Mary Conway's alternative approach to naming: it's an act of discernment, not authority, based on George Ramsey's 1988 paper.

Mary Conway (Discovering Biblical Equality, p. 48) argues naming in the OT is 'an act of discerning a trait or function that already exists in a person,' not a sign of authority. She bases this on George Ramsey's 12-page 1988 paper. Mike notes that Ramsey's paper opens by refuting Trible (which is why Conway takes a different route). Ramsey's framework presents only two options: naming as discernment OR naming as magical power over destiny.