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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Eliam

Eliam meaning

Eliam in Biblical Hebrew
אליעם
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Eliam.html

🔼The name Eliam: Summary

Meaning
God Of The People, God Is Kinsman
Etymology
From (1) the word אל ('el), God, and (2) the noun עם (am), a people or kinsman.
Related names
• Via אל ('el): See the 'browse by form' menu for a long list of 'el-names.
• Via עם (am): Adullam, Amalek, Amalekite, Amam, Amasa, Ammi, Ammiel, Ammihud, Ammihur, Amminadab, Ammishaddai, Ammizabad, Ammon, Amram, Aniam, Balaam, Ben-ammi, Bileam, Chephar-ammoni, Gomorrah, Ibleam, Immanuel, Ithream, Jashobeam, Jekameam, Jeroboam, Jokdeam, Jokmeam, Jokneam, Jorkeam, Lo-ammi, Rehoboam, Ummah

🔼The name Eliam in the Bible

There are two men named Eliam in the Bible:

  • The father of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite and mother of Solomon by king David (2 Samuel 11:3). The Chronicler refers to this man as Ammiel, which is the reverse of Eliam (1 Chronicles 3:5).
  • A son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, and one of David's hallowed mighty-men (2 Samuel 23:34).

🔼Etymology of the name Eliam

The name Eliam consists of two elements. The first part comes from the name אל ('el), which belonged to the prominent Canaanite deity whose name became applied to the God of Israel, or else the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אל  אלה

In names אל ('el) usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah). In English, the words 'God' and 'god' exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל ('l) and אלה ('lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.

— See the full Dictionary article —

The second part of our name is the noun עם (am), meaning a people or kinsman:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
עמם

The verb עמם ('mm) probably expressed to be inclusive or comprehensive. Its rare uses in the Bible relate to making secrets or making info available to an in-crowd. Preposition עם ('im) means 'with', מעם (me'im) means 'from', and עמה ('umma) means 'beside'. Noun עם ('am) means a people, ranging from all of mankind to the in-crowd of a small village. Noun עם ('am) refers to one's (paternal) kinsman.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Eliam meaning

For a meaning of the name Eliam, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads God Of The People. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has God's People. And BDB Theological Dictionary proposes God Is Kinsman.