Elah
“Oak, terebinth”
Summary
A name meaning 'oak' or 'terebinth' borne by several men in Scripture, most notably the fourth king of Israel who was assassinated while drunk, and also the name of the valley where David slew Goliath.
☩The Valley of Elah
The Valley of Elah ('valley of the terebinth') was where the Israelites encamped against the Philistines when David killed Goliath. It lay near Shocoh and Azekah in Judah, closer to Ekron than any other Philistine city. The modern identification is the wady es-Sumt ('valley of the acacia') about fourteen miles southwest of Jerusalem. Though the valley now bears a different name from a different tree, terebinths remain plentiful in the area, and one of the largest specimens in Palestine still stands nearby. The wide torrent bed in the center of the valley is strewn with the round pebbles from which David would have selected his five smooth stones.
☩King Elah of Israel
Elah was the son and successor of Baasha, fourth king of Israel, reigning little more than a year. He serves as a warning against drunkenness: Zimri, captain of half his chariots, assassinated him while he was 'drinking himself drunk' in the house of his steward Arza at Tirzah. Josephus notes this occurred while the army and officers were away besieging Gibbethon. As Baasha had conspired against his master Nadab, so Zimri conspired against Baasha's son—retributive justice paying transgressors in kind.
☩Other Persons Named Elah
Several other men bear this name: a chief (duke) of Edom descended from Esau; the father of Shimei, one of Solomon's commissariat officers in Benjamin; a son of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; a Benjamite chief named as son of Uzzi; and the father of Hoshea, the last king of Israel.
Related Verses16 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Elah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Elah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Elah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).