Hebrew word · H474

אֱלִישׁוּעַ

ve'elishua'

Elishua

The name has two parts. 'Eli' is 'God' or 'my God' (El). shua' is less certain. (1) Most often it is linked with the root y-sh-' / sh-w-', 'to save, help, rescue', or with shaw'a, 'cry for help'. The name then means 'God is rescue' or 'my God is help'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 21, 2026

What it means

A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.5.15;

son of: David (H1732);

brother of: Amnon (H0550), Chileab (H3609), Absalom (H0053), Adonijah (H0138), Shephatiah (H8203), Ithream (H3507), Shammua (H8051H), Shobab (H7727), Nathan (H5416), Solomon (H8010), Ibhar (H2984), Nepheg (H5298H), Japhia (H3309I), Elishama (H0476H), Eliada (H0450), Eliphelet (H0467), Tamar (H8559H), Elpelet (H0467I), Nogah (H5052) and Jerimoth (H3406N); also called Elishama at 1Ch.3.6;

Also named: e.li.sha.ma (אֱלִישָׁמָע "Elishama" H0476M)

§ Elishua = "my God is wealth" or "God is salvation"

a son 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 2 Samuel 5:15

Range of meaning: The name has two parts. 'Eli' is 'God' or 'my God' (El). shua' is less certain. (1) Most often it is linked with the root y-sh-' / sh-w-', 'to save, help, rescue', or with shaw'a, 'cry for help'. The name then means 'God is rescue' or 'my God is help'. (2) A noun shôa' means 'noble, generous, well-off' (Isa 32:5; Job 34:19). On that reading the name means 'God is noble/bountiful'.
Against the English: English simply transliterates. Where the name is explained, 'God is salvation' is the usual gloss. That is acceptable, but 'salvation' should be heard in its concrete Old Testament sense: rescue from danger and enemies, help in trouble. It is not the later idea of the soul's eternal destiny.
How it drifted: 'Salvation' in modern church usage mostly means rescue from sin and judgment. Israelite names built on this root thanked God for practical deliverance: a safe birth, victory, help in need.
Used elsewhere in the period: Parallel names using shua' are Abishua ('my father is help/noble', 1 Chr 6:4; 8:4), Malchishua (Saul's son, 'my king is help/noble', 1 Sam 14:49) and Bath-shua (1 Chr 3:5, the Chronicler's spelling of Bathsheba). Elishua appears only here and in 1 Chr 14:5. In 1 Chr 3:6 it has become 'Elishama'.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

2 Samuel 5:15 וֶאֱלִישׁ֖וּעַ and Elishua

Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

Here: 'And Elishua'. The name joins El ('God') to shua'. It is usually taken as 'God is rescue/help', or perhaps 'God is noble/generous'. It is one of several 'Eli-' names among David's Jerusalem sons.

1 Chronicles · 1

1 Chronicles 14:5 וֶאֱלִישׁ֖וּעַ and Elishua

Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

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