Elisheba (/əˈlɪʃɪbə/; Hebrew: אֱלִישֶׁבַע, romanized: ’Ělīšeḇa‘) was the wife of the Israelite prophet Aaron, who was the elder brother of Moses and the first High Priest of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible.[1]
In the Bible
editShe was said to be a daughter of Amminadab from the Tribe of Judah, and a sister of Nahshon from the Tribe of Judah (Book of Exodus, Exodus 6:23).[2] The Hebrew name is composed of two parts; in one interpretation, "Eli" means "my God" and "sheba" means "oath".[3] The name Eli-sheba can thus be translated as "God is (my) oath".
The Hebrew Bible records that Elisheba and Aaron had four sons: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exodus 6:23). In order to be legitimately recognized as hereditary priests (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim), Jews are required by halakha to be Levites of direct patrilineal descent from Eleazar and Ithamar, the two youngest sons of Aaron and Elisheba.
In the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, a woman named Elisavet (Greek: Ἐλισάβετ)[4] is said to have been a descendant of Aaron and the wife of Zechariah, who was also a Jewish priest. Elisabet was a relative of Jesus' mother, Mary, and was the mother of John the Baptist with Zechariah.[5]
Derivations of the name
editIn English
editElizabeth is the common English-language variant of Elisabet, which is derived from Elisheba.[6]
In Spanish/Portuguese
editIsabel is the Spanish and Portuguese version of the name Elisheba or Elizabeth in English.
In Italian
editElisabetta is the Italian version of the name Elizabeth.
In the Muslim world
editAlishba is a modern name that is believed to have been derived from an Arabic-language translation of Elisheba.[6] It is prevalent among Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Elisheva - Jewish & Hebrew Names - Kveller.com". Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ Book of Exodus, Chapter 6
- ^ Gesenius' dictionary, 45. el
- ^ Englishman's Concordance, Ἐλισάβετ
- ^ Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 1
- ^ a b Thomas, Siobhan (2016). Best Baby Names for 2017: Over 8,000 names and 100 inspiration lists. London: Random House. p. 365. ISBN 9781473528956. Retrieved 12 August 2018.