{
  "id": "dict_001750",
  "term": "Esli",
  "slug": "esli",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Esli is a biblical name in the genealogy of Jesus recorded in Luke 3:25. Scripture gives no further details about his life.",
  "simple_one_line": "A named ancestor in Jesus’ genealogy in Luke.",
  "tooltip_text": "A little-known biblical person named in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Genealogy of Jesus",
    "Luke",
    "Jesus Christ"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Matthew 1",
    "Luke 3:23-38"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Esli is one of the otherwise unknown names in the genealogy of Jesus recorded by Luke.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Esli is a biblical person named in Luke 3:25 as part of Jesus’ ancestral line.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in Luke 3:25",
    "Part of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus",
    "No additional narrative details are given in Scripture"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Esli is a biblical personal name appearing in Luke 3:25 within the genealogy of Jesus. The biblical text provides no narrative information about him beyond his place in the ancestral line.",
  "description_academic_full": "Esli is named in Luke 3:25 as one of the ancestors listed in the genealogy of Jesus. Scripture does not provide any biographical details, actions, or teachings associated with him. His significance lies in his place within Luke’s historical record of Jesus’ human ancestry rather than in any independent theological role. Because the biblical evidence is limited to the genealogy itself, responsible treatment should avoid speculation beyond the text.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Luke presents Jesus’ genealogy to show His real human lineage and to place Him within salvation history. Esli appears as one of the otherwise obscure names in that record.",
  "background_historical_context": "Outside Luke’s genealogy, no reliable historical information about Esli is preserved in Scripture. His inclusion reflects the historical form of ancient genealogical records, which often preserve names without further explanation.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Genealogies were an important way of preserving family descent, tribal identity, and historical continuity in Jewish life. Esli’s appearance fits that pattern, even though the Bible gives no additional background about him.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Luke 3:25"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Luke 3:23-38"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Esli is a transliterated biblical name preserved in Luke’s Greek genealogy. The text provides no clear additional etymological or biographical explanation.",
  "theological_significance": "Esli’s main significance is indirect: he is part of the genealogy of Jesus, which underscores the Lord’s true humanity and the historical continuity of God’s saving plan. The entry itself does not support broader doctrinal claims about the individual named.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This entry illustrates a common biblical phenomenon: a person may be historically real and textually important while remaining otherwise unknown. The value of the name comes from its place in the inspired record, not from extra-biblical reconstruction.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not infer details about Esli’s life, character, or location beyond Luke 3:25. The text provides a name, not a biography.",
  "major_views_note": "There is no major interpretive dispute about Esli as a distinct figure; the only discussion is his place in Luke’s genealogy and the limited information Scripture supplies.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Esli should not be treated as a doctrinal figure or as evidence for teachings beyond the reliability of Luke’s genealogy and the historical humanity of Jesus.",
  "practical_significance": "Esli reminds readers that Scripture preserves even obscure names within God’s unfolding plan. Believers can trust that God’s purposes are worked out through both well-known and little-known people.",
  "meta_description": "Esli is a biblical name in Luke 3:25, listed in the genealogy of Jesus.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/esli/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/esli.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}