Section 1: The Gentle Surprise
I remember the moment I first learned that the titles of the books in our Bible weren’t always what they are today. It wasn’t dramatic or world-shaking — more like a pause. A hush. A quiet, reverent, “Wait… really? But why, though?”
I’d always known the first five books as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — and I loved them. There’s something sturdy and grand about those names. They sound ancient and of consequence. They sound important. As though God had breathed those titles into existence.
But when I discovered that their original Hebrew titles were very different — not crafted summaries, but lifted from the very first words God spoke in each scroll — I found myself asking the kind of question that lingers:
If man felt free to change even the titles of the books, what else might he have felt free to alter?
I wasn’t panicked. I wasn’t angry (how could I be when I hadnt yet had any answers?) . But something in me became freshly awake — not to suspicion, but to the weight of God’s Word. To the idea that every part of Scripture, even its headings, should be treated with care. I felt the need to dig. Because maybe, in rediscovering the names God’s people first knew, we could uncover another layer of truth that was always there — not by throwing out what we’ve been given, but by remembering what came first.
Section 2: The Hebrew Names – Echoes of God’s First Words
Before the Greek and Latin titles became standard, the Hebrew scrolls were known by something much simpler — the very first significant words of each book. Not summaries. Not themes. Just… beginnings. Like the sound of a breath before God speaks.
These names weren’t chosen as titles in the way we think of them today. They were simply what the scrolls came to be known by because they opened with those words. Over time, they became tradition — a quiet, reverent one.
Here’s a glimpse of the Torah (the first five books of Moses) in both its Hebrew and English forms:
English Title / Hebrew Title / Meaning
Genesis / בְּרֵאשִׁית (Bere’shith) / “In the beginning”
Exodus / שְׁמוֹת (Shemot) / “Names” (from “These are the names…”)
Leviticus / וַיִּקְרָא (Vayikra) / “And He called”
Numbers / בְּמִדְבַּר (Bemidbar) / “In the wilderness”
Deuteronomy / דְּבָרִים (Devarim) / “Words” or “These are the words…”
Each Hebrew name draws from the first few words of the book — almost like a breathmark. And each one invites you to listen, not just read.
“In the beginning” invites us into creation.
“These are the names” roots us in family, covenant, identity.
“And He called” signals a God who initiates.
“In the wilderness” tells a story of both testing and trusting.
“These are the words” frames Moses’ final plea to the people.
They’re not merely poetic — they’re personal. And in some way, they capture a tone we might miss if all we know are the Greek-style names we’ve inherited.
Section 3: Why the Names Changed — From Scroll to Septuagint
So if the Hebrew titles came from the first inspired words, how did we end up with names like Genesis and Deuteronomy? The answer takes us back to a moment of both preservation and transformation: the creation of the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
What Was the Septuagint?
Sometime in the 3rd century BC, a group of Jewish scholars began translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the common language of the day. Many Jews living outside of Israel had grown up speaking Greek, not Hebrew — so this translation made the Scriptures accessible to a broader audience.This was a good and faithful work — it helped preserve God’s Word and make it readable to the Jewish diaspora and eventually, to the early Church.
But in the process of translating, something subtle happened.
The Greek Mindset: Titles with Themes
Unlike the Hebrew tradition of naming books based on their opening words, the Greek tradition leaned toward thematic or content-based titles. The translators sought to summarize what the book was about rather than simply mirror how it began. So they renamed the scrolls accordingly:
Hebrew Title / Greek–English Title / Meaning
Bere’shith / Genesis / “Origins”
Shemot / Exodus / “Departure”
Vayikra / Leviticus / “Pertaining to the Levites”
Bemidbar / Numbers / “Census – Numbers”
Devarim / Deuteronomy / “Second law”
These names weren’t careless — they were thoughtful. They reflected what the translators saw as the primary focus of each book. And in some cases, if not all, they are very fitting:
•Genesis truly is a book of beginnings.
•Exodus does revolve around a dramatic departure.
•Deuteronomy does repeat much of the law, framed as Moses’ final address.
[ Side note: Why “Second Law”?
It’s called that because Deuteronomy repeats and expands many of the laws already given in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, presenting them through Moses’ final sermons to Israel before they enter the Promised Land. It’s like a divine recap and heart-focused restatement of the covenant.
But interestingly — the title might come from a mistranslation in the Septuagint:
Deuteronomy 17:18 says in Hebrew: “he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law…”
(Hebrew: mishneh haTorah ha’zot – “a copy of this law”)
The Greek translators read mishneh (which means “copy” ) as if it meant “second” — and so rendered it as deuteronomion, “second law.” From there, the name stuck (Side note complete). ]
But… that shift from God’s opening words to man’s thematic summary is what gives some, pause.
Part 4: Was It Wrong to Change the Names?
Not necessarily.
When we hear that the titles of the books were changed — not just translated, but replaced with entirely different ones — it can be unsettling at first. We have to ask, both ourselves and expert theologians, if these were the names God’s people always used… then who decided to rename them? And were they even “allowed” to?
It’s always worth asking:
Did man take too much liberty in reframing what God had already begun? Is it possible that in trying to “summarize,” we missed some of the subtle beauty of how God first spoke?
It’s not about accusing the translators. The Septuagint translators weren’t trying to distort Scripture, after all – they were trying to translate and clarify for a new audience. The Greek titles we use today weren’t born out of rebellion, carelessness, or disregard – they were the result of translation, mission, and a changing world. As the early Church spread into Greek-speaking regions, the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) became the version most familiar to believers.
The apostles themselves often quoted from the Septuagint when writing the New Testament, especially when preaching to Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles alike. These Greek titles – Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy – came from that same translation tradition, and slowly became standard.
Yeshua Himself likely used the Hebrew Scriptures or their Aramaic paraphrases when teaching in synagogues or among the people of Judea and Galilee, where those texts remained central. While He may have been familiar with the Greek version, it’s the apostles who most clearly drew from it in their writings and evangelism.
So while we might be tempted to recoil at changes to what feels sacred, these titles weren’t born out of irreverence – they were a bridge.
A bridge to new believers, new languages, and new hearts.
Still, that doesn’t mean our questions are misplaced. Wanting to know where things changed, who made the call, and why — that’s not unfaithful. That’s wise.
Because if we don’t ask about the small changes, like a title, where do we draw the line? At what point does something become too big to change? Where is the line between ignoring a thing and finding our voice to question it? And if we ignore the small shifts, how will we know when they’ve quietly added up, reshaping something much bigger without us noticing, changing the whole dynamic of something that once held great import?
Section 5 – A Name Worth Remembering
Maybe we don’t need to rewrite our Bible covers or abandon the names we’ve always known. There’s beauty and weight in Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy – names that have shaped centuries of faith, study, and worship.
But we can also honor the names that came first.
“In the Beginning”.
“Names”.
“In the Wilderness”.
They weren’t arbitrary labels. They were glimpses into what each book held, often pulled straight from the first few words of the Hebrew text – the way God’s people titled things in ancient times.
Rediscovering those titles doesn’t undo the ones we know – it simply adds another layer of richness, like digging deeper into the soil of something we already love.
It says, “I want to know more. I want to know what they knew. I want to see what they saw.”
And maybe that’s what makes this whole journey so special — not merely the names, but the pursuit behind them, the longing desire to draw closer to every word God ever gave us.
The titles may have changed, but truth within them has not.
So do not shy from the questions that stir within you; they are the chisels that carve us into the likeness of Christ.
Never fear to question boldly, seek earnestly, and let every step draw you nearer to Him.
SundayMorningCoffeeAndChrist 
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