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Elisheba

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 Aaron, mother of Nadab and Abihu, and matriarch of the priestly line in Israel.

Detailed Definition
Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and wife of Aaron, bore the first priests of Israel, anchoring the Levitical priesthood in her lineage. Her quiet presence underscores the sacredness of familial transmission in worship. In poetry, she symbolizes the foundational matriarch—silent yet essential—who bears the weight of divine calling through bloodline and endurance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elisheba is invoked in feminist midrashic poetry: “Elisheba bore not only sons, but law—/ Her blood the vessel of the covenant’s awe”; In a poem on priestly lineage: “From Aaron’s wife, a fire was lit / That warmed the altar, never quit”; She appears as a matriarchal anchor: “While Miriam danced, and Jochebed hid Moses’ cry, / Elisheba kept the flame beneath the sky”; Her name symbolizes the quiet foundation of Israel’s sacred order.
Additional Notes
Elisheba is one of the few named matriarchs in the priestly line, making her foundational to Israel’s sacred institutions. Her marriage to Aaron anchors the Levitical priesthood in familial continuity, and her sons’ deaths underscore the peril of sacred service. In poetry, she embodies the silent weight of religious legacy—the woman who bears the future of worship without glory. Her presence in genealogies makes her ideal for poems exploring lineage, inheritance, and the cost of holiness. Unlike Miriam or Sarah, she is never depicted speaking, yet her bloodline carries divine mandate. Poets may use her to critique patriarchal erasure of female sacred authority or to honor the unseen labor of matriarchal tradition.
Also Known As
Elisabeth
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