Exploring the Meaning of Eliakeim in Greek

Ἐλιακείμ means “Eliakim.” It appears in the New Testament genealogical records that trace ancestry through named fathers and sons.

Occurrences

“Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor.” (Matthew 1:13)

In this sequence of begettings, Ἐλιακείμ functions as a single link in a chain that is explicitly framed by father–son relationships. The verse places the name between “Abiud” and “Azor,” marking a transition from one generation to the next: first Eliakim is presented as the son of Abiud (“Abiud became the father of Eliakim”), and then as the father of the next named descendant (“Eliakim became the father of Azor”). The repetition of the same clause pattern (“became the father of…”) gives the name its role: Eliakim is not introduced by actions, titles, or narrative description, but by position in an ordered lineage where the key information is descent.

“the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,” (Luke 3:30)

Here Ἐλιακείμ appears within a cascading series of “the son of” phrases. The name anchors the end of the verse’s list, defining Jonan in relation to Eliakim (“the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim”). In this setting the word contributes the same kind of genealogical information as in Matthew, but expressed with a different formula: rather than stating that one person “became the father of” another, Luke’s line identifies individuals by their filial connection. Eliakim is the reference point that fixes Jonan’s place in the line, and the comma at the end signals that the list continues beyond this verse, so Eliakim is also part of a larger ancestry being traced through successive names.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, “Eliakim” is used strictly as a personal name within genealogy. The sense is realized not through a description of the person, but through relational placement: Eliakim is meaningful in the text because he stands in defined connections—father to one, son to another. Matthew 1:13 makes both directions explicit in one verse, presenting Eliakim as the product of Abiud and the progenitor of Azor. Luke 3:30 uses the same name to locate Jonan, placing Eliakim as an ancestor whose identity is carried forward through the formula “the son of.”

Because genealogies work by linking names, the function of Ἐλιακείμ is to secure continuity. The immediate contexts show that the writers are not merely listing isolated individuals; they are crafting a structured line in which each name must connect correctly to the next. In Matthew, the repeated statement “became the father of” emphasizes generational succession; Eliakim is one of the points where that succession is explicitly stated. In Luke, the repeated “the son of” emphasizes descent by tracing backward through fathers; Eliakim serves as one of the anchors in that backward-looking chain. In both, the name operates as a stable identifier whose contribution is the relationship it establishes between neighboring names.

The two genealogical styles also highlight how the same name can be integrated into different syntactic frames while retaining the same basic referential force. Matthew’s begetting formula presents lineage as a forward progression from a father to his child, producing a rhythm of “X became the father of Y.” Luke’s style presents lineage as a series of dependent phrases, each one attaching a person to his father with “the son of.” Ἐλιακείμ fits naturally into both structures: in Matthew, it occupies both the position of child and parent; in Luke, it appears as the father from whom the next named person is derived. The name’s usage is therefore genealogical and relational, and its interpretive weight lies in its placement rather than in narrative development.

Genealogical Imagery

These occurrences carry the imagery of lineage as an unbroken chain of named links. Matthew 1:13 presents a compact three-step segment—Abiud, Eliakim, Azor—each tied by the same generational phrasing, so the reader sees succession in a steady, almost procedural cadence. Luke 3:30 presents ancestry as a flowing series of “the son of” clauses; the name Eliakim appears as one terminus in the verse, suggesting a line that extends beyond the immediate frame. In both, Ἐλιακείμ contributes to the picture of ancestry being traced carefully through identifiable persons, each one connected to the next by descent.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).