Matthew McConaughey Reveals How His Favorite Bible Verse Influenced the Name of His Son

By Timothy Yap Aug 04, 2017 02:38 PM EDT

Oscar award winning actor Matthew McConaughey revealed on Good Morning America on July 31 that he named his son Levi Alves McConaughey after his favorite Bible verse. His favorite verse was Matthew 6:22, which reads, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

In debating what to name their child, the actor and his wife liked the idea of passing on the name Matthew to their son, should the baby be a boy. There were compelling reasons to do so, but the couple wasn't completely sold. "Levi's another name for Matthew in the Bible," the actor said. "So, we had talked about possibly Matthew, Jr. if he was a boy. And my favorite book in the Bible is Matthew 6:22."

When the time came to welcome their son into the world nine years ago, God gave the couple the confirmation they needed in knowing the perfect name for their son."We find out he's a boy when he's born. You're not thinking about the name, right?" the actor said. "An hour later, the doctor comes up and he hands you that card to fill out: 'Blank was born at 6:22 p.m."

Without a second thought from either of them, the joyful new parents looked at the doctor and said, "It's Levi."

McConaughey first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993). He appeared in such films as the slasher Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), and the legal thriller A Time to Kill (1996). McConaughey and his family are Christians and they attend a non-denominational church.