El Elyon Meaning: What the Name Means in the Bible
Updated October 22, 2026. Counts from the full KJV and World English Bible text.
El Elyon (Hebrew אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) means God Most High. Strong's Hebrew dictionary lists it as H410 (el) and H5945 (elyown). In the King James Version text, most high God appears 11 times in 11 verses.
The first verse in the King James Version text that matches is Genesis 14:18.
What El Elyon means
El Elyon is the title Melchizedek, king of Salem, carries as priest in Genesis 14. Abram uses it in the same chapter to swear to the king of Sodom, where he adds the LORD, tying the Most High God to Yahweh. Elyon comes from a word for high, so the title means God above all.
| Hebrew | אֵל עֶלְיוֹן |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | El Elyon (ʼēl ʻelyôn) |
| Literal meaning | God Most High |
| English Bibles print it as | the most high God |
| Strong's | H410 אֵל (el): God, god, mighty one H5945 עֶלְיוֹן (elyown): an elevation, i.e. (adj.) lofty; as title, the Supreme; most high |
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Every Hebrew form, transliteration and definition on these pages was read against the matching Strong's entry on Biblehub on 2026-10-22. Verse text is the King James Version and the World English Bible, both public domain.
Where El Elyon appears in the Bible
The KJV prints most high God, the World English Bible prints God Most High, and both are counted. The English phrase also covers the Aramaic of Daniel and the Greek of Mark and Acts, so the Old Testament and New Testament counts are split.
| English text searched | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| most high God | 1111 verses (8 OT, 3 NT) | 1515 verses (11 OT, 4 NT) |
| Most High | 4948 verses (44 OT, 5 NT) | 5655 verses (47 OT, 9 NT) |
All 11 verses (KJV, most high God): Genesis 14:18, Genesis 14:19, Genesis 14:20, Genesis 14:22, Psalm 78:56, Daniel 3:26, Daniel 5:18, Daniel 5:21, Mark 5:7, Acts 16:17, Hebrews 7:1.
First use of El Elyon
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
He blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth:
Names related to El Elyon
- Elohimאֱלֹהִים: God, the general Hebrew word for deity
- El Shaddaiאֵל שַׁדַּי: God Almighty
- El Olamאֵל עוֹלָם: the everlasting God
- Jehovahיְהוָה: LORD, the personal name of God
See all names: the names of God and their meanings.
Common questions
What does El Elyon mean?
El Elyon means "God Most High". Elyon (Strong's H5945) comes from a word for elevation or height and is used as a name for the Supreme God.
Who first called God El Elyon?
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest, in Genesis 14:18-20, when he blessed Abram.
How many times is El Elyon in the Bible?
Searching the full King James Version text for most high God finds 11 times in 11 verses, 8 in the Old Testament and 3 in the New. The World English Bible has 15 times. English Bibles translate Hebrew names, so a count in English counts the translation, not the Hebrew word.
Sources
Source: H410, H5945 via biblehub.com/hebrew, read 2026-10-22. Hebrew meanings: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Verse text: King James Version and World English Bible, public domain. Counts: Bible Says About, 2026-10-22.
Verses on our topic pages: Bible verses about worship, Bible verses about holiness, Bible verses about trust. Word counts: God, Lord and Bible names and their meanings.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.