Hebrew word · H445

אֶלְחָנָן

'elchanan

Elhanan

Personal name, 'God has been gracious'.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.19;

son of: Jaare-oregim (H3296)

§ Elhanan = "God has been gracious"

1) Jair's son who fought the Gittites

2) Dodo's son who was a chief of David

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 11:26

Range of meaning

Personal name, 'God has been gracious'.

Against the English

English readers can easily merge this Elhanan with the Elhanan who killed a giant (2 Sam 21:19; 1 Chr 20:5). The Hebrew gives them different fathers.

Used elsewhere in the period

Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem: 2 Sam 23:24 and here. Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed 'Goliath the Gittite': 2 Sam 21:19. Elhanan son of Jair killed 'Lahmi the brother of Goliath': 1 Chr 20:5.

From the study of 2 Samuel 21:19

Range of meaning

The name means 'God has shown favour/been gracious' (El + chanan, 'to be gracious'). It is a common type of name in Israel.

Against the English

Every English version transliterates it as 'Elhanan'. The Vulgate translates its meaning instead: 'Adeodatus' ('given by God').

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Sam 23:24 / 1 Chr 11:26: 'Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem', one of David's Thirty. 1 Chr 20:5: 'Elhanan son of Jair'. Jewish tradition (the Targum, and rabbinic discussion) took Elhanan to be another name for David. In 1948 A. M. Honeyman argued that 'David' might be a throne name and 'Elhanan' David's personal name.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 21:19 אֶלְחָנָן֩ Elhanan

    Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

    Here: A personal name meaning 'God has been gracious'. An Elhanan of Bethlehem also appears in David's elite 'Thirty' (2 Sam 23:24, 'son of Dodo'), and he may be the same man.

  2. 2 Samuel 23:24 אֶלְחָנָ֥ן Elhanan

    Now these were members of the Thirty: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

1 Chronicles · 2

  1. 1 Chronicles 11:26 אֶלְחָנָ֥ן Elhanan

    Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

    Here: The second warrior named. He is not the same man as the Elhanan son of Jair who killed Goliath's brother (1 Chr 20:5), though some scholars connect them.

  2. 1 Chronicles 20:5 אֶלְחָנָ֣ן Elhanan

    Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

    Here: A personal name meaning 'God has been gracious'. One of David's warriors. Whether he is the 'Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem' in David's Thirty (1 Chr 11:26; 2 Sam 23:24) is uncertain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.