Elnaam is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Elnaam was an Israelite man who lived during the reign of King David. He is known to us only as a father. The single verse that names him, 1 Chronicles 11:46, lists him among the families connected to David’s mighty warriors: “Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite.” Elnaam himself is not described as a warrior, and Scripture records no deed, word, or journey of his. His entire legacy in the biblical text is that he raised two sons, Jeribai and Joshaviah, who were counted among David’s elite fighting men.
The setting is the account of David’s reign and the roster of those who stood with him. First Chronicles 11 gathers the names of the men who helped establish David as king over Israel and who fought his battles. Most of these men are remembered for acts of courage, but a few, like Elnaam, appear only as the father of such men. He is one of several fathers mentioned in this list, men whose sons earned a place in the record while the fathers themselves remain in the background.
What Scripture says of Elnaam, then, is brief and quiet. He did not march in the famous exploits, and no title or achievement is attached to his name. Yet the chronicler saw fit to record him, and the Spirit of God preserved his name in Scripture. He is remembered as the father of two of David’s mighty warriors, a man whose sons served the king. The text gives no more, and we honor what it gives.
The Name
The name Elnaam appears to be a Hebrew compound name built from “El,” the common Hebrew word for God, and a second element that is not entirely certain. Because the meaning of the second part is not clearly recoverable, the full sense of the name cannot be stated with confidence. Some readers have suggested possibilities, but these remain proposals rather than established facts. What can be said plainly is that the name carries the name of God within it, as many Hebrew names do, and that its precise meaning is uncertain. It would be dishonest to assign it a firm definition when the evidence does not allow one.
A Closing Thought
Elnaam never appears in a moment of action. He is simply the father of two faithful soldiers. Yet God saw fit to write his name in the record, not for what he did, but for the sons he raised. Most of us will never be remembered for great exploits. We will be remembered, if at all, through the lives we help shape. That is not a small thing. Quiet faithfulness in the home can send courage into battles we will never see. Elnaam’s name endures because his sons stood with David, and behind them stood a father.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 11:46 — Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,