Topic: Persons Of The Bible -- Elam

The name "Elam" possibly means "hidden" in Hebrew.

The name "Elam" means highland, the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22), and the name of the country inhabited by his descendants (14:1, 9; Isa. 11:11; 21:2, etc.) lying to the east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore of the Mediterranean, a distance in a direct line of about 1,000 miles. Also, the name Elam is an Assyrian word meaning "high." "The inhabitants of Elam, or 'the Highlands,' to the east of Babylon, were called Elamites. They were divided into several branches, speaking different dialects of the same agglutinative language. The race to which they belonged was brachycephalic, or short-headed, like the pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia. "The earliest Elamite kingdom seems to have been that of Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in the time of Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears to have already become the capital of the country. Babylonia was frequently invaded by the Elamite kings, who at times asserted their supremacy over it (as in the case of Chedorlaomer, the Kudur-Lagamar, or 'servant of the goddess Lagamar,' of the cuneiform texts). "The later Assyrian monarchs made several campaigns against Elam, and finally Assur-bani-pal (about B.C. 650) succeeded in conquering the country, which was ravaged with fire and sword. On the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Elam passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce). This country was called by the Greeks Cissia or Susiana.

A person named "Elam" was a Korhite Levite in the time of King David. (1 Chronicles 26:3) (B.C. 1014.)

A person named "Elam" was a chief man of the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:24)

Persons named "Elam" were children of Elam, to the number of 1254, returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon. (Ezra 2:7; Nehemiah 7:12) 1Esd. 5:12. (B.C. 536 or before.) Elam occurs amongst the names of the chief of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:14) In the same lists is a second Elam, whose sons, to the same number as in the former case, returned with Zerubbabel, (Ezra 2:31; Nehemiah 7:34) and which for the sake of distinction is called "the other Elam."

A person named "Elam" was one of the priests who accompanied Nehemiah at the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:42)

Derived from Easton's and Smith's Bible Dictionaries

If these words have been a blessing, please forward them to a friend.

These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care Ministries Sites called Wisdom Minute. This site is located at:
http://www.shepherdscare.net/wisdomminute

Shepherd's Care Ministries Main Site located at:
http://www.shepherdscare.net/