Eliadah

Biblical Record

Eliadah appears once, in 1 Kings 11:23, in the phrase "Rezon the son of Eliadah." Beyond the fact that he was Rezon's father, the text says nothing about him.

The central figure in this passage is his son Rezon, who had fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah. When David struck down the men of Zobah, Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a band; he later went to Damascus and reigned there. He is recorded as having been an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, reigning over Syria (Aram) and abhorring Israel (1 Kings 11:23–25). First Kings presents this as God's raising up an adversary against Solomon ("And God stirred him up another adversary," 1 Kings 11:23) and sets the account alongside the story of Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14–22).

Significance in Scripture

Eliadah appears only as a genealogical marker identifying Rezon's origin and plays no role of his own in the narrative. He is not mentioned in the New Testament. His name is generally interpreted to mean "God knows."

Interpretive Questions

• The text does not state whether Eliadah himself was an Aramean. He is commonly described as one because his son Rezon is recorded as ruling over Aram.
• Some scholars identify Rezon with Hezion, mentioned in 1 Kings 15:18, but this identification has not been established as a consensus.
• The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) uses the same name for other individuals as well: a son of Heman who served in the temple music (Eliathah in the KJV; 1 Chronicles 25:4, 25:27), and a Benjamite mighty man of valor who commanded troops in the reign of King Jehoshaphat (Eliada in the KJV; 2 Chronicles 17:17). Both are distinct from the father of Rezon.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school materials devoted specifically to Eliadah are rare. He is typically mentioned only in passing, alongside Rezon, in sermons on Solomon's idolatry in his later years and the adversaries that arose as a result (Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam).