Boy Old Testament Rare

Elah

an oak; a curse; perjury

אֵלָה e.lah

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Elah (Hebrew: אֵלָה, e.lah) means “an oak; a curse; perjury”, by traditional interpretation. Five men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In 2025 it was given to 33 children in the United States. Appears in the same passages as Abiram.

Merged person graphTIPNR + BibleData

Which Elah?

Five men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.

  1. Elah

    Divided Kingdom · king · 4 verses

    father of Hoshea

  2. Elah

    Divided Kingdom · king · 4 verses

    son of Baasha

  3. Elah

    Divided Kingdom · tribe of Judah · 1 verse

    father of Kenaz; son of Caleb

  4. Elah

    Patriarchal · 2 verses

  5. Elah

    Divided Kingdom · tribe of Benjamin · 1 verse

    son of Uzzi

TIPNR + BibleDataSSA · public domain

Scripture against society

The two measures, side by side

Concordance Depth Index 50.4 · rank 470
US usage today rank 4,265 · 33 births in 2025
1905 — 2025 · share per 100,000 births
TIPNR + BibleDataSTEPBible · CC BY

At a glance

Verses
12 across 4 books
Bearers
5 distinct people in scripture
Testament
Old
Era
Divided Kingdom
SSA · public domainBirths in year

Using it today

Very unlikely to share a classroom with another.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
MeasureValueReading
Given in 2025 33 Steady
All-time total390 Since records begin in 1880
Peak 33 in 2015 Its highest year on record
Strongest stateFL Highest share relative to births
Merged person graph12 verse pairs

In scripture

FactDetail
First appearsGenesis 36:41
Last appears1 Chronicles 9:8
Cross-references125 linked passages
Computed · A2/A3Rationale generated

Names connected to this one

  • Hoshea co-occurrence Appears with Hoshea in 2 Kings 18.
  • Pinon co-occurrence Appears with Pinon in Genesis 36.
  • Iru co-occurrence Appears with Iru in 1 Chronicles 4.
  • Jeroham co-occurrence Appears with Jeroham in 1 Chronicles 9.
  • Michri co-occurrence Appears with Michri in 1 Chronicles 9.
  • Naam co-occurrence Appears with Naam in 1 Chronicles 4.
  • Uzzi co-occurrence Appears with Uzzi in 1 Chronicles 9.
  • Shephatiah co-occurrence Appears with Shephatiah in 1 Chronicles 9.

Origin & meaning

Strong's number H0425J
Hebrew אֵלָה
Transliteration e.lah

A man of the tribe of Judah living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.4.15;
son of: Caleb (H3612);
brother of: Achsah (H5915), Iru (H5900) and Naam (H5277);
father of: Kenaz (H7073J)
§ Elah = "An oak"

Elah was a son of Caleb and the father of Kenaz.

The biblical story

Elah is mentioned in 1Ch.4.15 as one of the sons of Caleb, along with Iru, Naam, and Kenaz. Elah is specifically noted as the father of Kenaz. Caleb was a prominent figure in the Bible, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore Canaan, and one of only two spies (along with Joshua) who brought back a positive report.

Key verses

Elah appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:

  1. And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.

    1 Chronicles 4:15
Show all 1 reference

1 Chronicles (1)

  • 1 Chronicles 4:15