Elsbeth was born in Neustadt, Franconia; his birth date is totally unknown, although he did refer to himself as "poor and old" in 1616.
Since his early publications were issued in Frankfurt an der Oder, he is thought to have been an acquaintance of Bartholomäus Gesius, the kantor there.
He may have attended Viadrina University in Frankfurt, though modern scholars have been unable to substantiate this with archival research.
Elsbeth left a significant body of extant motets and songs.
His Evangelien collections are calendrical settings of the Gospels, which together cover the entire church year.