🔼The name Elizur: Summary
- Meaning
- God Of Rock, God Rocks
- Etymology
- From (1) the word אל ('el), God, and (2) the noun צור (sur), rock.
🔼The name Elizur in the Bible
There is only once man named Elizur in the Bible, but note that this name is the reverse of Zuriel. Elizur, son of Shedeur, was the leader of the tribe of Reuben from the first census onward (Numbers 1:5). His tribe was stationed on the south side of the tabernacle, together with the tribes of Simeon and Gad, but it appears that Reuben was the leader of the three (Numbers 2:10). When the contributions for the tabernacle were surrendered, Elizur offered his tribe's gifts on the fourth day (Numbers 7:30, 7:35), preceded by the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, and the same order was followed when Israel broke up camp and marched behind the Levites who carried the tabernacle (Numbers 10:18).
🔼Etymology of the name Elizur
The name Elizur consists of two elements. The first part is אל (El), the prominent Canaanite deity, whose name became applied to the God of Israel, or the common abbreviation of Elohim, the genus God:
אל אלה
In names אל ('el) usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah). In English, the words 'God' and 'god' exclusively refer to the deity but in Hebrew the words אל ('l) and אלה ('lh) are far more common and may express approach and negation, acts of wailing and pointing, and may even mean oak or terebinth.
The second part of our name is thought to come from the noun צור (sur), meaning rock, but may in fact derive from any word from the following root cluster:
צור
- Verb צור (sur I) probably means to lean or incline. Noun צואר (sawwa'r) means neck and צורון (sawwaron) means necklace.
- Verb צור (sur II) means to confine, secure or besiege. Noun מצור (masor) means siege and מצורה (mesura) means stronghold. This verb relates to verb צרר (sarar I).
- Verb צור (sur III) means to be an adversary. It relates to צרר (sarar II).
- Verb צור (sur IV) means to form or fashion. Noun צורה (sura) means form and noun ציר (sir) means image. This verb relates to יצר (yasar).
- Verb צור (sur V) probably relates to verb צרר (sarar III) and probably means to be sharp. The important noun צור (sur) means rock, and is equivalent to the Greek noun πετρα (petra), from which comes the name Peter.
צרר
- Verb צרר (sarar I) means to bind and relates to צור (sur II). Adjective צר (sar) means narrow. Nouns צר (sar) and צרה (sara) mean distress and yield denominative verb צרה (sara), meaning to suffer distress. Noun צרור (seror) means bundle or parcel. Noun מצר (mesar) means distress.
- Verb צרר (sarar II) means to show hostility and relates to verb צור (sur III). Noun צר (sar) means adversary. Noun צרה (sara) means vexer or rival-wife. Denominative verb צרר (sarar) means to create a rival wife.
- Verb צרר (sarar III) probably means to be sharp and relates to צור (sur V). Nouns צר (sar), צר (sor) and צרור (seror) mean flint or pebble.
יצר
Verb יצר (yasar) means to fashion or form and relates to צור (sur IV). Noun יצר (yeser) denotes that what is formed, and noun יצרים (yesurim) means forms or members.
צרה
Verb צרה (srh) probably describes the bleeding of an odoriferous tree. Noun צרי (sari) denotes a kind of costly balsam.
The letter י (yod) in the middle may make a possessive form out of the first part or an active verbal out of the second.
🔼Elizur meaning
For a meaning of the name Elizur, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads God Is A Rock, Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has God The Rock and BDB Theological Dictionary proposes God Is Rock.
But when we take the central letter י (yod) in account, our name means either God Of Rock or God Rocks!.