☀️
← Back to Lexicon
H477 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֱלִישָׁע
Elisha
Proper Name, masculine
My God is salvation

Definition

The name Elisha combines eli (my God) and yasha (to save), meaning "My God is salvation." He was the prophetic successor of Elijah and one of the greatest miracle-workers in the Old Testament, performing twice as many miracles as his mentor.

Usage & Theological Significance

Elisha's ministry (1 Kings 19 – 2 Kings 13) is a sustained proclamation that Yahweh is the God who saves. He multiplied oil for a widow, raised the Shunammite's son from death, healed Naaman's leprosy, and fed one hundred men with twenty loaves — anticipations of Jesus' ministry that caused the early church to see in Elisha a typological preview of Christ. His name is nearly identical to the Greek Iesous (Jesus), and the New Testament Jesus cited Elisha's healing of Naaman to teach that God's salvation reaches beyond Israel (Luke 4:27).

Key Bible Verses

1 Kings 19:19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen.
2 Kings 2:14 Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
2 Kings 4:35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
2 Kings 5:10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored."
Luke 4:27 There were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed — only Naaman the Syrian.

Related Words

External Resources