473. Elishah

Lexical Summary

Elishah: Elishah

Original Word: אֱלִישָׁה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Eliyshah
Pronunciation: eh-lee-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (el-ee-shaw')
KJV: Elishah
NASB: Elishah
Word Origin: [probably of foreign derivation]

1. Elishah, a son of Javan

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Elishah

Probably of foreign derivation; Elishah, a son of Javan -- Elishah.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a son of Javan, also his desc. and their land
NASB Translation
Elishah (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

אֲלִישָׁה proper name, of a location as son of Javan Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7; ׳אִיֵּי א Ezekiel 27:7 (Aeolis Josephus Jerome Kn; H. Derenbourg^{Mélanges Graux, 235 f (English translation Hebraica. Oct. 1887, 7)}; Hellas ᵑ7^Jon etc., Len^{Orig. ii. 2. 34 f}; Italy, with Sicily, compare מְדִינַת אִיטַלְיָא ᵑ7 Ezek, Di Genesis 10:4; Carthage = Elissa, Sta^{De Populo Javan, 8 f}; EMey^{Geschichte i. § 282}; decision difficult; last view very attractive).

I. [אלל] (to be weak or insufficient, assumed in Thes as root of אֱלִיל (as also of אַל): compare Arabic to fail in a thing).

Topical Lexicon

Genealogical Placement

Elishah is listed among the four sons of Javan, the son of Japheth (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7). As such, Elishah belongs to the post-Flood “Table of Nations” that records the dispersal of humanity after Babel. His inclusion testifies to the unity of the human race, the spreading of the Japhethite peoples toward the coastlands, and the early formation of Gentile ethnic groups that later interact with Israel.

Geographical Identification

Because Ezekiel associates Elishah with merchandise shipped to Tyre, most researchers locate Elishah’s territory in the northeastern Mediterranean. Three primary proposals arise:
• Cyprus (notably its ancient capital “Alashiya,” phonetically close to Elishah)
• The Aegean district of Elis on the Peloponnesian peninsula
• The Phoenician colony of Alyssa (Carthage) in North Africa

Scripture does not specify which, but the seafaring context of Ezekiel 27 and the listing alongside Kittim (Cyprus) and Tarshish strongly favors an island or coastal region famous for dyes and textile exports.

Role in Maritime Trade

Ezekiel 27:7: “Of embroidered fine linen from Egypt your sail was a banner for you; blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah covered you.”

Tyre’s glory depended on goods that flowed through its harbor, and Elishah supplied luxurious blue- and purple-dyed fabrics that furnished the Phoenician flagship. This verse reveals:
• The economic sophistication of Elishah’s descendants, capable of producing prized textiles.
• The interconnectedness of Japhethite and Semitic peoples long before the classical era.
• A foreshadowing of the international scope of God’s redemptive plan, since the same coastlands that enriched proud Tyre would one day hear the gospel (Isaiah 42:4; Acts 13:47).

Prophetic and Theological Significance

1. Judgment and Mercy: Tyre’s downfall (Ezekiel 27–28) shows that even the most prosperous maritime nations fall under divine assessment. Elishah’s commerce could not save Tyre; only covenant faithfulness brings true security.
2. Universality of Blessing: Japheth’s line, including Elishah, benefits from the promise that “God shall enlarge Japheth” (Genesis 9:27). Their early prominence in cultural and economic spheres anticipates the later influx of Gentiles into the covenant (Romans 11:12).
3. Continuity of Scripture: The identical genealogies in Genesis and Chronicles underscore the reliability of the biblical record across centuries.

Archaeological and Historical Notes

• Late Bronze Age tablets from Amarna and Ugarit mention “Alashiya” as a copper-rich island—strong circumstantial evidence for identifying Elishah with Cyprus.
• Purple dye workshops uncovered at Kition and other Cypriot sites mirror Ezekiel’s description of Elishah’s products.
• Classical writers (Herodotus, Homer) portray Elis and nearby isles as sources of maritime skill, aligning with the nautical portrait in Ezekiel.

Ministry Reflections

• Mission: The Table of Nations reminds believers that every ethnic group, including the most remote coastlands, lies within the scope of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19).
• Stewardship: Elishah’s luxury trade warns against exalting commerce above covenant loyalty; wealth is to serve God’s purposes, not human pride.
• Hope: Just as the Lord kept track of Elishah’s tiny coastal people, He sees every tribe today and will gather a redeemed multitude “from every nation” (Revelation 7:9).

Key References

Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7; Ezekiel 27:7

Forms and Transliterations

אֱלִישָׁ֖ה אֱלִישָׁ֣ה אלישה ’ĕ·lî·šāh ’ĕlîšāh eliShah

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 10:4
HEB: וּבְנֵ֥י יָוָ֖ן אֱלִישָׁ֣ה וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישׁ כִּתִּ֖ים
NAS: of Javan [were] Elishah and Tarshish,
KJV: of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish,
INT: the sons of Javan Elishah and Tarshish Kittim

1 Chronicles 1:7
HEB: וּבְנֵ֥י יָוָ֖ן אֱלִישָׁ֣ה וְתַרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּתִּ֖ים
NAS: of Javan [were] Elishah, Tarshish,
KJV: of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish,
INT: the sons of Javan Elishah Tarshish Kittim

Ezekiel 27:7
HEB: וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן מֵאִיֵּ֥י אֱלִישָׁ֖ה הָיָ֥ה מְכַסֵּֽךְ׃
NAS: from the coastlands of Elishah.
KJV: from the isles of Elishah was that which covered
INT: and purple the coastlands of Elishah became your awning

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 473
3 Occurrences

’ĕ·lî·šāh — 3 Occ.