Who was Elienai in the Bible?

Elienai was a descendant of Benjamin, listed as a son of Shimei in a genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin. He is mentioned only in a list of family names, with no narrative about his life or deeds (1 Chronicles 8:20).

Why is Elienai mentioned in the Bible?

Elienai's inclusion preserves the historical and genealogical record of the tribe of Benjamin, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His promises to the tribes of Israel. His mention helps establish the lineage and continuity of the Benjamite people.

What can we learn from Elienai's story?

While no specific events from his life are recorded, Elienai teaches that every individual, even those seemingly minor, is part of God's larger story and plan. His name in a genealogy affirms the importance of every member within the community of God's people.

Elienai

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleSon of shimei

Elienai was a Benjamite, a descendant of Shimei (1Ch.8.20).

Elienai

Biography

Elienai was a Benjamite recorded in the genealogical list of 1 Chronicles 8:20 as a son of Shimei. He is enumerated among the heads of families within the tribe of Benjamin who settled in Jerusalem, preserving their tribal heritage in the holy city. The tribe of Benjamin occupied a position of particular significance in Israelite history, it was the tribe of Israel's first king, Saul, and later of the apostle Paul, and the careful preservation of Benjamite genealogies in Chronicles served the post-exilic community by validating their ancestral connections to the land and the covenant. Elienai's name, which may mean 'toward the LORD are my eyes,' reflects a posture of faith and dependence on God, fitting for a member of a community seeking to rebuild its identity after exile.

Significance

Elienai's brief appearance in the Benjamite genealogy carries meaning within the Chronicler's larger theological program. The preservation of individual names within tribal lists affirms the biblical conviction that every person within the covenant community has an identity known to God and valued in the ongoing story of redemption. For post-exilic readers, such genealogies were not mere historical records but declarations that God had not forgotten His people, that their tribal and family identities remained intact through the crucible of exile. Elienai, as a son of the Benjamite line, stands within a tradition of faithfulness and reminds modern readers that covenant belonging is intergenerational and that God's memory of His people spans centuries.

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 8:20

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]

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