So this is pretty cool. The old Hebrew name for Bethlehem, bêth lehem, means “House of Bread.” The Arabic form of the same name, bêt lahm, means “House of Meat.” So Jesus chose to be born in a city suggesting that He was both Bread and Meat.
“… and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51).
What’s astounding is that this incredible prophesy involves the particulars of both the Hebrew and Arabic language, as well as the Old Testament prophesy Micah 5:2. In other words, even if we were to imagine that the Apostles were (for some reason) making up the entire Nativity account, that can’t really account for Micah 5:2, or the Eucharistic connotations in the name Bethlehem … unless we also imagine that they doctored the Old Testament, created the Hebrew and Arabic languages, and named Bethlehem (established c. 1400 B.C.). But this idea of the Apostles as time-travelling pranksters is decidedly less plausible than the idea that God, the ultimate Author of language (see Genesis 11:9), encoded the Truth of the Eucharist for over a millenia prior to the Birth of His Son.
This is cool!
The English language has a derivation for “lord” and “lady” that is unique. The word “lord” derives from the root literally “loaf-ward.” or more meaningfully “protector of the bread.” The word “lady” derives from “loaf-kneader” or “the bread-maker.”
This also can inspire some meditations.