Difference between revisions of "Eliezer"

<li> A prophet in the time of [[Jehoshaphat]] (2 Chronicles 20:37 ). Others of this name are mentioned Luke 3:29; Ezra 8:16; 10:18,23,31 . <div> <p> [[Copyright]] StatementThese dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated [[Bible]] Dictionary, [[Third]] Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> Bibliography InformationEaston, Matthew George. Entry for 'Eliezer'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/e/eliezer.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> ("my [[God]] a help".) </p> <p> 1. [[Genesis]] 15:2, "the steward of Abram's house, E. of Damascus," literally, "the son of the business," or possession (i.e. heir) of my house. [[Entering]] [[Canaan]] by Damascus, [[Abram]] took thence his chief retainer, and adopted him in the absence of a son and heir. He was not "born in Abram's house" as Genesis 15:3 of KJV represents in contradiction to Genesis 15:2 (unless it was while Abram was in Damascus); but, as [[Hebrew]] expresses, was "son of his house," i.e. adopted as such, according to the paternal relations then subsisting between patriarchs and their servants. </p> <p> Thus, he discharged with fidelity, prayerful trust in Providence, and tact, the delicate commission of choosing a wife from his master's connections for his master's son Isaac. [[Justin]] (36:2) and [[Josephus]] (Ant. 1:7, sec. 2), from Nicholaus of Damascus, assert that [[Abraham]] reigned in Damascus. Eliezer's prayer, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray [[Thee]] send me good speed today, and show kindness unto my master;" his looking for a providential token to guide him; God's gracious answer in fact; and his thanksgiving, "Blessed be the Lord God of my ... who has not left destitute my master of His mercy and His truth, I being in the way, the Lord led me:" are a sample of God's special care for His people's temporal concerns, and of the way to secure it (Genesis 24). </p> <p> 2. [[Moses]] and Zipporah's second son; so-called "because, said Moses, the God of my father was my help ... from the sword of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:4; 1 Chronicles 23:15; 1 Chronicles 23:17). Remained with [[Jethro]] his grandfather when Moses returned to Egypt. [[Zipporah]] after going part of the way with him was sent back by Moses (Exodus 4:18; Exodus 4:24-26; Exodus 18:2, etc.). Jethro took Zipporah and [[Gershom]] and [[Eliezer]] to Moses in the wilderness, upon hearing of the Exodus. Had one son, Rehabiah, to whom were born very many sons (1 Chronicles 23:17; 1 Chronicles 26:25-26). [[Shelomith]] was his descendant. (See SHELOMITH.) </p> <p> 3. 1 Chronicles 7:8. </p> <p> 4. 1 Chronicles 15:24. </p> <p> 5. 1 Chronicles 27:16. </p> <p> 6. Dodavah's son, of [[Mareshah]] in [[Judah]] (2 Chronicles 20:35-37). [[Prophesied]] against [[Jehoshaphat]] that "the Lord had broken (at Ezion Geber) his works" (i.e. his ships of [[Tarshish]] designed to go to [[Ophir]] for gold) for joining himself with [[Ahaziah]] king of [[Israel]] "who did very wickedly" (1 Kings 22:49). On Ahaziah's proposing a second joint expedition, Jehoshaphat taught by bitter experience (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 18:4) refused. The names suggest that possibly he was sprung from Eleazer son of [[Dodo]] (2 Samuel 23:9), one of David's three mighties. </p> <p> 7. A "chief" and "man of understanding" whom Ezra sent to [[Iddo]] at [[Casiphia]] in order to bring the Nethinim, as minister for the house of God (Ezra 8:16). </p> <p> 8. Ezra 10:18; Ezra 10:23; Ezra 10:31. </p> <p> 9. Luke 3:29. </p>

<p> <strong> ELIEZER </strong> (cf. Eleazar). <strong> 1. </strong> Abraham’s chief servant, a [[Damascene]] ( [[Genesis]] 15:2 AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] . The construction here is difficult, but the words can hardly be rendered as a double proper name as RV [Note: Revised Version.] , ‘Dammesek Eliezer.’ Whatever the exact construction, the words, unless there is a corruption in the text, must be intended to suggest that [[Eliezer]] was in some way connected with Damascus). This same Eliezer is prob. the servant referred to in Genesis 24:2 <strong> . </strong> A son of [[Moses]] by Zipporah; so named to commemorate the deliverance of Moses from [[Pharaoh]] ( Exodus 18:4 , 1 Chronicles 23:15; 1 Chronicles 23:17 ). <strong> 3. </strong> The son of Becher, a [[Benjamite]] ( 1 Chronicles 7:8 ). <strong> 4. </strong> The son of Zichri, captain of the tribe of [[Reuben]] in David’s reign ( 1 Chronicles 27:16 ). <strong> 5. </strong> The son of [[Dodavahu]] of Mareshah, who prophesied the destruction of the fleet of ships which [[Jehoshaphat]] built in co-operation with [[Ahaziah]] ( 2 Chronicles 20:37 ). <strong> 6. </strong> One of the ‘chief men’ whom Ezra sent to [[Casiphia]] to find [[Levites]] and [[Nethinim]] to join the expedition to [[Jerusalem]] ( Ezra 8:16 f. [= 1Es 8:43 <strong> [[Eleazar]] </strong> ]). <strong> 7. 8. 9. </strong> A priest, a Levite, and a son of Harim, who had married ‘strange women’ ( Ezra 10:18 . [= 1E Esther 9:19 <strong> Eleazar </strong> ] Esther 9:23 Esther 9:23; Esther 9:31 Esther 9:31 [= Esther 9:32 Esther 9:32 <strong> [[Elionas]] </strong> ]). <strong> 10. </strong> One of the priests appointed to blow with the trumpets before the ark of [[God]] when [[David]] brought it from the house of Obed-edom to Jerus. ( 1 Chronicles 15:24 ). <strong> 11. </strong> A [[Levite]] ( 1 Chronicles 26:25 ). <strong> 12. </strong> An ancestor of our Lord ( Luke 3:29 ). </p>

