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Letter E - Bible Females
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THE LETTER E - bible females

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EGLAH: (Hebrew= )

Etymology: a heifer

one of David’s wives, and mother of Ithream (2 Sam. 3:5; 1 Chr. 3:3)

According to a Jewish tradition she was Michal.

Bible: Eglah

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ELECT LADY: (Greek= )

Etymology:

the person to whom the Second Epistle of John is addressed (2 John 1:1)

Some think that the word rendered “lady” is a proper name, and thus that the expression should be “elect Kyria.”

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ELISABETH: (Greek= ) (Hebrew= ) (Elizabeth)

Etymology - God her oath:

Elizabeth

 Elisabeth was the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). She was a descendant of Aaron. She and her husband Zacharias (q.v.) “were both righteous before God” (Luke 1:5, 13). Mary’s visit to Elisabeth is described in 1:39-63.

There's only one Elizabeth in the Bible: the wife of Zacharias and the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). Elizabeth is a Levite, like her husband, and the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:36). Jesus was the legal son of Joseph (literally: son-by-law), and that makes Him legally a man of Judah, as the prophets said He would be (Genesis 49:10, Micah 5:2), but since His mother was kin to Elizabeth, a Levite, it stands to reason that His human genes were Levite, and that makes Him a Levite by descent. And this is a good thing, or else He wouldn't be allowed to be a priest, let alone a High Priest (Hebrews 5).

 

The name , Elizabeth, is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Elizabeth , Elisheba, which was the name of the wife of Aaron; the "mother of all priests".

 

The Greek name Elizabeth, or rather, the Hebrew name Elisheba, consists of two parts. The first part is (El), the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God.

 

The second part is identical to the name Sheba II, and comes from either (sheba), meaning seven, or (shaba), meaning oath, swear, adjure.

 

These two meanings are very closely related. First of all, they are spelled the same, but a kinship is readily acknowledged in the playful use of both meanings: In Genesis 21:22-34, Abraham and Abimelech swear and oath concerning a well, and seal it by a gift of seven ewes. The well becomes known as Beersheba; well of the oath.

 

BDB Theological Dictionary and NOBS Study Bible Name List translate the name with God Is An Oath, but that seems a bit awkward. People in the Bible may swear by God or to God, but God and the oath never become the same; God is not an oath.

 

The alternative - God Is Seven - is down right heretic if the 'seven' is read as strictly numerical designation. God, after all, is One (Deuteronomy 6:4). The solution may be a meaning of the Hebrew root that lies fundament to both meanings 'seven' and 'oath.'

 

The number seven occurs in the Bible either as a quantity without any other meaning, or as a symbol for a cyclic whole. The most famous seven is probably the week, and most notable is the creation week. All other units of time have a cosmological counterpart; the year is the time between this summer-solstice and the next; a month is the time between this full moon and the next; a day is the time between this dawn and the next. And the hours of a day (twelve of them) correspond to the months of the year, as during the year the sun goes up and down and back again, just like during the day. But the week is completely unaccounted for.

 

The week is completely 'artificial' or better yet, exists by itself; is its own reason to exist. And perhaps that is what the number seven most fundamentally denotes: something unprecedented that has no greater cause than itself.

 

But the other famous quality of the week also makes it very special: the week has a Sabbath, a rest-day. By most models, the Sabbath of the creation week is still going on and contains all reality. Of the seven arms of the Menorah, six are curved around one straight seventh (Zechariah compares the eyes of the Lord to the flames of a menorah - 4:2, 10). In Exodus 2:16 Moses meets the seven daughters of Reuel and marries one, namely Zipporah (HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament remarkably cites this occurrence of the number seven as one of those occasions where seven denotes simply a quantity and nothing else).

 

But often a group of seven stays without apparent structure: the seven pillars of the house of wisdom never produce a chief (Pr 9:1) and neither do the seven churches of Revelation although they are all held by the One (2:1) or the seven women of Isaiah 4:1 who in turn grab hold of one man.

 

When we project a mere quantity between six and eight upon the word , and then state that God is we are at odds with monotheistic doctrine. But in all its width and depth that same statement encompasses some of the most splendid and mysterious Biblical truths. Elisheba is a truly daring name and certainly among the most beautiful in the Bible.

 

Elisheba means God Is Seven.

