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Summary
- No one named Destiny appears in the Bible; Destiny is a modern English name taken from the word, from Latin destinare, “to determine.”
- The King James Version never uses the word “destiny,” and the English Standard Version uses it once, for the pagan god Meni in Isaiah 65:11.
- Where the NIV has “destiny,” as in Psalm 73:17 and Philippians 3:19, the King James Version usually has “end.”
- Scripture holds together God’s rule over events (Proverbs 16:9; Genesis 50:20) and human responsibility (Deuteronomy 30:19; Philippians 2:12–13).
- Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed and Arminian teaching all affirm God’s providence and explain predestination and free will in different ways.
- Destiny was among the top 50 names for American girls from 1997 to 2008 and ranked highest, 22nd, in 2001.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Destiny,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/destiny
- “Destiny (given name),” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny_(given_name)
- Bible Gateway keyword search for “destiny” in the King James Version, English Standard Version and New International Version. https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=destiny&version=ESV
- Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s H1486 (goral), H1409 (Gad), H4507 (Meni), H4487 (manah), G5056 (telos) and G4309 (proorizō). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4507/kjv/wlc/0-1/
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 302, 306 and 600. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P19.HTM and https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1O.HTM
- John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, book 2, chapter 30, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 9. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/33042.htm
- Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 3, section 1, Orthodox Presbyterian Church edition. https://www.opc.org/wcf.html
- “Arminianism,” Wikipedia, on conditional election and prevenient grace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminianism
- “Moirai,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai
- “Predestination in Islam,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predestination_in_Islam
- Scripture quotations: Isaiah 65:11–12, Proverbs 16:33 and Psalm 16:5, English Standard Version; Psalm 73:17, Ecclesiastes 9:2, Philippians 3:19, Proverbs 16:9, Genesis 50:20, Esther 4:14, Deuteronomy 30:19, Philippians 2:12–13, Matthew 26:39, Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:11 and Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version; Isaiah 65:11, Psalm 73:17, Ecclesiastes 9:2 and Philippians 3:19, King James Version. References: Jeremiah 29:4, 10.
