The name Uel appears once in the Old Testament (Ezra 10:34) as one of the sons of Bani who had taken foreign wives during the return from Babylonian exile. The name is composed of avah (desire) and El (God), meaning "desire of God" or "God is desire."
Uel is listed among those who responded faithfully to Ezra's reform movement, agreeing to put away their foreign wives in compliance with the covenant law of Israel (Deuteronomy 7:3–4). This act of covenant faithfulness — painful as it was — demonstrates the seriousness with which returned exiles took the commands of God. The name itself, meaning "desire of God," stands as a spiritual aspiration: to make God's will one's deepest longing.