אליהו

Hebrew

Alternative forms

• אֵלִיָּה ('Eliyá)

Etymology

Theophoric, from אֵל ('el, “god”) +‎ ־ִי (-i, “my”) +‎ ־יָהוּ (-yáhu, “the LORD”), literally meaning “Yahweh is my god.”

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)eliˈja(h)u/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

אֵלִיָּהוּ • ('Eliyáhu) m

1. (Abrahamism, biblical) Elijah (an Israelite prophet in the Abrahamic religions)
   • Tanach, 1 Kings 18:30, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ לְכָל־הָעָם גְּשׁוּ אֵלַי וַיִּגְּשׁוּ כָל־הָעָם אֵלָיו וַיְרַפֵּא אֶת־מִזְבַּח יְהוָה הֶהָרוּס׃

     Va-yómer Eliyáhu l-khol ha-'am gshu elái va-yigshú khol ha-'am eláv va-yrapé et mizbáḥ Adonái he-harús

     And Elijah said unto all the people: ‘Come near unto me’; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down.

   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah. Eduyot, section 8.7:

     כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ, אֵלִיָּהוּ בָא לְטַמֵּא וּלְטַהֵר, לְרַחֵק וּלְקָרֵב.

     K-gon élu, Eliyáhu va l-tammé ul-tahér, l-raḥéq ul-qarév.

     In such cases, Elijah comes to render impure or pure, and to distance from or bring near.

   • a. 425 C.E., Jerusalem Talmud. Berachot, section 9.2:

     אֱלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי נְהוֹרַיי מִפְּנֵי מַה בָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שְׁקָצִים וּרְמָשִׂים בְּעוֹלָמוֹ

     Eliyáhu zakhúr la-tóv sha'ál l-Ríbi N'horái: Mipné ma bará ha-qadósh barúkh hu sh'qatsím u-rmasím b-'olamó?

     Elijah, may his memory be for good, asked Rabbi Nehorai: Why did the Holy Blessed One create creeping and crawling things in His world?

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud. Bava Kamma, 60b:

     תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כְּלָבִים בּוֹכִים, מַלְאַךְ הַמָּֽוֶת בָּא לָעִיר. כְּלָבִים מְשַׂחֲקִים, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא בָּא לָעִיר. וְהָנֵי מִלֵּי דְּלֵית בְּהוּ נְקֵבָה:

     Tanú rabbanán: k'lavím bokhím, mal'ákh ha-mávet ba la-'ir. K'lavím m'saḥaqím, Eliyáhu ha-Naví ba la-ir. V-hanéi miléi d-léit b'hú n'qevá.

     Our sages taught: When dogs are whining, the angel of death has come to the city. When dogs are playing, Elijah the prophet has come to the city. And these matters apply only when there's no female among them.

2. a male given name, equivalent to English Elijah or Elias

Derived terms

• בוקר טוב אליהו (bóker tov eliyáhu)

Descendants

• → Chuvash: Илле (Ille)
• → English: Elijah
  • → Hawaiian: ʻElia
  • → Maori: Irāia
• → Koine Greek: Ἠλίας (Ēlías), Ἡλίᾱς (Hēlíās), Ἠλείᾱς (Ēleíās), Ἡλείᾱς (Hēleíās) (New Testament) (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Armenian: Եղիա (Ełia)
  • Armenian: Եղիա (Eġia)
• → Ossetian: Илла (Illa)
  • ⇒ Ossetian: Уацилла (Wacilla, “Ossetian god of rain, thunder and lightning”, literally “Saint Elijah”)
• → Persian: ایلیا (iliyâ)
• → Yiddish: אליהו (elyohu)
• → Russian: Илья (Ilʹja)
• → Ukrainian: Ілля (Illja)
• → Serbo-Croatian: Ilija

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew אֵלִיָּהוּ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛʎˈjɔhu/

Proper noun

אליהו • (elyohu) m

1. (Abrahamism, biblical) Elijah (an Israelite prophet in the Abrahamic religions)

Derived terms

• אליהו הנבֿיא (elyohu hanovi)