b) When, instead of a common noun, the word play concerns a proper name, the technique is called paronomasia. It is quite frequent in the OT. Proper names, of persons or places, are used simply to designate the person or place. We are not interested in their meaning. If we know it, we pay no attention to it. We are not aware that Susan means “white lily”, Deborah means “bee”, Jaffa means “beautiful”. The Romans called this literal meaning of a proper name “nomen omen” = “the name signifies the destiny”.