Hebrew word · H471

אֶלְיָקִים

'elyakim

Eliakim

A name meaning "God raises up / establishes / causes to stand."

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.18.18;

son of: Hilkiah (H2518)

§ Eliakim = "God raises" or "God sets up"

1) the son of Hilkiah, master of Hezekiah's household

2) Josiah's son, enthroned by Pharaoh

3) a priest who assisted Nehemiah

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 Isaiah 36:3

Range of meaning

A name meaning "God raises up / establishes / causes to stand."

Against the English

English keeps the name as "Eliakim," so readers lose its meaning.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 22:20–23 (God's "servant Eliakim," to be fastened "like a peg in a firm place"). A later king Eliakim was renamed Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34). The name also appears on seals and inscriptions of the period.

Where it appears

2 Kings · 5

  1. 2 Kings 18:18 אֶלְיָקִ֥ים Eliakim

    Then they called for the king. And Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.

  2. 2 Kings 18:26 אֶלְיָקִ֣ים Eliakim

    Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

  3. 2 Kings 18:37 אֶלְיָקִ֣ים Eliakim

    Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.

  4. 2 Kings 19:2 אֶלְיָקִ֨ים Eliakim

    And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz

  5. 2 Kings 23:34 אֶלְיָקִ֣ים Eliakim

    Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 36:4 אֶלְיָקִ֣ים Eliakim

    Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 12:41 אֶלְיָקִ֡ים Eliakim

    as well as the priests with their trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—

    Here: A personal name meaning 'God raises up' or 'God establishes.' This priest is otherwise unknown, and the name is fitting for an event that celebrates a wall built up again.

Isaiah · 5

  1. Isaiah 22:20 לְאֶלְיָקִ֖ים <to> Eliakim

    On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

  2. Isaiah 36:3 אֶלְיָקִ֥ים Eliakim

    Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.

    Here: The senior official, named first because he outranks the others. Isaiah's readers already know the name from the oracle in Isaiah 22:20–23, where God promises to set Eliakim in Shebna's office.

  3. Isaiah 36:11 אֶלְיָקִים֩ Eliakim

    Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

  4. Isaiah 36:22 אֶלְיָקִ֣ים Eliakim

    Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.

  5. Isaiah 37:2 אֶלְיָקִ֨ים Eliakim

    And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz

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