Barnabas

Barnabas meaning

Barnabas is a Christian boy's name of Aramaic origin (via Greek).

Son of prophecy; Acts 4:36 renders it 'son of encouragement'

Also used to mean: son of consolation

Barnabas was the name the apostles gave to Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, and Acts 4:36 explains it as 'son of encouragement', or consolation. The first part is Aramaic bar, 'son'. Strong's Concordance reads the second part as a word for prophecy, so it gives 'son of prophecy', while Thayer's lexicon follows Luke's own explanation. Barnabas sold his field to support the early church and travelled with Paul on his first missionary journey. Indian churches and schools are named after him, and the name is used by Christian families across South and Northeast India.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G921 · entry Barnabas · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's G921, Barnabas (Bible Hub) · Acts 4:36 (Bible Hub)

Famous namesakes

• Barnabas, apostle and companion of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles

Spellings

Barnabas · Barnaby

Related names

Also meaning hope

More names of Greek origin

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