Lexical Summary
Elazar: Eleazar
Original Word:אֶלְעָזָר
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:El`azar
Pronunciation:el-aw-ZAWR
Phonetic Spelling:(el-aw-zawr')
KJV: Eleazar
NASB:Eleazar
Word Origin:[fromH410 (אֵל - God) andH5826 (עָזַר - help)]
1. God (is) helper
2. Elazar, the name of seven Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Eleazar
From'el andazar; God (is) helper; Elazar, the name of seven Israelites -- Eleazar.
see HEBREW'el
see HEBREWazar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
el and
azarDefinition"God has helped," six Isr.
NASB TranslationEleazar (72).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
God has helped, compare above)
Exodus 6:23 + (50 t. in Hexateuch)Judges 20:28;1 Chronicles 5:29,30;1 Chronicles 6:35;1 Chronicles 9:20;1 Chronicles 24:1,2,3,4 (twice in verse);1 Chronicles 24:5,6 Ezra 7..
1 Samuel 7:1.
2 Samuel 23:9;1 Chronicles 11:12; insert also1 Chronicles 27:4 compare DrSm 280.
1 Chronicles 23:21,22;1 Chronicles 24:28.
Ezra 8:33;Nehemiah 12:42.Ezra 10:25.
Topical Lexicon
Name and theological motifEleazar means “God has helped,” a confession woven through every appearance of the name. In roughly seventy-two Old Testament occurrences the individuals so called stand at decisive moments when divine aid, rather than human strength, preserves covenant order, protects sacred objects, or grants victory.
Principal bearer: Eleazar son of Aaron
1. Birth and consecration
•Exodus 6:23 first notes him among Aaron’s sons. From youth he is set apart for priestly service (Leviticus 8–9).
2. Oversight of the Tabernacle
• “Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall have oversight of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil” (Numbers 4:16).
• As “chief over the leaders of the Levites” (Numbers 3:32) he supervised Merarites, Gershonites, and Kohathites, ensuring ordered transport of sanctuary furnishings.
3. Mediator in national crisis
• After Korah’s rebellion Eleazar gathered the bronze censers and plated the altar “as a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider… should come near to offer incense before the LORD” (Numbers 16:39-40).
• He prepared the red-heifer ashes for purification (Numbers 19:1-10), underscoring his role in safeguarding ritual cleanness.
4. Transfer of priesthood
• On Mount Hor Moses stripped Aaron’s vestments and placed them on Eleazar (Numbers 20:26-28). The public act affirmed uninterrupted priestly continuity despite Aaron’s death.
5. Counsel by Urim for Joshua
• When Moses commissioned Joshua, the future leader was told: “He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will consult the LORD for him with the decision of the Urim” (Numbers 27:21). Priestly mediation thus governed civil leadership.
6. Distribution of Midianite spoils
• Eleazar weighed the plunder and directed purification of captives and goods (Numbers 31:21-54), showing priestly oversight of warfare ethics.
7. Allotment of Canaan
• With Joshua he parceled land: “Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families… distributed to them” (Joshua 14:1; cf. 17:4; 19:51; 21:1). The priest guaranteed equitable fulfillment of divine promise.
8. Death and burial
• “Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah… which had been given his son Phinehas” (Joshua 24:33). Burial inside promised territory sealed the passage from wilderness to settled inheritance.
Legacy through Phinehas and the Zadokite line
Eleazar’s son Phinehas inherited his zeal (Numbers 25:10-13) and later, through Zadok, Eleazar’s descendants supplied high priests to Solomon’s temple (1 Chronicles 6:4-10). The line thus bridges Sinai worship, conquest, monarchy, exile, and restoration, displaying God’s fidelity to His covenantal priesthood.
Christological foreshadowing
Eleazar’s ministry anticipates the ultimate High Priest. His bearing of Aaron’s garments pictures the transfer of an eternal priesthood (Hebrews 7). His oversight of the red-heifer rite prefigures the once-for-all cleansing secured by the sacrifice of Christ “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:11-12).
Other bearers of the name
1. Eleazar son of Abinadab (1 Samuel 7:1)
• Consecrated to guard the Ark after its return from Philistine captivity, he preserved Israel’s holiest object until national repentance prepared the way for Samuel’s leadership.
2. Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite (2 Samuel 23:9-10;1 Chronicles 11:12-14)
• One of David’s three mighty men. “He stood his ground and struck down the Philistines until his hand grew weary and clung to the sword. So the LORD brought about a great victory that day.” His valor illustrates how divine aid turns individual faithfulness into corporate deliverance.
3. Eleazar the Levite treasurer (1 Chronicles 26:25-26)
• A descendant of Moses’ son Eliezer, he oversaw temple treasures dedicated by Samuel, Saul, and David.
4. Post-exilic Eleazars
• Eleazar son of Phinehas weighed the returning exiles’ silver and gold (Ezra 8:33).
• Several men named Eleazar repented of unlawful marriages (Ezra 10:18-31), demonstrating renewed covenant fidelity.
• An Eleazar assisted in the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 12:42).
5. Genealogical mentions
• Eleazar appears in tribal lists (1 Chronicles 24:28;1 Chronicles 23:21-22), affirming ongoing Levitical service, and in Judah’s royal genealogy (1 Chronicles 2:15). Each occurrence roots Israel’s history in families God helped.
Spiritual lessons
• Divine help undergirds every genuine ministry; the name itself is testimony.
• Priestly mediation safeguards national life; when Eleazar functions rightly, the people flourish.
• Courage empowered by God, as in Eleazar son of Dodo, turns impossible odds into victory.
• Faithful guardianship of holy things, whether Ark or temple treasure, preserves worship for future generations.
• Covenant purity demands continual reform; post-exilic Eleazars model repentance.
• Continuity of priestly line confirms the reliability of God’s promises, culminating in the perfect Priest-King who eternally “always lives to intercede” (Hebrews 7:25).
Forms and Transliterations
אֶ֠לְעָזָר אֶלְעָזָ֔ר אֶלְעָזָ֖ר אֶלְעָזָ֗ר אֶלְעָזָ֛ר אֶלְעָזָ֜ר אֶלְעָזָ֡ר אֶלְעָזָ֣ר אֶלְעָזָ֣ר ׀ אֶלְעָזָ֤ר אֶלְעָזָ֥ר אֶלְעָזָ֧ר אֶלְעָזָ֨ר אֶלְעָזָר֙ אלעזר וְאֶלְעָזָ֔ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֖ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֣ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֤ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֥ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֧ר וְאֶלְעָזָ֨ר וּלְאֶלְעָזָר֩ ואלעזר ולאלעזר לְאֶלְעָזָ֔ר לְאֶלְעָזָ֖ר לְאֶלְעָזָ֥ר לאלעזר ’el‘āzār ’el·‘ā·zār elaZar Elazor lə’el‘āzār lə·’el·‘ā·zār leelaZar ū·lə·’el·‘ā·zār ūlə’el‘āzār uleelaZar veelaZar wə’el‘āzār wə·’el·‘ā·zār
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