Elisha
/ɪˈlaɪ.ʃə/noun
A Hebrew biblical name borne by a prophet in the Old Testament.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, Elisha is the prophet who succeeds Elijah, and the name preserves the divine-name element *El* plus the salvation-root *y-š-ʿ*, making it a compact theophoric declaration.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֱלִישַׁע (Elishaʿ)
“My God is salvation; a Hebrew prophetic name”
Ancient Northwest Semitic
Semitic
ʾil + y-š-ʿ
“God + to save/deliver”
Greek
Greek
Ἐλισαῖος (Elisaios)
“Greek rendering of the Hebrew name”
Latin
Latin
Elisaeus
“Latin biblical form of the name”
Modern English
English
Elisha
“Biblical male given name”