Hermēneuō is the verb of interpretation — to render something from one language or form into another comprehensible form. It appears in John 1:38 ('Rabbi, which means Teacher'), John 1:41 ('Messiah, which means Christ'), and John 9:7 ('Siloam, which means Sent'). Hebrews 7:2 uses it to interpret the name Melchizedek: 'king of righteousness, and also king of Salem, which means king of peace.' The author sees typological meaning embedded in the very name of this mysterious priest-king.
The John's Gospel uses hermēneuō repeatedly to translate Hebrew/Aramaic titles and names into Greek — making the Johannine narrative accessible to Greek-speaking readers. But more than linguistic translation is at work: each hermēneuō is a theological claim about meaning embedded in language. 'Messiah' interpreted means 'Anointed One' — the long-awaited deliverer. 'Siloam' interpreted means 'Sent' — the pool where a blind man was healed by the One who was himself the Sent One (Jn 9). Names in Scripture are not arbitrary labels but theological declarations. Hermēneuō is the act of unlocking that embedded meaning.