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אֱלִיהוּ

𐤀𐤋𐤉𐤄𐤅

Elihu

H453 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אל-הו to be mighty, god; he, he himself

Definition

A personal name meaning 'My God is He' or 'He is my God.' Used of several Israelite individuals in the Hebrew Bible. The name combines a theophoric element (ʼēl, 'God') with a pronominal suffix (hû, 'he' or 'he himself'), reflecting a confessional affirmation about God. The name appears in various genealogical and narrative contexts, often without further descriptive titles.

Semantic Range

personal name, 'He is my God,' 'My God is He'; name of a speaker in the book of Job; names of other Israelite individuals; used in genealogical lists

Root / Etymology

From אֵל (ʼēl, 'God') + הוּא (hû, 'he'), forming אֱלִיהוּ, literally 'My God is he' or 'He (is) my God.' The name construction is typical of Hebrew theophoric naming practices, integrating divine and pronominal elements.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name אֱלִיהוּ is attested for several individuals: (1) A prominent friend of Job, featured in Job 32–37 as a speaker in the dialogue. (2) Other bearers appear in genealogies (1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 12:20, 27:18). The theophoric character of the name situates it within wider Israelite onomastic practice, where names often express a relationship to the deity. Unlike later English usage of 'Elihu' as a proper name, in the biblical context the meaning would be directly evident. The suffix -hu often appears in early Israelite personal names as a pronominal referent to God. The use of the name does not distinguish tribe, region, or social status, and in post-exilic periods it remained as a literary and genealogical name. Standard English translations usually render אֱלִיהוּ as 'Elihu,' reflecting the transliterated form, but the original sense ('My God is He') would have been apparent in the ancient context. In the Book of Job, 'Elihu' is not explicitly identified by ancestral or tribal affiliation, distinguishing him from other speakers.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (fully) אֱלִיהוּא; from אֵל and הוּא; God of him; Elihu, the name of one of Job's friends, and of three Israelites; Elihu.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אלהו (ʾ-l-h-w) — god, might; he, he himself

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H453-01 אֱלִיה֛וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He 9
H453-02 וֶֽ/אֱלִיה֗וּ veelihu HC/Np and Elihu and My-God-is-He 2

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H453-01 1 Samuel 1:1 אֱלִיה֛וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-01 Job 32:2 אֱלִיה֣וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-02 Job 32:4 וֶֽ/אֱלִיה֗וּ veelihu HC/Np Now Elihu and My-God-is-He
H453-01 Job 32:5 אֱלִיה֗וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-01 Job 32:6 אֱלִיה֖וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-01 Job 34:1 אֱלִיה֗וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-01 Job 35:1 אֱלִיה֗וּ elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-01 Job 36:1 אֱלִיה֗וּא elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
H453-02 1 Chronicles 12:21 וֶ/אֱלִיה֖וּא veelihu HC/Np and Elihu and My-God-is-He
H453-01 1 Chronicles 26:7 אֱלִיה֖וּ elihu HNp Elihu My God is He
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