The name Elizabeth in its various linguistic forms has been around since the Middle Ages, mainly popularized by the French (using the spelling Élisabeth). Elizabeth with a “z” is the typical English spelling; most other European languages use the “s.” Elizabeth is a name borne from the Bible (Luke 1:5-80) as the wife of Zachariah and the mother of John the Baptist. The name is essentially Greek (Elisabet) from the Hebrew (Elisheva) meaning “God is my oath.” In the Biblical story, we learn that God looks favorably upon Zachariah and Elizabeth as “they were both righteous before God…but they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.” (Luke 1:6). The angel Gabriel is sent to Zachariah with a message that Elizabeth will have a son and “you shall call his name John.” Gabriel also says that John’s birth will be cause for much rejoicing and that the baby will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from Elizabeth’s womb. Zachariah expressed disbelief since his wife was well past childbearing years. As punishment for his doubt, God struck Zachariah mute. Sure enough, Elizabeth became pregnant and gave birth to John, after which Zachariah’s voice was restored. Around the same time, Mary became impregnated by the Holy Ghost with Jesus (Mary and Elizabeth are contemporaries; tradition holds they are cousins). John the Baptist’s role is important because it will later become his job to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah, the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins “because of the tender mercy of our God” (Luke 1:78). And John the Baptist also has the honors of having baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. In other words, John was one important Biblical dude among Christians and Elizabeth was the Baby Mama. It’s no surprise that the Biblical Elizabeth became the inspiration behind the usage of her name, and why so many Christianized European countries embraced it since the early Middle Ages (her Feast Day is November 5). The much admired Saints Elizabeth of Hungary and Elizabeth of Portugal also encouraged the usage of Elizabeth in later medieval times; further cementing the name’s lasting popularity. Elizabeth is up there with Mary, Margaret and Catherine as a long-enduring and enormously popular female name; names which have also spawned scores of variations and pet forms. Here is how Elizabeth is rendered in some other languages: Elisheba (Biblical Hebrew), Élisabeth (French), Elisavet (Greek), Elikapeka (Hawaiian), Eilís (Irish-Gaelic), Elisabetta (Italian), Elżbieta, (Polish), Elizaveta (Russian), Elisabet (Scandinavian), Elspeth, (Scottish), Isabel (Spanish), Elsa (Swedish).

 

 

Meaning: God her oath

Elisabeth was the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). She was a descendant of Aaron. She and her husband Zacharias (q.v.) “were both righteous before God” (Luke 1:5, 13). Mary’s visit to Elisabeth is described in 1:39-63.

Bible: Elisabeth

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ELISHEBA: (Hebrew= )

Etymology: God is her oath

Elisheba was the daughter of Amminadab and the wife of Aaron (Ex. 6:23).

Bible: Elisheba

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EPHAH: (Hebrew= )

Etymology: gloom

1 Chr. 2:46, a concubine of Caleb.

Bible: Ephah

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EPHRATAH or EPHRATH: (Hebrew= )

Etymology: fruitful

Is the name of a woman and a city

1) The second wife of Caleb, the son of Hezron, mother of Hur, and grandmother of Caleb, who was one of those that were sent to spy the land (1 Chr. 2:19, 50).

 

2) The ancient name of Bethlehem in Judah (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7). In Ruth 1:2 it is called “Bethlehem-Judah,” but the inhabitants are called “Ephrathites;” in Micah 5:2, “Bethlehem-Ephratah;” in Matt. 2:6, “Bethlehem in the land of Judah.” In Ps. 132:6 it is mentioned as the place where David spent his youth, and where he heard much of the ark, although he never saw it till he found it long afterwards at Kirjath-jearim; i.e., the “city of the wood,” or the “forest-town” (1 Sam. 7:1; compare 2 Sam. 6:3, 4).

Bible: Ephrath

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ESTHER: (Hebrew= )

Etymology:

 

the queen of Ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name

 

She was a Jewess named Hadas’sah (the myrtle), but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known (Esther 2:7). It is a Syro-Arabianmodification of the Persian word satarah, which means a star.

 

She was the daughter of Abihail, a Benjamite. Her family did not avail themselves of the permission granted by Cyrus to the exiles to return to Jerusalem; and she resided with her cousin Mordecai, who held some office in the household of the Persian king at “Shushan in the palace.”

 

Ahasuerus having divorced Vashti, chose Esther to be his wife. Soon after this he gave Haman the Agagite, his prime minister, power and authority to kill and extirpate all the Jews throughout the Persian empire. By the interposition of Esther, this terrible catastrophe was averted.

 

Haman was hanged on the gallows he had intended for Mordecai (Esther 7); and the Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim (q.v.), in memory of their wonderful deliverance.

 

This took place about fifty-two years after the Return, the year of the great battles of Plataea and Mycale (B.C. 479).

 

Esther appears in the Bible as a “woman of deep piety, faith, courage, patriotism, and caution, combined with resolution; a dutiful daughter to her adopted father, docile and obedient to his counsels, and anxious to share the king’s favor with him for the good of the Jewish people. There must have been a singular grace and charm in her aspect and manners, since “she obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her” (Esther 2:15).

 

That she was raised up as an instrument in the hand of God to avert the destruction of the Jewish people, and to afford them protection and forward their wealth and peace in their captivity, is also manifest from the Scripture account.”

 

Hadassah - Meaning: myrtle, or bride

the Jewish name of Esther (q.v.), Esther 2:7.

 

ALSO

Book of Esther - The authorship of this book is unknown. It must have been obviously written after the death of Ahasuerus (the Xerxes of the Greeks), which took place B.C. 465. The minute and particular account also given of many historical details makes it probable that the writer was contemporary with Mordecai and Esther. Hence we may conclude that the book was written probably about B.C. 444-434, and that the author was one of the Jews of the dispersion.

