Meaning of the Name Elijah
The Hebrew name Eliyyahu is explained from El ('God') and Yahu, a shortened form of the divine name YHWH: 'my God is the LORD'. The Turkish form İlyas comes through Arabic.
Origin
The name Elijah is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Elijah in the Bible?
Elijah is the prophet who opposed Baal worship. The Mount Carmel account declares the LORD to be God; he is remembered again in 2 Kings 2 and Matthew 17.
The story of Elijah in the Bible
Elijah appears in the northern kingdom of Israel at a time when Baal worship is spreading, and his name reads like a summary of his message: my God is the Lord. His most famous scene unfolds on Mount Carmel, where he stands alone against hundreds of prophets of Baal and proposes that the true God be revealed by fire. Baal's prophets cry out from morning till evening with no answer; at Elijah's prayer, fire falls from heaven and consumes even the water-drenched altar. The people fall on their faces and cry out that the Lord is God — the meaning of his name acted out before their eyes. His departure is just as extraordinary: Scripture says he does not see death. As he walks with his disciple Elisha, a chariot of fire with horses of fire separates them, and Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. He returns in the New Testament, where the Gospels describe him appearing with Moses beside the transfigured Jesus and speaking with him, a prophet who binds the two testaments together.
Is Elijah mentioned in the Quran?
The name Elijah (İlyas) is also mentioned in the Quran, where he appears in Islamic tradition as a prophet who called his people away from worshiping Baal; in the Bible the same figure is the prophet Elijah at the center of the Mount Carmel narrative.
Verses where Elijah appears
- 1 Kings 18:36-39 —
At the time of the offering of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your…
- 2 Kings 2:11 —
As they still went on, and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- Matthew 17:1-3 —
After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as…