Eliphelet

The name Eliphelet attaches to several distinct figures across the Hebrew Bible — a warrior in David's service, two (and possibly three) sons of David, a late descendant of Saul's house, and one or two men who returned with Ezra from exile. Across the lists the name shifts spelling — Eliphelet, Eliphalet, Elpelet, Elpalet — but the bearer is in every case a marginal name carried by genealogy and roster rather than by narrative.

A Warrior in David's Roster

The first Eliphelet appears in the catalogue of David's mighty men: "Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite" (2Sa 23:34). He is listed without exploit, identified only by parentage and the family's Maacathite tie.

Sons of David at Jerusalem

Two of David's sons, born in Jerusalem, bear closely related forms of the name. The Chronicler's first list reads "and Ibhar, and Elishama, and Eliphelet" (1Ch 3:6), then a few names later "and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine" (1Ch 3:8). The parallel roster in 2 Samuel preserves the second of these: "and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet" (2Sa 5:16) — a UPDV footnote at this verse adds that "Eliada likely was originally 'Baaliada'. (See also 1Ch 3:8, 14:7)."

The Chronicler's other parallel list spells the second name with the original Baal-element and again names Eliphelet last: "and Elishama, and Baaliada, and Eliphelet" (1Ch 14:7). The accompanying UPDV footnote notes that "Baaliada" "is likely the original form of the name 'Eliada' in 2Sa 5:16 and 1Ch 3:8." A few verses earlier in the same Chronicler's list, the corresponding earlier brother is given a contracted form: "and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpelet" (1Ch 14:5) — the "Elpelet" / "Elpalet" of the duplicated son.

So two of David's Jerusalem sons carry the name in adjacent roster slots, with the earlier of the two appearing as Elpelet (1Ch 14:5) alongside the parallel Eliphelet (1Ch 3:6), and the later one consistently spelled Eliphelet across all three witnesses (2Sa 5:16; 1Ch 3:8; 1Ch 14:7). The earlier is sometimes treated as a separate son and the later as the primary "son of David," though the two may in fact be one and the same.

A Descendant of Saul

In the Benjamite genealogy that traces Saul's house, an Eliphelet appears as the third son of Eshek: "And the sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third" (1Ch 8:39). This Eliphelet stands at the end of the Saulide line as the Chronicler preserves it.

Returnees with Ezra

Two postexilic Eliphelets close out the roster. One returns from Babylon with Ezra: "And of the sons of Adonikam, [who were] the last; and these are their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah; and with them threescore males" (Ezr 8:13). The other appears in Ezra's register of those who had taken foreign wives: "Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei" (Ezr 10:33). The two Ezra figures are probably the same man.