The first thing about this child who was born of the Son who was given is that he will

be called wonderful.

He will be called one who is full of wonder.

His name will be called wonderful.

Now there's a question here since most of these titles in this list here are in couplets,

many people interpret the text to say that his first name by which he will be known is

the title wonderful counselor.

I think that actually the word, the way it is used here, and elsewhere in the New Testament

is not an adjective but a noun, and it's one that is used elsewhere to describe people.

So I'm taking the position, not dogmatically, but at least tentatively, that what I say

I meant here is that the first thing about this child who was born of the Son who was

given is that he will be called wonderful.

His name is wonderful.

Now the meaning of that is much closer to the English language in the Elizabethan period

than it is today.

Today, we think something that is nice or it's cool, we may say, oh, that's wonderful.

And here, the word means literally, he will be called one who is full of wonder.

If you ever had the misfortune of having to study New Testament Greek, you know that one

of the first words that you learn in Greek is the word thomasi, which means to be astonished

or to be amazed.

Because what happened in the earthly ministry of Jesus was that he left a wake of miracles

everywhere he went.

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