Elisheba

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

She 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

In English

Elizabeth is the common English-language variant of Elisabet, which is derived from Elisheba.^[6]

In Spanish/Portuguese

Isabel is the Spanish and Portuguese version of the name Elisheba or Elizabeth in English.

In Italian

Isabella is the Italian version of the name Elizabeth.

In the Muslim world

Alishba 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

This page was last edited on 8 January 2024, at 04:28