<p> '''''el''''' -'''''i''''' -'''''ē´zẽr''''' , '''''ē''''' -'''''lı̄''''' -'''''ē´zẽr''''' ( אליעזר , <i> ''''''ĕlı̄‛ezer''''' </i> ; Ἐλιέζερ , <i> '''''Eliézer''''' </i> , "God is help"): </p> <p> (1) The chief servant of [[Abram]] (Genesis 15:2 ); the American Standard Revised Version "Eliezer of Damascus," the English Revised Version "Dammesek Eliezer." The [[Hebrew]] is peculiar: literally, "And the son of the possession ( <i> '''''mesheḳ''''' </i> ) of my house is <i> '''''Dammeseḳ''''' </i> (of) Eliezer." A possible but unlikely meaning is that his property would become the possession of Damascus, the city of Eliezer. [[Targum]] [[Syriac]] (Revised Version margin) read "Eliezer the Damascene": this supposes a reading, "Eliezer <i> '''''ha''''' </i> - <i> '''''dammasḳı̄''''' </i> ̌ " or " <i> '''''mid''''' </i> - <i> '''''dammeseḳ''''' </i> ̌ ." The text may be corrupt: the assonance between <i> '''''mesheḳ''''' </i> and Dammeseq is suspicious. Abram calls [[Eliezer]] "one born in my house" i.e. a dependant, a member of his household, and so regards him as his heir, [[Lot]] having gone from him (Gen 13). Eliezer is probably the servant, "the eider of his house, that ruled over all that he had," of Gen 24. </p> <p> (2) The 2nd son of [[Moses]] and Zipporah, called thus for "the [[God]] of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:4; 1 Chronicles 23:15 ). </p> <p> (3) A son of Becher, one of the sons of [[Benjamin]] (1 Chronicles 7:8 ). </p> <p> (4) A priest who assisted in bringing up the ark from the house of Obed-edom to [[Jerusalem]] (1 Chronicles 15:24 ). </p> <p> (5) The son of Zichri, ruler over the [[Reubenites]] in the time of [[David]] (1 Chronicles 27:16 ). </p> <p> (6) The son of [[Dodavahu]] of [[Mareshah]] who prophesied the destruction of the ships which Jehochaphat, king of Judah, built, because he had done so in coöperation with Ahaziah, king of [[Israel]] (2 Chronicles 20:35 ). </p> <p> (7) One of the messengers whom Ezra sent to Iddo, the chief at Casiphia, with the request for ministers for the [[Temple]] (Ezra 8:16 ). </p> <p> (8, 9, 10) A priest, a Levite, and one of the sons of [[Harim]] who had married non-Israelitish women (Ezra 10:18 , Ezra 10:23 , Ezra 10:11 ). </p> <p> (11) An ancestor of [[Jesus]] in the genealogy given by Luke (Luke 3:29 ). </p>

<p> Eliezer, 1 </p> <p> Elie´zer. This is the same name as Eleazar—whence came the abbreviated Lazar or [[Lazarus]] of the New Testament. [[Mention]] is made of Eliezer, whom before the birth of [[Ishmael]] and [[Isaac]] [[Abraham]] regarded as his heir. Abraham, being promised a son, says: 'I go childless, and the steward of my house is this [[Eliezer]] of Damascus…. Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in mine house is mine heir' . The common notion is that Eliezer was Abraham's house born slave, adopted as his heir, and meanwhile his chief and confidential servant, and the same who was afterwards sent into [[Mesopotamia]] to seek a wife for Isaac. This last point we may dismiss with the remark, that there is not the least evidence that 'the elder servant of his house' , whom Abraham charged with this mission, was the same as Eliezer: and our attention may therefore be confined to the verses which have been quoted. </p> <p> It is obvious that the third verse is not properly a sequel to the second, but a repetition of the statement contained in the second; and, being thus regarded as parallel passages, the two may be used to explain each other. </p> <p> 'Eliezer of Damascus,' or 'Damascene-Eliezer,' is the subject of both verses. The obvious meaning is, that Eliezer was born in Damascus: and how is this compatible with the notion of his being Abraham's house-born slave, seeing that Abraham's household never was at Damascus? </p> <p> The expression, 'the steward of mine house,' in , will explain the sense of 'one born in mine house is mine heir,' in . The first phrase, literally translated, is 'the son of possession of my house,' i.e. one who shall possess my house, my property, after my death; and is therefore exactly the same as the phrase in the next verse, 'the son of my house (paraphrased by 'one born in mine house') is mine heir.' This removes the whole difficulty; for it is no longer necessary to suppose that Eliezer was a house-born slave, or a servant at all; and leaves it more probable that he was some near relative whom Abraham regarded as his heir-at-law. In this case Abraham obviously means to say, 'Behold, to me thou hast given no children, and not the son of my loins, but the son of my house (i.e. of my family—the son whom my house gives me—the heir at law) is mine heir.' It is by no means certain that 'this Eliezer' was present in Abraham's camp at all: and we, of course, cannot know in what degree he stood related to Abraham, or under what circumstances he was born at, or belonged to Damascus. It is possible that he lived there at the very time when Abraham thus spoke of him, and that he is hence called 'Eliezer of Damascus.' </p> <p> Eliezer, 2 </p> <p> The second of the two sons born to [[Moses]] while an exile in the land of [[Midian]] . Eliezer had a son called Rebadiah . </p>