Eliab, also spelled Eliaab, is a male name, held by three people in the Hebrew Bible, respectively the sons of Helon, Pallu, and Jesse. Only the last is covered in any detail.
Eliab, son of Helon
Eliab, the son of Helon, was one of the leaders of the tribes of Israel and a prince of the house of Zebulun according to
9.
Eliab, son of Pallu
Eliab was the son of Pallu and the father of
Nemuel,
Dathan, and
Abiram, of the house of Reuben, according to
1 and
8-9.
Eliab, son of Jesse
Eliab of
Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, was the eldest son of Jesse ( and ) and thus the eldest brother of
King David. He was apparently tall and had fair features, and was the first potential king of Israel considered for anointing by the prophet Samuel after his disillusion with
Saul.
[1 Samuel 16:6] His features resembled those Samuel had first seen in Saul
and Samuel may have considered him a 'fit successor' to Saul.
[ Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers on 1 Samuel 16, accessed 11 May 2017] However, God told Samuel that Eliab did not have the proper heart to be king of
Israel:
- Do not consider his appearance or his height ... the Lord looks at the heart.
[1 Samuel 16:7]
Samuel went on to consider each of Eliab's brothers in turn. Some commentators have suggested that Eliab was rejected because of his temper, as he argued with David before David went to fight Goliath, accusing David of pride and insolence.[1 Samuel 17:28]
