ELIAKIM ĭ lī’ ə kĭm (אֶלְיָקִ֥ים, LXX ̓Ελιακείμ, G1805, meaning God raises up). There are three men in the OT and two in the NT who were called by this name. 1. The son of Hilkiah, Eliakim, with two others, was selected to negotiate with the besieging Assyrian army in 701 b.c. The trio objected to the Assyrian’s use of Heb. instead of Aram. in the public conference, but to no avail. After hearing the repeated demands that Jerusalem surrender, they relayed the message to the king with great sorrow. Cf. the parallel accounts (2 Kings 18:18-37; Isa 36:3-22). Eliakim is mentioned in Isaiah 22:20-24 as destined to take his unworthy father’s place in the government.

2. The second son of Josiah was enthroned by the Egyptians, after deposing Jehoahaz and changing Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim which means Jahweh raises up. This took place in 609 b.c. When the Babylonians took over Pal. in 605 b.c., Jehoiakim reluctantly became their puppet, but after three years rebelled and lost his life in 598 b.c. The accounts of his reign are given in 2 Kings 23:34-24:6; 2 Chronicles 36:4-8; Jeremiah 22:13-19; 25; 26; 35; 36.

3. A priest who played a trumpet at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah (Neh 12:41).

4. Mentioned in the postexilic division of the genealogy of Jesus as the son of Abiud and the father of Azor (Matt 1:13).

5. Mentioned in the preexilic section of the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:30).