The Bible isn’t just the sacred source of Christian tradition — it’s also the ultimate baby-name book. While a handful of Old Testament names have stayed in steady rotation, scripture offers many others that are meaningful, dignified, and largely forgotten.

Here are 10 Old Testament names — ranked by modern familiarity — for parents who want something biblical, rooted, and just a little unexpected.

1. Amos

Book of Amos

A shepherd turned prophet, Amos delivered some of the Bible’s most direct warnings against corruption and moral complacency. His words still resonate: “Let justice roll down like waters” (Amos 5:24).

The name means “burden-bearer,” which sounds heavy until you realize that’s exactly the point. Short, serious, and literary, Amos feels timeless rather than trendy.

Famous Amoses: Amos Oz (novelist), Amos Lee (musician), Amos Alonzo Stagg (coach)

2. Asa

1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 14–16

Asa was a king of Judah remembered for religious reform and a sincere effort to remove idols. Scripture presents him as faithful, if imperfect.

Often translated as “healer” or “physician,” Asa is ancient, compact, and surprisingly modern to the ear.

Famous Asas: Asa Butterfield (actor), Asa Gray (botanist), Asa Hutchinson (former governor)

3. Boaz

Book of Ruth

Boaz is the upright kinsman-redeemer who marries Ruth and becomes the great-grandfather of King David. He’s portrayed as generous, attentive, and morally grounded.

The name likely means “strength.” Short, rugged, and unmistakably biblical, Boaz feels bold without being archaic.

Famous Boazes: Boaz Yakin (filmmaker), Boaz Mauda (musician)

4. Tamar

Genesis 38; Ruth 4

Tamar plays a complicated but central role in Genesis and becomes part of the lineage of King David. Her story is difficult but ultimately redemptive.

Her name means “palm tree,” a biblical symbol of resilience and endurance. Common globally, rare in the U.S.

Famous Tamars: Tamar Braxton, Tamar Novas

5. Jethro

Exodus 3; 18

Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law, a Midianite priest who famously advised Moses on delegation — saving him from burnout long before the term existed.

The name suggests abundance or overflow and carries undeniable presence. Memorable but not for the timid.

Famous Jethros: Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Burns (musician)

6. Elihu

Book of Job

Elihu is the youngest speaker in Job, stepping in when Job’s friends fall silent. He’s thoughtful, corrective, and framed as preparing the way for God’s response.

The name means “He is my God.” Distinctly biblical and rarely used today.

Famous Elihus: Elihu Root (statesman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate)

7. Obadiah

1 Kings 18; Book of Obadiah

Obadiah was a faithful official who hid prophets from Jezebel and also authored one of the Bible’s shortest prophetic books.

His name means “servant of the Lord.” Formal, weighty, and unapologetically biblical.

Famous Obadiahs: Obadiah Stane (“Iron Man,” fictional but familiar)

8. Jair

Numbers 32; Judges 10

Jair served as a judge of Israel for 22 years and is remembered more for stability than spectacle — a rarity in Judges.

The name means “he enlightens.” Short, strong, and unfamiliar without being difficult.

Famous Jairs: Jair Bolsonaro (political figure)

9. Zerah

Genesis 38; Numbers 26

Zerah was the twin son of Judah and Tamar, remembered for his unusual birth, marked by a scarlet thread. His name endured through Israel’s genealogies.

Meaning “rising” or “dawning,” Zerah is poetic, compact, and ancient.

Famous Zerahs: Zerah Colburn (19th-century mathematical prodigy)

10. Huldah (most uncommon)

2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34

Huldah was a prophetess consulted by King Josiah during a major religious reform — her authority unquestioned.

The name sounds ancient because it is. Deeply biblical, historically important, and virtually unused today.

Famous Huldahs: Huldah Pierce (American folk artist)

Come back tomorrow for our list of 10 underrated New Testament names!

​Baby names, Old testament, Abide, Lifestyle, Bible, Christianity, Faith 

Israeli officials claim that Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei was among those senior-ranking Iranian officials killed in Saturday’s joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes. While Iranian propagandists have suggested that the geriatric dictator is alive and kicking, President Donald Trump backed the Israeli account.

According to Axios, Reuters, and CNN, Israeli officials say that Khamenei — who reports previously indicated had been moved to a secure location outside the national capital of Tehran, where his compound was destroyed — is indeed dead.

‘We feel that that is a correct story.’

Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, reportedly made the same boast to U.S. officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to state outright that Khamenei has been eliminated.

Netanyahu did note, however, that attacking forces “destroyed the compound of the tyrant,” that the ayatollah’s plan to destroy Israel “is no more,” and that “there are many signs that the tyrant himself is no more.”

The Israeli prime minister and the heads of Israel’s security establishment were allegedly provided with proof of the successful assassination, namely a photo of the dictator’s body.

RELATED: World leaders respond to regime-change strikes on Iran: ‘Peacekeeper is at it again’

The White House

Trump suggested in a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday that his administration believes the Iranian dictator is dead.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people beyond, and we feel certain, we feel, we feel that that is a correct story,” said the president, adding that “the people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone.”

The Iranian state-linked Tasnim and Mehr news agencies have reportedly suggested that Khamenei is still alive — “steadfast and firm in commanding the field.”

The U.S. has yet to confirm one way or the other.

Blaze News has reached out to the White House as well as the Departments of State and War for comment.

The 86-year-old Shia radical, who has served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, has been antagonistic toward the U.S. and Israel, characterizing America as a “corrupt, oppressive” empire and prematurely insinuating that the American military might not be able to “get up again” after a conflict with Tehran.

Reports indicate that among the Iranian officials also believed dead are Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Javad Pourhossein, head of Iran’s foreign intelligence unit; Mohammad-Reza Bajestani, head of the security unit; Ali Kheirandish, head of the counterterrorism unit; Saeed Ehya Hamidi, adviser on the war with Israel; and at least three members of Iran’s Basij paramilitary forces.

This is a developing story.

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​Iran, Tehran, Khamanei, Assassination, Foreign entanglements, Iran strikes, Israel, Netanyahu, Regime change, Politics 

A video surfaced recently of a speaker at a Florida Education Association press conference encouraging students to walk out of school to protest federal law enforcement. Union officials have since attempted to distance themselves from the remarks, but the episode should not come as a surprise.

The FEA’s parent organization, the National Education Association, recently adopted a resolution at its annual conference explicitly supporting efforts to help students organize similar protests.

A handful of activists control workplace representation for thousands of employees who never asked for it.

The walkout controversy reveals a much deeper problem: teachers’ unions in Florida have abandoned their mission of representing workers and have become political organizations that put ideology ahead of students and the teachers they claim to represent.

What happens when a union is forced to hold a recertification election is even more revealing. Only five of the 125 union recertification votes held for employees in Florida’s K-12 schools between March 2025 and January 2026 secured the support of more than 50% of the vote. Under current law, unions that did not meet this standard won recertification anyway. Even when a majority of the workforce declined to participate, the outcome still conferred exclusive bargaining authority.

For instance, there are 2,034 instructional personnel eligible for the union in Santa Rosa County. Only 364, less than 18% of their total eligible membership, actually voted to recertify the union as the bargaining authority. In Gadsden County, it’s even worse, with only 15% of the 293 eligible instructional employees choosing to vote to recertify the union. And in Seminole County, 1,098 votes out of 4,407 possible, less than 25%, secured the union’s recertification.

The same trend is occurring at universities across Florida. At the University of South Florida, the United Faculty of Florida secured exclusive bargaining authority over 2,169 employees. How many voted for the union? Forty-one. That’s less than 2% of the workforce. At Florida A&M University, three votes out of 202 eligible voters certified a union to represent all graduate assistants.

This is a system in which a handful of activists control workplace representation for thousands of employees who never asked for it.

Here’s what makes this so consequential: Certified unions in Florida don’t just represent their members. They exercise “exclusive representation” and have sole legal authority to negotiate for every employee in the bargaining unit, whether those employees want union representation or not.

Workers who think their union isn’t serving their interests can’t negotiate directly with their employer. State law prohibits it. The union speaks for everyone, even if almost no one voted for the union.

If a union gets exclusive authority of a bargaining unit, it should be chosen by at least 50% of the employees. That’s the principle behind House Bill 995 and Senate Bill 1296, now moving through the Florida legislature.

The bills require unions to secure support from a majority of all eligible employees, not just those who happen to vote. Unions that maintain at least 60% dues-paying membership get automatically recertified. Those below that threshold would face an election to prove they represent the workers they claim to speak for.

Critics say this sets the bar too high. But consider what these unions control: negotiations over pay, benefits, working conditions, and grievance procedures. They file lawsuits in employees’ names. They consume taxpayer resources through collective bargaining and, in some cases, paid leave for union activities unrelated to contract negotiations.

Given that level of authority, shouldn’t we require genuine support from the people being governed?

The legislation includes other common-sense reforms. Right now, public employees can take paid time off for union activities that have nothing to do with collective bargaining — political campaigns, fundraising, lobbying. The proposed bills preserve paid leave for legitimate work like contract negotiations and grievances but require unpaid leave for political activities. Employees could still voluntarily pool their time off for colleagues doing union work. This protects taxpayers while preserving employees’ organizing rights.

RELATED: My school’s AI challenge raised a scary question: What do students need me for?

Andrei Apoev/Getty Images

Some will say these reforms are anti-union. They’re not. They’re pro-worker and pro-accountability. Unions with broad support have nothing to fear — they’ll be automatically recertified. Only unions that have lost the confidence of the workers they represent will face scrutiny.

The recent student walkouts show what happens when unions lose their way. Instead of focusing on teacher pay, classroom resources, or working conditions, the FEA pushed a partisan political protest that could saddle students with disciplinary consequences on their permanent records.

Teachers and families deserve better. They deserve unions that focus on delivering a world-class education, not unions that exploit their positions to advance political agendas with almost no accountability.

These bills restore democratic accountability to workplace representation. When a union speaks for Florida’s teachers and public employees, it should do so with legitimate support, not on the strength of three votes from a bargaining unit of 200.

That’s not asking too much. It should be the minimum standard for any organization claiming to represent working Floridians.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearEducation and made available via RealClearWire.

​Florida, Teachers unions, Fea, National education association, Democrats, Worker representation, Opinion & analysis, Collective bargaining, Public employee unions, Public schools, Anastasios kamoutsas, Families, Students, Accountability