Are'eli (אֲרֵאֵלִי, H841) is a personal name meaning 'lion of God' or 'hero of God,' appearing in the tribal genealogy of Gad (Numbers 26:17). Areli was a son of Gad, one of Jacob's twelve sons, and the founder of the Arelite clan. The name combines the concept of the lion — the most powerful of beasts, symbol of strength and nobility — with the divine name El, creating a theophoric name declaring the bearer to be under God's lion-like protection and power.
Theophoric names — names that incorporate a divine title — were one of the primary ways ancient Israelite families expressed their theology in daily life. Every time 'Are'eli' was spoken, it was a miniature confession: God is powerful; God is my strength; God is lion-like in His protection. The lion imagery for God appears throughout Scripture — Isaiah 31:4 depicts God as a lion over Jerusalem; Hosea 5:14 uses it for divine judgment; Revelation 5:5 crowns Jesus as 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah.' Names embedded in genealogies like Numbers 26 carry the weight of an entire clan's identity and calling. The Arelites descended from a man whose very name proclaimed divine strength.