Isabelle Is Elizabeth — and Elizabeth Is in the Bible

Summary

Isabelle is Elizabeth. The name lost its opening syllable in medieval Spanish and Occitan, and for centuries Isabel and Elizabeth were used interchangeably in the same families.
Behind both is the Hebrew Elisheva — Elisheba, wife of Aaron, in Exodus 6:23.
Luke 1:6-7 calls Elizabeth and Zechariah righteous and blameless and then says “but they were childless,” refusing in one sentence the connection everyone at the time would have made.
She is the first person in Luke to say who Mary is carrying, and she says it before anyone tells her. The Magnificat is Mary’s reply.
At the circumcision she insists on the name John, is overruled, and is confirmed only when her mute husband writes it down.

Names and Their Biblical MeaningsSee all 223 articles in this series

Isabelle is Elizabeth. The two names look unrelated and are the same name, and Elizabeth is in the Bible — six months pregnant, and the first person to recognise who Mary was carrying.

How Isabelle comes from Elizabeth

The chain runs through Spain and Provence. Elizabeth, in medieval Spanish and Occitan, lost its opening syllable and became Isabel — a normal enough change in speech, which then stuck in writing.

Isabel, Isabella, Isabelle, Isobel and Ysabel are all the same name arriving by different roads. For several centuries Isabel and Elizabeth were treated as interchangeable in the same families.

Behind Elizabeth is the Hebrew Elisheva, which is usually given as “my God is an oath” or “God is my abundance.”

A blessing card for Isabelle

Isabelle

means my God is an oath

Spanish and Occitan form of Elizabeth

In the Bible in another formAs Elizabeth in Luke 1, and as Elisheba in Exodus 6:23

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Luke 1:41-42 Berean Standard Bible

Isabelle, may the LORD bless you and keep you. Numbers 6:24

christianpure.com

Read about the name Isabelle

Elisheba, the first one

The name is older than Luke. Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. (Exodus 6:23)

She is the wife of the first high priest, and the mother of a priestly line. One verse, and no more.

Elizabeth in Luke

The Gospel introduces her and her husband together and then adds an assessment: Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (Luke 1:6-7)

That “but” is doing a great deal. The text refuses the connection anyone at the time would have made between childlessness and divine disfavour, and refuses it in the same sentence.

Her husband, told they will have a son, asks how he can be sure — and is unable to speak until the child is born. Elizabeth is not asked anything and does not speak until she chooses to.

The recognition

Mary arrives, and what follows is the only scene in the Gospels where two pregnant women talk to each other.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:41-42)

She is the first person in Luke’s Gospel to say who Mary is carrying, and she says it before anyone has told her.

Then: Why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? — a question from an older relative to a young girl, in a culture where the deference would normally run the other way.

Mary’s song, the Magnificat, is her reply. It exists because Elizabeth spoke first.

The naming

One more scene, and it is about her insisting.

At the circumcision the neighbours assume the boy will be named after his father. But his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” (Luke 1:60)

They object that no one in the family has that name, and turn to Zechariah, who cannot speak and writes it on a tablet: his name is John. The moment he does, his voice comes back.

She was right, she said so, and she was overruled until her husband confirmed it in writing. Luke records the whole sequence.

A blessing for Isabelle

May we recognise what is in front of us before anyone explains it.

May we speak first when speaking first is what is needed.

And may we hold to the name we were given, even when the room disagrees.

Frequently asked

Is Isabelle a biblical name?

Yes, by descent. Isabelle is a form of Elizabeth, which reaches the Bible through the Hebrew Elisheva — Elisheba in Exodus 6:23 and Elizabeth in Luke 1.

How are Isabelle and Elizabeth the same name?

Elizabeth lost its opening syllable in medieval Spanish and Occitan, becoming Isabel. For centuries the two were used interchangeably in the same families.

What does the name mean?

Usually given as “my God is an oath” or “God is my abundance.”

Who was Elizabeth in the Bible?

The mother of John the Baptist, described as righteous and blameless before her childlessness is mentioned, and the first person in Luke to recognise who Mary was carrying (Luke 1:41-43).