This name appears only in Luke's genealogy of Jesus, identifying Joseph's father. The name likely represents a Greek form of the Hebrew Eli, meaning 'my God' or 'ascent.' Luke's genealogy differs from Matthew's at this point, which has led to extensive discussion about whether Luke traces Mary's line or uses a different reckoning. The consistent transliteration across languages reflects its status as a proper name, with slight variations in vowel representation based on phonetic conventions.