The Name Which is Above Every Name

By Rich Amick

“God highly exalted [Christ Jesus], and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9; cf. Eph. 1:21). The “name” that God bestowed on Him is not just an arrangement of letters that spell J•E•S•U•S (or the longer form Y•E•H•O•S•H•U•A, meaning “YHWH saves” or “YHWH is salvation”).

In ancient Near Eastern culture, a “name” reflected the inner being, nature, character, or role of the person or thing named. It was understood as an expression of a person or being’s essence, status, and identity. “Name” was often equivalent to “revelation,” what is revealed by or known about some person or thing.  

When the Proverb says, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth” (22:1), the author didn’t mean that one personal identifier or label for distinguishing an individual is better than another label. He was using “name” to mean reputation. One reason we know this is that he uses a literary device known as synonymous parallelism. The first line, “a good name is to be more desired than great wealth,” is parallel in thought to the second line, “favor is better than silver and gold.” A good name is equivalent to favor (or grace/reputation).

The “name” of Jesus is what is known about or revealed by Him. When Scripture says, “the name which is above every name, it is talking about what is known about Jesus — what He revealed Himself to be. What He revealed himself to be and what is known about Him is far above anything known about or shown by any other individual.

Any action done “in” the name of Jesus is an action done in harmony with His character, nature, or identity. It is action based upon and in harmony with what Jesus has made known or revealed.