Who was Eliashib in the Bible?

Eliashib was a descendant of King David through the line of Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin), as recorded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:12-13). He is listed as an ancestor of Jesus, connecting the Messiah to the royal Davidic line.

Why is Eliashib significant?

Eliashib's significance lies in his place within the genealogy that fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). By being part of this lineage, he is a vital link in the biblical narrative leading to the birth of Jesus.

What do we know about Eliashib's life?

The Bible does not record any specific events from Eliashib's life. His mention is purely genealogical, serving to document the continuation of the Davidic bloodline during the period after the Babylonian exile, as shown in Matthew's genealogy.

Eliashib

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleSon of elioenai

Eliashib was a descendant of King David through Jeconiah.

Eliashib

Biography

Eliashib son of Elioenai appears in 1 Chronicles 3:24 as a descendant of the royal line of Judah through Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin), the king of Judah who was taken into Babylonian captivity in 597 BC. Eliashib belongs to the post-exilic Davidic family tree, representing the continuation of the royal bloodline even after the Davidic dynasty had been stripped of political power. His ancestor Zerubbabel led the first return of exiles from Babylon and oversaw the rebuilding of the temple's foundation. Though Eliashib personally appears only in the genealogical list without further narrative, his existence as a recorded Davidic descendant of the Divided Monarchy era demonstrates the biblical concern to preserve the royal lineage through whom the Messianic promises were expected to be fulfilled.

Significance

Eliashib son of Elioenai holds significance primarily as a thread in the unbroken Davidic genealogical cord (1 Chronicles 3:24) that ran from Jesse through the catastrophe of exile and into the era of restoration. The preservation of Davidic lineage through the post-exilic period was theologically crucial to Jewish messianic hope, as the promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 required a permanent dynasty. Even when stripped of throne and territory, the Davidic family's careful recording in Chronicles demonstrates that God does not abandon his covenant commitments. Eliashib's place in this genealogy contributes to the biblical testimony that the Messiah's coming was prepared across many generations of faithful covenant preservation.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherElioenai

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 3:24

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources