Boy · Aramaic · New Testament

Silas

SY-lus · from Sha'ul (related) · means “Asked for; possibly of the forest (via Silvanus)”

Silas is likely a shortened Greek form related to Saul, meaning "asked for," and is also linked to the Latin Silvanus, meaning "of the forest." A leader in the Jerusalem church, Silas traveled with Paul through beatings and imprisonment, singing hymns in a jail cell at midnight.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

The story behind the name

Silas was a leading man among the believers in Jerusalem, chosen to carry the council's letter to the Gentile churches and later chosen by Paul as his companion for a second missionary journey (Acts 15:22, 40).

In Philippi, Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison, feet fastened in stocks. Yet "about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God" (Acts 16:25), and an earthquake opened every cell door, leading to the jailer's conversion.

Silas, also called Silvanus, later helped Peter write his first letter as well. A boy named Silas carries a name tied to being asked for and given, and a story of unshakable joy in the hardest circumstances.

Middle names that sing with Silas

Chosen for rhythm and meanings that speak to each other.

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