What Were the Original Constellation Names?

The Original Constellation and Star Names Were in Hebrew...

We have seen that the constellation shapes were largely preserved among the ancient peoples. But the star and constellation names are not the same. This is because each civilization recorded the star and constellation names in their own languages. For example, consider the name of the second primary constellation, which is the scales. Today, it is called “Libra”, which means “the scales” in Latin. In Hebrew, this constellation was called Mozanaim, which also means “the scales”. 

Constellations have about as many names as there were languages in the ancient world. But since God Himself named the stars (Psalm 147:1-4, Isaiah 40:25-26), the real question is: what names did God originally give to the stars and constellations? 

If it were possible to determine the names which God originally gave the stars and constellations, one could verify the authenticity of the heavenly picture and confirm the Message of the Heavens as being from God. But, after all the millenia that have passed, is it possible for us to sift through the dust of time and reclaim the original star and constellation names? This seems a daunting task, at best! 

It is true that some star names have been lost to us. But the good news is that the greater majority of the original star and constellation names can be known—indeed, many are presented and preserved in my book (and this blog). But, let’s back up and take a look at what we need to know in order to find the original star and constellation names. 

In order to regain the original names of the stars, we need to know the language in which they were named. At this point, you may be scratching your head. Short of getting into a time-machine and going back to the point when God first gave the star and constellation names to man, how are we to know the first language on earth—let alone the star and constellation names?

Before we can find the original language, we must first prove that the whole earth had only one language, originally. According to the Biblical record, all the people of earth spoke one language up until the time of the Tower of Babel. God “confounded” the languages of the people to halt construction on the Tower of Babel. This “confounding” instantly created multiple languages, which then produced the nations of the ancient world (as people who spoke the same language naturally gathered together). The story of God creating these languages, where there was originally only one tongue, is told in Genesis chapter 11:

“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:6-9 (KJV)

So, what was the original mother of all languages in the time before the languages were confounded? There is much evidence to show that the original language was ancient Hebrew. Ancient Hebrew is older than Proto-Hebraic, which is also sometimes called Paleo-Hebraic. Sometimes called Early Hebrew, Proto-Canaanite, or Proto-Semitic, ancient Hebrew had a pictographic alphabet. Pictographs are also known as picture-letters, glyphs, or hieroglyphs. Recent archaeological discoveries have caused many experts to call the ancient Hebrew alphabet the first alphabet on Earth.

In 1999, the BBC reported that US scientists believed they have found the earliest surviving alphabet in ancient limestone inscriptions found in Egypt. Experts determined that the alphabet was Proto-Semetic (Hebrew). The following is an excerpt from the BBC report, titled “Middle East Oldest Alphabet Found in Egypt”:

“The letters in a Semitic language, carved in stone cliffs west of the Nile, were found by Yale University Egyptologist, Dr John Darnell...

A number of experts agree that these inscriptions are the earliest alphabetic writing yet discovered and their location has forced a rethink on the origins of writing.

Up to now it has been believed that alphabetic writing was developed around 1600 BC—up to 300 years later than the Wadi el-Hol inscriptions—by Semitic (Hebrew) people living in the Sinai Peninsula and further north in Syria and Palestine.

Scholars had thought that these languages—known as Proto-Sinaitic and Proto-Canaanite—had been developed from Egyptian hieroglyphs... But this new evidence has prompted the theory that the development took place in (1800-1900 BC) (making this writing nearly 4000 years old)... This is well before the probable time of the Biblical story of Joseph being delivered into slavery in Egypt, so predating the traditional seeds of a Semitic (Hebrew) presence in Egypt.” (BBC News)

Ancient Hebrew is between 6000 to 3500 years old, and is now thought to be the mother alphabet of all earth languages. Numerous experts now cite that ancient Hebrew is older than Cuneiform, which was formerly thought to be the oldest language. It is now known that Cuneiform (wedge) inscriptions actually evolved out of ancient Hebrew (and not vice versa).

Some Bible scholars even believe that ancient Hebrew may be the language of Heaven. This is because there are impossibly perfect numeric codes built in to the Torah, in paleo-Hebraic—codes which are too deep and profound to have been intentionally created by the human writer. Additionally, the heavenly Hand wrote the judgment of Babylon upon the wall of Belteshazzar’s palace in ancient Hebrew—a language which was already lost in the time of Daniel, but which Daniel (a Hebrew) could read and interpret (Daniel Five).

Considering the evidence that Proto-Semitic ancient Hebrew is the oldest known language, there is strong support for the assertion that the original star and constellation names were given in this language. This is why the oldest Hebrew names for stars and constellations are given throughout this book. There are certainly some differences between ancient Hebrew, proto-Hebraic and modern Hebrew. But allowing for some probably minor differences in pronunciation, etc, this author’s attempt to restore these original star and constellation names is close enough to verify the authenticity of the original meaning and message of the stars, at the very least.

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For more information about the Mazzaroth (God's constellation tapestry) and His Messages in the 48 original constellations, request your own copy of Shauna Manfredine's book, God's Amazing Star Secret (book trailer).

Turn your Church or Venue into a Planetarium for a Night (or Weekend)! Now you can share God's Amazing Star Secrets with your whole family, church, or gathering! Request Shauna Manfredine to give her inspiring and well-researched, planetarium-style God's Amazing Star Secrets presentation. 

In her presentation(s), Shauna shows the meaning of Psalm 19:1-4 and the original names of the stars based upon earth's first recorded language(s). She shows archaeological evidence of the original constellations and the amazing connection between the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 primary constellations. And she explains the Plan of Redemption in the original star and constellation names. More information...