אֱלִישֶׁבַע
𐤀𐤋𐤉𐤔𐤁𐤏
Elisheva
H472 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'El (God) is an oath' or 'El (God) is abundance.' Bears the sense of a theophoric compound signifying association with the deity El and the concept of an oath or assuredness. Used as a proper feminine name for the wife of Aaron, brother of Moses, in the Torah. The semantic range centers on its role as a personal name within genealogical and narrative contexts, without generic use outside proper names.
Semantic Range
personal name, God's oath, God is abundance, association of divine name and oathfulness; rare feminine theophoric name used in early Israelite priestly genealogy
Root / Etymology
The name is a compound formed from אֵל (ʾel, 'El'—a chief deity in ancient Canaan and the common term for God in Hebrew) plus שֶׁבַע (shevaʿ, from the root שָׁבַע š-b-ʿ, 'to swear an oath, bind by seven things'), likely conveying 'El is (the) oath' or possibly 'El is abundance' (by metonymy, as 'seven' can denote fullness).
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishebaʿ) appears only as the name of Aaron's wife (Exodus 6:23), indicating its rare but significant role in Israelite genealogical traditions of the early Torah world. The form matches West Semitic naming patterns where the deity's name is joined to a virtue or occurrence. The element שֶׁבַע connects either to the root meaning 'oath' (as making seven-fold vows) or possibly 'seven' as a symbol of completion/abundance, a feature echoed in comparable Northwest Semitic names. The LXX renders the name as Elisabet, forming the basis for the Greek/Latin Elizabeth, but the semantic connotations of 'oath' and relationship to El are often lost in later translation. Unlike Judaean personal names from post-exilic periods, this name is found at the very inception of the Levitical priesthood narrative. English translations retain the form Elisheba for Aaron's wife but generally use Elizabeth in later contexts (e.g., Luke 1:5 for the mother of John the Baptist), conflating the Hebrew and Greek forms without distinction.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אֵל and שֶׁבַע (in the sense of שָׁבַע); God of (the) oath; Elisheba, the wife of Aaron; Elisheba.
Bantu Hebrew
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א-ל-ש-ב-ע (ʾ-l-š-b-ʿ) — God, oath, to swear, seven, abundance
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H472-01 |
אֱלִישֶׁ֧בַע | elisheva | HNp |
Elisheba | El Is Oath | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H472-01 |
Exodus 6:23 | אֱלִישֶׁ֧בַע | elisheva | HNp |
Elisheba | El Is Oath |