 

This book is more purely historical than any other book of Scripture; and it has this remarkable peculiarity that the name of God does not occur in it from first to last in any form. It has, however, been well observed that “though the name of God be not in it, his finger is.” The book wonderfully exhibits the providential government of God.

Bible: Esther

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ETHIOPIAN WOMAN: (Hebrew= )

Etymology:

the wife of Moses (Num. 12:1)

 

It is supposed that Zipporah, Moses' first wife (Ex. 2:21), was now dead. His marriage of this “woman” descended from Ham gave offense to Aaron and Miriam.Bible:

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EUNICE: (Greek= )

Etymology:

Eunice

The name Eunice appears once in the Bible (2 Timothy 1:5). She's the daughter of Lois and the mother of Timothy, the protégé of Paul. She was Jewish and a Christian and married to a Greekl (Acts 16:1), but that's all we know about her.

 

The name Eunice consists of two parts. The first part is the common Greek adverb (eu), meaning well, good or noble. It exists in names such as Euphrates and Euodia, and words like Eucharist and Euchologion, or even eucalyptus and eunomia. The word itself is used frequently in the New testament, most notably in Matthew 25:21, Mark 14:7, Acts 15:29 and Ephesians 6:3.

 

The second part of the name Eunice is the well known Greek word (nika), meaning victory (well-known in our day and age because it's the name of a shoe brand: Nike). This verb is used marvelously in John's first letter, where John writes, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith" (1 John 5:4).

 

The name Eunice means Good Victory.

 

Other Biblical names that have the word nika in them are: Bernice, Nicanor, Nicodemus, Nicolas, and Nicopolis.

Eunice is the English version of an ancient Greek name, Eunike (Εὐνίκη), from the Greek elements “eu” meaning “good” and “nikē” meaning “victory, win”. It was a name given to one of the fifty sea nymphs in Greek mythology (known as the Nereids who guided sailors through dangerous seafaring conditions). However, the reason why Eunice found crossover appeal among English-speakers is owed to the Puritans. Why? Well, naming practices adopted by the Puritans after the Protestant Reformation favored lesser-known Biblical figures (it was they who dug up names like Chloe, Priscilla, Hester, Hannah and Jerusha). Naming one’s daughter Eunice, for instance, was seen as an act of modesty and probably the austere Puritan’s way of demonstrating their thorough reading of the Bible. In the case of Eunice, she is named in the Bible as St. Timothy’s mother (2 Timothy 1:5) – Timothy being a well-known disciple of St. Paul in spreading Christianity during the first century A.D. In Acts 16:1 Eunice is referred to as a Jewess, but also described as one who “believed”. This is further supported in 2 Timothy 3:15 when we are told that Timothy “from a child…hast known the holy scriptures” (suggesting religion was emphasized in the family’s household). Indeed, St. Paul describes Eunice’s “unfeigned faith” as a way of reminding us of her devout piety. Case in point: the woman named her son “Timothy” which is Greek for “Honor God”; you don’t get more straight-forward than that. It’s no wonder the Puritans found the name Eunice appealing; she was seen as a good and holy woman! The name became quite popular by the 19th century on up through the 1920s. Today, however, Eunice is seriously out of style.

 

Meaning: happily conquering

the mother of Timothy, a believing Jewess, but married to a Greek (Acts 16:1)

She trained her son from his childhood in the knowledge of the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15). She was distinguished by her “unfeigned faith.”

Bible: Eunice

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1) EUODIA or EUODIAS: (Greek= ) (Euodias)

Etymology:

Meaning: a good journey

a female member of the church at Philippi

She was one who labored much with Paul in the gospel. He exhorts her to be of one mind with Syntyche (Phil. 4:2). From this it seems they had been at variance with each other.

 

 

Bible: Euodias

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EVE: (Hebrew= )

 Etymology: life; living

 

the name given by Adam to his wife (Gen. 3:20; 4:1)

 

The account of her creation is given in Genesis 2:21,22. The Creator, by declaring that it was not good for man to be alone, and by creating for him a suitable companion, gave sanction to monogamy. The commentator Matthew Henry says:

 

“This companion was taken from his side to signify that she was to be dear unto him as his own flesh. Not from his head, lest she should rule over him; nor from his feet, lest he should tyrannize over her; but from his side, to denote that species of equality which is to subsist in the marriage state.”

 

And again,

 

“That wife that is of God's making by special grace, and of God's bringing by special providence, is likely to prove a helpmeet to her husband.”

 

Through the subtle temptation of the serpent she violated the commandment of God by taking of the forbidden fruit, which she gave also unto her husband (1 Tim. 2:13-15; 2 Cor. 11:3). When she gave birth to her first son, she said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord” (Revised Version, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord,” Gen. 4:1). Thus she welcomed Cain, as some think, as if he had been the Promised One the “Seed of the woman.”

Bible: Eve

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