Bible Word Study
אֶלְעָשָׂה
ʼElʻâsâh · Elasah, the name of four Israelites
אֶלְעָשָׂה
Elasah, the name of four Israelites
Definition
Elasah is a Hebrew proper name meaning 'God has made' or 'God has done.' It is borne by four distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The first is a descendant of Judah through Jerahmeel (1 Chronicles 2:39-40). The second and third are descendants of King Saul through Jonathan, listed in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 8:37 and 9:43. The fourth is one of the men sent by King Zedekiah to Babylon, who carried Jeremiah's letter to the exiles (Jeremiah 29:3).
Biblical Usage
The name Elasah is used exclusively as a personal name for male Israelites. It appears in genealogical lists within 1 Chronicles, establishing lineage for the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Its most notable usage is in the historical narrative of Jeremiah 29:3, where Elasah serves as a royal messenger during the Babylonian exile, connecting the name to a key prophetic event.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'El' (H410), a primary term for God, and 'asah' (H6213), meaning 'to make' or 'to do.' It is a theophoric name, common in Israelite culture, which explicitly acknowledges God's creative or active power in the life of the individual.
Semantic Range
As a theophoric name, Elasah serves as a constant, personal reminder of God's sovereignty and creative action. It reflects the Israelite practice of embedding theological truth (that God is the ultimate maker and actor) into personal identity. Understanding this meaning enriches reading, as even a name in a genealogy points to a foundational belief about God's character. In ancient Israel, names were often descriptive and carried significant meaning, believed to influence or reflect a person's destiny or character. A name like Elasah, declaring 'God has made,' would have been a public profession of faith in Yahweh as the primary actor, distinguishing the bearer within a culture where many names invoked other deities. Eliada (ʼElyâdâʻ, H450) — 'God knows'; a different theophoric name emphasizing God's knowledge. Jonathan (Yᵊhônāṯān, H3083) — 'Yahweh has given'; another theophoric name focusing on God as the giver.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]