Eliezer () was the name of at least three different individuals in the Hebrew Bible.
Eliezer of Damascus
Eliezer of
Damascus () was, according to
Targum Jonathan Bereishit, 14:14, the son of
Nimrod. As mentioned in , Eliezer was head of the patriarch
Abraham's household.
Medieval biblical exegetes have explained the noun ben mešeq as meaning "butler; steward; overseer",[Apple, Raymond, "The meaning of Dammesek Eliezer, "Jewish Bible Quarterly", Vol. 45, no. 3, July–September 2017 [1].]
There is an interpretation in Genesis Rabbah (43:2), cited by Rashi, that Eliezer went alone with Abraham to rescue Lot, about "his initiates" stated to be 318 in number () being the numerical value of Eliezer's name in Hebrew, interpreted in tractate Nedarim (32a) as Abraham not wishing to rely on a miracle by taking only one individual.[Herczeg, Y.I.Z, The Torah: with Rashi's commentary, Vol. 1, Mesorah Publications, New York, 2000, p. 138]
The servant of Abraham
According to most interpretations, the unnamed "senior servant of (Abraham's) household, who had charge of all that he owned," in Genesis 24:2, who obtained Rebecca as a bride for
Isaac, was the same Eliezer. This name is first found in the Bible in Genesis 15:2 when Abraham asks God about his promises of a son while being childless, naming Eliezer as the heir of his house.
[Eliezer Zalmanov, Why Is Eliezer Anonymous?, on Chabad.org [2]]
The son of Moses
Eliezer was
Moses's and
Zipporah's second son. His name means "Help of my God". The verse in the states, "The other was named Eliezer, meaning, 'The God of my father’s house was my help, delivering me from the sword of Pharaoh.'"
Gershom and Eliezer were born after Moses had taken refuge in
Midian and married Jethro's daughter Zipporah.
Eliezer the prophet
A prophet called Eliezer, son of Dodavah, rebuked King
Jehoshaphat of Judah for aligning himself with King Ahaziah of Israel. Jehosophat and Ahaziah built ships in
Ezion-Geber, which were to sail to
Tarshish for trade. According to 2 Chronicles 20:37, the ships sank due to his not relying on God:
See also
-
Entering heaven alive – regarding Eliezer, the servant of Abraham.
