Eladah is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Eladah was a descendant of Ephraim, one of the sons of Joseph and the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel. He is mentioned only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogical record of the tribe of Ephraim found in 1 Chronicles 7. The Chronicler, writing after the return from exile, traced the family lines of Israel’s tribes to establish identity and inheritance among the people of God. Eladah appears in that record as a link in a chain stretching from Ephraim down through several generations.
According to 1 Chronicles 7:20, the line runs: “And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son.” Eladah is thus the son of Tahath and the father of another Tahath, named after his own father. He stands in the fifth generation from Ephraim, as the genealogy is recorded.
Scripture tells us nothing else about Eladah. No deed, no word, no failure, and no triumph is recorded of him. He lived, he was part of the tribe of Ephraim, and he passed the family line forward. In the biblical account, that is the whole of his story. He is one of the many faithful, ordinary members of Israel’s generations whose names are preserved in the sacred record even though their individual lives remain hidden.
The Name
The Hebrew name Eladah (אֶלְעָדָה) is not one whose meaning is clearly established. Scholars have proposed various possibilities, often connecting it to components such as “God” (El) or “witness” or “adornment,” but no single interpretation commands broad agreement. Because the etymology is uncertain, it is best to say plainly that the meaning of this name is not clearly recoverable from the text or from reliable lexical evidence. What can be said with confidence is only that it was a personal name borne by an Ephraimite in the genealogies of Israel.
A Closing Thought
Eladah’s life is a reminder that most of God’s people are known not for great deeds but for faithful presence in the generations that came before us. His name appears once, in a list, and yet he was a real man with a real life, a link in the chain by which God preserved His people. There is quiet dignity in that. Whatever our own lives look like from the outside, God knows each of us by name, and He is not ashamed to record His people among the generations who carried His promises forward.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 7:20 — And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son,