Meaning & History
Eliou is the Greek Old Testament form of the name Elijah. While the more common Greek New Testament form is Elias, Eliou specifically appears in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The name derives from the Hebrew Eliyyahu, meaning "my God is Yahweh."
In the biblical narrative, Elijah was a 9th-century BC prophet active during the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who promoted the worship of the Canaanite deity Baʿal. Elijah courageously confronted them, performed miracles—such as resurrecting a widow's son and calling down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel—and was ultimately taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. His name has been borne by early Christian saints, and the longer form Elijah saw a revival among Puritans after the Protestant Reformation.
As a Greek transliteration of a Semitic original, Eliou differs from the more common forms Elias and Elijah. While used almost exclusively in the context of the Septuagint, it serves as a liturgical and scholarly variant within Greek Bible-reading traditions.
- Meaning: "My God is Yahweh"
- Origin: Greek transcription of Hebrew Eliyyahu
- Type: Biblical first name
- Usage: Greek Old Testament (Septuagint); historical/liturgical context