The Basics of Judaism: Jewish Texts: What is His Name...:
What is the meaning of the verse (Prov. 30:4), "mah shemo u-mah shem beno" - "what is his name and what is his son's name?".
The Midrash on Proverbs explains each phrase of this verse as referring
to a different person; when it gets to the last two questions, it explains
them as follows: "Mah shemo -- Ha-Shem shemo" (Ex. 15:3): This refers to
G-d, since the Torah uses the phrase "Ha-Shem shemo -- G-d is his name".
"U-mah shem b'no - eilu yisroel, she-ne'emar beni bechori yisroel (Ex. 4:22):
Since the "He" in the question "mah shemo" refers to G-d, "His son" refers
to the nation of Israel, which is called His son in the Torah: "My
first-born son is Israel" (Ex. 4:22).
