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Elisabeth

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Wife of Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist, a righteous woman in Luke’s Gospel who recognized Mary’s divine pregnancy during their meeting.

Detailed Definition
Elisabeth, barren until old age, conceived miraculously and recognized Mary’s blessedness, affirming the coming Messiah. Her faith paralleled Abraham’s. In poetry, Elisabeth embodies expectant faith in divine timing, the joy of answered prayer, and the intergenerational witness of women who affirm God’s promises—often symbolizing the bridge between old covenant hope and new covenant fulfillment.
Example
Example in poetry:
In John Milton’s "Paradise Lost," Elisabeth’s joy at John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1) prefigures messianic hope; In George Herbert’s "The Church-porch," Elisabeth’s barrenness-turned-blessing models patient faith; In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s "The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus," Elisabeth’s recognition of Mary sanctifies kinship and prophecy; In John Keble’s "The Christian Year," Elisabeth symbolizes the faithful remnant of Israel; In Christina Rossetti’s "Advent," Elisabeth’s leaping babe illustrates Spirit-led revelation; In T.S. Eliot’s "Four Quartets," Elisabeth’s hill country becomes a site of holy encounter.
Additional Notes
Elisabeth: Mother of John the Baptist, wife of Zechariah, and relative of Mary (Luke 1); described as righteous and barren until old age. Her recognition of Mary’s pregnancy (“blessed is the fruit of your womb”) is a key moment of prophetic affirmation. In poetry, Elisabeth symbolizes faithful waiting, intergenerational blessing, and the joy of miraculous fulfillment. Her story parallels Hannah’s (1 Samuel 1), inviting typological readings. Ideal for poems on barrenness turned to abundance, female prophetic witness, or the quiet strength of elder women in salvation history.
Also Known As
Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist Elisheba
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