The Name:
Ebenezer Scrooge
Scrooge:
If you think of a miserable, tight-fisted old man who goes around saying Bah Humbug to Christmas and everything nice, welcome to the club!
But I looked it up.
The name Scrooge actually means, "a miserly person" (a person who won't spend his money to help others even though he has plenty). I mean if you say someone is a Scrooge, everyone knows what you mean!
It got this meaning from Charles Dickens made up character.
Ebenezer:
This is harder and less known.
But it should be better known cause Ebenezer actually goes back to the Bible. The Old Testament.
During a battle between the Ancient Israelis and the Ancient Philistines God caused a huge storm to brew (How cool is that?). It confused the Philistines and made it so the Ancient Israelis won the battle. The prophet and judge, Samuel, then set up a large stone as a reminder to all to never forget the Lord's help.
Samuel called the stone, Ebenezer - "the stone of help".
(I'm not making this up - Samuel really gave a stone a name - look it up for yourselves in 1 Samuel 7:12).
But back to Ebenezer Scrooge...
It's kind of sad how everyone knows what his last name means but not his first. Because Mr. Dickens must have given him the name Ebenezer because of what a great and nice and kind man he became at the end of the book (my English teacher would call that character development).
On the last page of the book Mr. Dickens writes about Ebenezer Scrooge:
"He became as good a friend, as good a
master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old
city, town, or borough, in the good old world."
In other words, he was a strong fine man who helped others!
That's why my Grandma always tells me to, "Be an Ebenezer (not a Scrooge!)."
