Elhanan (אֶלְחָנָן) means "God is gracious" or "God has been merciful," from el (God) and chanan (to be gracious, show favor, have mercy). Two men bear this name in Scripture: (1) Elhanan son of Jair, who killed a Philistine giant (2 Samuel 21:19; 1 Chronicles 20:5), and (2) Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, one of David's thirty mighty men (2 Samuel 23:24).
The name Elhanan — "God is gracious" — is a confession worn as identity. Both men who bore it were warriors in Israel's service, and their very names proclaimed that their strength came from divine grace, not human merit. The theological heart of the name is the Hebrew word chanan (H2603), which expresses unmerited favor freely given. God's grace is not a reward system — it flows from His character. Every time someone called out "Elhanan!" in the camp of Israel, they were proclaiming that God gives what cannot be earned. This anticipates the New Testament declaration: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).