What Does Exodus 6:23 Mean?
And Aaron took Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, as a wife, and she bore him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.THE KEY
Amminadab and Nadab share נדב (n-d-b), the root of willing generosity and free offering.
THE MEANING
Elisheba is named through her father and brother and as Aaron’s wife; four sons then carry the household forward by name. Among those names, Nadab carries willing generosity and Eleazar carries help, so this genealogy speaks in the vocabulary of oath, giving, and aid.
THE ROOT
נָדָב
Nadab
GROWS FROM
נדב
n-d-b
To volunteer, offer freely, or act with willing generosity.
“Nadab; Amminadab” in this verse is Nadab. נָדָב (Nadav, Nadab) grows from the root נדב (n-d-b), which also forms words for generosity and freewill offerings. Amminadab repeats the Nadab element, so this root sounds twice within the genealogy.
ALSO GROWS
nadiv: Willing, generous, noble.
נָדִיב
This branch makes the generosity carried by Nadab’s name audible as a quality of willing action.
nedavah: A freewill offering.
נְדָבָה
The same root links a person’s name to an offering given freely.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע
Elisheva
GROWS FROM
שבע
sh-b-ʿ
To swear or bind by an oath.
“Elisheba” in this verse is Elisheva. אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elisheva) joins אֵל (El, God) with oath-language; the name is commonly understood as “God is my oath.” The only woman named in this household carries the language of pledged commitment in her name.
ALSO GROWS
shevuah: An oath.
שְׁבוּעָה
This branch reveals the oath-language embedded in Elisheba’s name.
nishba: Swore; bound oneself by an oath.
נִשְׁבַּע
This verb shows the root as an act of entering a pledged bond.
אֶלְעָזָר
Elʿazar
GROWS FROM
עזר
ʿ-z-r
To help or support.
“Eleazar” in this verse is Elʿazar. אֶלְעָזָר (Elʿazar) joins אֵל (El, God) with עָזַר (azar, help), commonly understood as “God has helped.” The name carries aid inside the family line as plainly as Nadab carries willing generosity.
ALSO GROWS
azar: To help or support.
עָזַר
This verb supplies the action encoded in Eleazar’s name.
ezer: Help, aid, or helper.
עֵזֶר
This noun carries the same root from an act of helping into the aid itself.
THE PATTERN
Scripture lets names carry a condition, calling, or promise in compressed form.
And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, see-a-son, for she said, Surely the LORD has seen my bending low. Now therefore my husband will love me.No longer shall your name be called Abram, but Abraham, father of multitudes, for I have set you as a father of many nations.And she will bring forth a son, and you will call his name Jesus, the LORD's deliverance, for he will deliver his people from their missing.THE THREAD
Take from among you a lifted offering for the LORD. Whoever is free-hearted, let him bring the LORD's lifted offering, gold, and silver, and bronze.Nadab (נָדָב, Nadav, “willing/generous”) shares the root נדב (n-d-b) with נָדִיב (nadiv, “willing/generous”), the word behind “willing” here; נְדָבָה (nedavah, “freewill offering”) grows from that same root. This opens the genealogy into the language of voluntary giving.
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