Elizabeth
Name Origin & Meaning
From the Hebrew 'Elisheba' — 'El' (God) and 'sheva' (oath, promise, seven) — 'my God is an oath.' The name declares God's covenant faithfulness as its very foundation. The New Testament Elizabeth was barren until old age, a living embodiment of a promise long-delayed — and her pregnancy became the sign to Mary that 'nothing is impossible with God.'
First Biblical Appearance
“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”
Elizabeth's Spirit-filled greeting to Mary — the first human voice to declare the blessing of the Incarnation.
Biblical Significance
Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron, wife of the priest Zacharias, and mother of John the Baptist. Barren in old age, she conceived miraculously six months before Mary. When Mary came to visit, the infant John leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, declaring Mary 'blessed among women' and the first to call Jesus 'my Lord.' Her life bridges the final Old Testament promise (Malachi's Elijah) and the New Testament's fulfillment.
Notable Bearers
- Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist
Personality & Character
Spiritual perfection and divine rest — God's sacred number of wholeness and completion
Spiritual symbolism drawn from Scripture and tradition
Modern Variants
A Blessing for This Name
May you, like Elizabeth, carry in your womb the promise that makes others leap for joy in the presence of the Most High. May the barrenness of your life's long seasons end not with resignation but with a miracle that confirms: 'nothing is impossible with God.'