Who was Eliezer in the Bible?
The name Eliezer means "God is my help," and there were multiple men in the Bible who had this name, although none of them have much written about them. Most notable of the Eliezers is Abraham's head servant.Before Abraham had any children, he would have had to choose an heir from his male servants, according to the custom of that time. Abraham mentions his head male servant by name when he is telling God that he has no son to leave his inheritance to: "But Abram said, 'O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'" (Genesis 15:2). While he is not specifically named, many scholars believe that Eliezer is the same servant sent by Abraham to look for a wife for his son Isaac in Genesis 24. This servant is described as "the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had" (Genesis 24:2). He was faithful to Abraham's command and demonstrated reliance on and trust in God.
The next most prominent Eliezer is one of Moses' sons. Moses named his son Eliezer, saying, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:4). Most likely Moses was referring to when he murdered an Egyptian for mistreating the Israelites and escaped punishment (Exodus 2:11–15).
There was a prophet name Eliezer, the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, who spoke against King Jehoshaphat for making allies with Ahaziah saying, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made" (2 Chronicles 20:37). His prophecy was fulfilled, and Jehoshaphat's ships wrecked, preventing him from going to Tarshish.
Another Eliezer was chosen along with a few other men to request for the Levites to join the Israelites returning to Israel after years of captivity from the Babylonians and Persians (Ezra 8:16–17). There were also three men named Eliezer among the men who had chosen wives among foreigners who pledged to put their wives away and follow the Law (Ezra 10:18–19, 23, 31).
First Chronicles mentions a few men named Eliezer. One was a priest who was one of the seven men appointed to blow the trumpet before the ark of God when it came back into Jerusalem during King David's reign (1 Chronicles 15:24), and the other was a chief officer of the Reubenites (1 Chronicles 27:16). There is also a descendant of Benjamin named Eliezer listed in a genealogy (1 Chronicles 7:8). There is another Eliezer listed in Jesus' genealogy (Luke 3:29).
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Who was Moses in the Bible?
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Did the people in the Bible have last names?
Truth about People in the Bible
