Lexical Summary
Eliam: Eliam
Original Word:אֱלִיעָם
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:Eliy`am
Pronunciation:eh-lee-AHM
Phonetic Spelling:(el-ee-awm')
KJV: Eliam
NASB:Eliam
Word Origin:[fromH410 (אֵל - God) andH5971 (עַם - People)]
1. God of (the) people
2. Eliam, an Israelite
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Eliam
From'el andam; God of (the) people; Eliam, an Israelite -- Eliam.
see HEBREW'el
see HEBREWam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
el and
amDefinition"God is kinsman," an Isr. name
NASB TranslationEliam (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
God is kinsman; < =
El is kinsman (see Gray
Ency. Bib. AMMI, NAMES WITH Nö
ib. NAMES, § 46) Phoenician )
2 Samuel 11:3; compare1 Chronicles 3:5.
2 Samuel 23:34 (according to some = ).
Topical Lexicon
OccurrencesEliam is named twice in the historical books of Samuel:
•2 Samuel 11:3 – “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
•2 Samuel 23:34 – “Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite.”
A parallel genealogy in1 Chronicles 3:5 calls Bathsheba “the daughter of Ammiel,” a transposition of the same two Hebrew elements; the man is universally understood to be Eliam.
Family Connections
1. Father of Bathsheba. Through Bathsheba, Eliam stands in the direct ancestral line of Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24) and thus of the Messianic genealogy recorded inMatthew 1:6.
2. Son of Ahithophel the Gilonite. Ahithophel was David’s trusted counselor whose later defection to Absalom nearly toppled the kingdom (2 Samuel 15:12;2 Samuel 17:1–23). This makes Bathsheba the granddaughter of Ahithophel and places Eliam at the center of one of the most dramatic family and political crises in the Old Testament narrative.
Service in David’s Kingdom
Listed among “the thirty,” Eliam was one of David’s elite soldiers (2 Samuel 23:8–39). The honor indicates proven courage, loyalty, and years of faithful military service. While Scripture gives no details of his exploits, inclusion in this roster aligns him with figures such as Benaiah, Abishai, and Uriah the Hittite.
Personal Honor Tested by Royal Sin
David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the engineered death of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) violated Eliam on multiple levels:
• As Bathsheba’s father, he suffered the dishonor of his daughter’s seduction.
• As a fellow soldier, he witnessed the betrayal and death of his comrade Uriah.
• As Ahithophel’s son, he became a link in the chain of events that may explain Ahithophel’s later bitterness and treachery.
The narrative leaves Eliam silent, yet his continued naming among the loyal Thirty implies perseverance in duty despite personal grief.
Theological and Ethical Observations
1. Covenant Accountability. David’s sin was not merely private; it wounded covenant relationships reaching into Eliam’s household and the army at large, illustrating the communal impact of personal transgression.
2. Divine Providence. Though human failure scarred Eliam’s family, God sovereignly worked through Bathsheba to raise Solomon, securing the Davidic line and ultimately the advent of Christ.
3. The Cost of Leadership Failure. Eliam’s account underscores that leaders’ sins can inflict deep wounds on faithful servants. The later revolt of Absalom, fuelled in part by Ahithophel’s counsel, shows how unresolved injustice festers within a nation.
Lessons for Believers
• Faithfulness under Trial. Eliam’s silence and continued service portray steadfast loyalty even when authority fails.
• Guarding Family Honor. Parents are inevitably touched by the moral choices of their children and their leaders; Eliam’s pain urges vigilance and prayerful dependence on God’s protection.
• Trust in Sovereign Redemption. Even the darkest breaches—adultery, betrayal, political upheaval—cannot frustrate God’s covenant promises. The lineage preserved through Eliam’s daughter culminates in the Savior, affirming that God’s purposes stand firm.
Summary
Eliam emerges from only two verses as a man of valor, a father entwined in royal scandal, and a pivotal link in redemptive history. His life invites reflection on the far-reaching effects of sin, the cost of loyalty, and the unwavering faithfulness of God who weaves broken accounts into His perfect plan.
Forms and Transliterations
אֱלִיעָ֔ם אֱלִיעָ֥ם אליעם ’ĕ·lî·‘ām ’ĕlî‘ām eliAm
Links
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