reminder for Job that he was communing in a deep relationship with God and that he should never cease praying least of all when hurting and in great pain? Well, my meanderings may be a stretch for some, but at least we do know that most parents in general name their children with intention and purpose. Of all of Job's 20 children, only these three girls are mentioned by name, I believe. For Job, it really could have been something simple like Keziah was born with cinnamon color hair or a brighter complexion and the name seemed fitting because of that. Perhaps it was a family name. Or maybe he liked the sound of it.  I personally enjoy the possibility that Keziah was named for overcoming adversity and trial. His first daughter reminded him to live day by day. His second emphasized to him that there is no amount of scraping or hardship or loss or grating or pain in this life that could ever keep him from the One who created him. By God's grace, the scraping did not get the best of Job. And this message is the same with us. Plus we have Jesus. Talk about a scraping: a man, fully God, who gave up His life in full-blown love so that we might have ours. Now that's something to be grateful for AND it should influence how we live our lives as well. Up next: Job's 3rd daughter...another curious name choice, to be sure! And PS: Thank you for reading!  Oh so grateful for tiny creatures such as RICO who endlessly demonstrates immeasurable and unconditional love. What a blessing! But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer Comments are closed.
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