Difference between revisions of "Elishah"

<p> &nbsp;Eli'shah. &nbsp;(God is salvation). The eldest son of Javan. &nbsp;Genesis 10:4. The residence of his descendants is described in &nbsp;Ezekiel 27:7, as the isles of Elishah, whence, the Phoenicians obtained their purple and blue dyes. Some connect the race of [[Elishah]] with the Aeolians, others with Elishah, and in a more extended sense, Peloponnesus, or even Hellas. </p>

<p> (Hebrew Elishah', &nbsp;אלִֵישָׁה deriv. unknown; Sept. &nbsp;Ε᾿λισά and &nbsp;Ε᾿λισαί; Josephus, &nbsp;Ε᾿λισᾶς, Vulg. &nbsp;Elisa), the oldest of the four sons of Javan (&nbsp;Genesis 10:4; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 1:7). B.C. cir. 2450. He seems to have given name to a region on the Mediterranean, "the isles (&nbsp;אִיּיס, &nbsp;shores) of Elishah," which are described as exporting fabrics of purple and scarlet to the markets of [[Tyre]] (&nbsp;Ezekiel 27:7). If the descendants of Javan peopled Greece, we may expect to find Elishah in some province of that country. The circumstance of the purple suits the Peloponnesus, for the fish affording the purple dye was caught at the mouth of the Eurotas, and the purple of [[Laconia]] was very celebrated. (See [[Purple]]). The name seems kindred to &nbsp;Elis (Bochart, &nbsp;Phaleg, 3:4), which, in a wider sense, was applied to the whole Peloponnesus; and some identify Elishah with Hellas (Michaelis, Spicileg. 1:79). &nbsp;— Kitto, s.v. Josephus, however, identified the race of Elishah with the AEolians (Ant. 1:6, 1). His view is adopted by Knobel (Volkertrfel, page 81 sq.). It appears correct to treat it as the designation of a race rather than of a locality; and if Javan represents the Ionians, then Elishah the AEolians, whose name presents considerable similarity (&nbsp;Αίολεῖς having possibly been &nbsp;Αίλεῖς ), and whose predilection for maritime situations quite accords with the expression in Ezekiel. In early times the AEolians were settled in various parts of Greece, Thessaly, Boeotia, AEtolia, Locris, Elis, and Messenia: from Greece they emigrated to Asia Minor, and in Ezekiel's age occupied the maritime district in the N.W. of that country, named after them AEolis, together with the islands Lesbos and Tenedos. The purple shell-fish was found on this coast, especially at Abydus (Virgil, &nbsp;Georg. 1:207), Phocaea (Ovid, &nbsp;Metam. 6:9), Sigeum and Lectum (Athenaeus, 3:88). Not much, however, can be deduced from this as to the position of the "isles of Elishah," as that shell- fish was found in many parts of the Mediterranean, especially on the coast of Laconia (Pausan. 3:21, &nbsp;§ 6). Schulthess &nbsp;(Paradies, page 264), without the slightest probability, argues in favor of a position on the western coast of Africa, on the ground of the resemblance to &nbsp;Elisa as the Phoenician name of Carthage. (See [[Ethnology]]). </p>

<p> '''''ē̇''''' -'''''lı̄´sha''''' (&nbsp; אלישׁה , <i> ''''''ĕlı̄shāh''''' </i> , "God saves"; &nbsp;Ἐλισά , <i> '''''Elisá''''' </i> , &nbsp;Ἐλεισαί , <i> '''''Eleisaı́''''' </i> ): [[Mentioned]] in &nbsp;Genesis 10:4 as the eldest son of Javan, and in &nbsp; Ezekiel 27:7 as the source from which the Tyrians obtained their purple dyes. On the ground of this latter statement attempts have been made to identify it with Southern Italy or the north of Africa. Josephus ( <i> Ant. </i> , I, vi, 1) identified [[Elisha]] with the Aeolians. The Targum on Ezekiel gives "the province of Italy." Other suggestions include Hellas, Ells, and Alsa; the last named is a kingdom mentioned in the <i> Tell el-Amarna [[Letters]] </i> , but its precise location is unknown. It is impossible as yet to claim certainty for any of these conjectures. </p>