אֶלְיָדָע
Eljada, the name of two Israelites and of an Aramaean leader
Definition
אֶלְיָדָע (Elyada) is a Hebrew proper name meaning 'God knows' or 'God has known.' It is borne by three distinct individuals in the Old Testament. First, it refers to a son of King David, born in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:16, 1 Chronicles 3:8). Second, it identifies a Benjamite warrior, a mighty man of valor who served under King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:17). Third, it is the name of an Aramean (Syrian) military leader, Rezon's father, who became an adversary to King Solomon (1 Kings 11:23).
Biblical Usage
The name is used exclusively as a personal name in the Old Testament, appearing four times across historical books. It is applied to Israelites (a royal son and a military commander) and also to an Aramean enemy leader. The usage shows it was a known name in the region, not exclusive to Israel. Key references are 2 Samuel 5:16 and 1 Chronicles 3:8 (David's son), 2 Chronicles 17:17 (the Benjamite commander), and 1 Kings 11:23 (the Aramean's father).
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew elements: אֵל (ʼēl, H410), meaning 'God,' and יָדַע (yādaʻ, H3045), a verb meaning 'to know.' It is a theophoric name (containing God's name) common in the ancient Near East, forming a declarative sentence: 'God knows' or 'God has known.' This construction expresses faith in God's omniscience and personal care.
Semantic Range
As a theophoric name meaning 'God knows,' it serves as a tangible reminder of the biblical doctrine of God's omniscience and His intimate knowledge of individuals (Psalm 139:1). It reflects a personal theology where parents name a child to affirm God's foreknowledge and providential care. The fact that the name is borne by both an Israelite hero and an enemy leader subtly underscores that God's knowledge and sovereignty extend over all nations.
In ancient Israelite and surrounding Semitic cultures, personal names were often meaningful sentences or declarations about deity. Giving a child a name like Elyada was an act of faith and a public statement about the family's relationship with God. The use of the same name for an Aramean suggests cultural and linguistic connections across the region, where similar naming conventions using 'El' for god were common.
אֱלִידָד (Elidad, H449) — A similar theophoric name ('God has loved') borne by a prince of Benjamin (Numbers 34:21). יְדַעְיָה (Yeda'yah, H3048) — Another name incorporating the root 'to know,' meaning 'Yahweh knows' (1 Chronicles 24:7).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →