What does ebenezer mean?
An Ebenezer is a memorial stone raised to mark divine assistance, deriving from the Hebrew phrase eben ha-ezer, meaning 'stone of help.' The word originates in the First Book of Samuel, where the prophet Samuel erects a stone after the Israelites defeat the Philistines, declaring 'thus far the Lord has helped us.' While the literal biblical sense is now rare, the term endures in religious language and hymnody — most famously in 'Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,' whose line 'here I raise mine Ebenezer' has puzzled generations of singers. Figuratively, an Ebenezer can be any monument or milestone commemorating deliverance or providential aid. Capitalized as a personal name, Ebenezer enjoyed popularity in Puritan and Victorian eras and remains instantly recognizable through Charles Dickens's Ebenezer Scrooge, giving the name a lasting cultural afterlife far beyond its scriptural origins.
nounA stone set up as a memorial to God's help, originally the stone raised by Samuel at Mizpah after a victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:12). By extension, the word is used figuratively for any monument or occasion marking divine assistance.
- The memorial stone Samuel erected after the Israelites' victory over the Philistines, named 'stone of help' (biblical use).
- Figuratively, any memorial or marker of divine assistance or gratitude.
- As a capitalized given name (Ebenezer), notably borne by Dickens's character Ebenezer Scrooge.
"In the old hymn, the congregation sang of raising its Ebenezer in gratitude for deliverance."
"Samuel took a stone and called it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'"
"The church was named Ebenezer Chapel, honoring the biblical stone of help."
Rarely pluralized except when referring to multiple memorial stones or several bearers of the given name.
"Along the ridge stood several ebenezers, each marking a deliverance remembered by the community."
Every time you sing 'here I raise my Ebenezer,' you're quoting a 3,000-year-old pile of rocks — and Charles Dickens made the name unforgettable as literature's most famous miser.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ebenezer
The word comes from the Hebrew ʾeben ha-ʿezer, meaning 'stone of help,' first recorded in English in translations of 1 Samuel 7:12, appearing in Wycliffe's late 14th-century rendering and firmly established by the King James Bible of 1611. It entered wider English use as both a common noun for commemorative stones and, from the 16th and 17th centuries onward, as a masculine given name favored by Puritans. It shares its Hebrew root ʿazar ('to help') with names such as Eliezer ('my God is help'), Eleazar, and Ezra.
How ebenezer is actually used
Almost always capitalized in religious and literary contexts. The lowercase generic sense ('a stone of help') is rare today; the word survives chiefly through the King James Bible and the hymn 'Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.' As a personal name it carries a slightly old-fashioned, Victorian flavor in modern usage.
Easily confused with ebenezer
Bethel denotes a sacred place or house of worship (literally 'house of God' in Hebrew), whereas an Ebenezer specifically commemorates God's help, literally 'stone of help'.