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Eleazar

Eleazar was the son of Aaron and served as high priest after his father's death.

The name Eleazar means “help of God, court of God”

MaleHigh PriestTribe of LeviEgypt and Wilderness eraOld Testament8 books68 verses

Summary

A high priest from the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exodus 6:23; only referred to as Eleazar (אֶלְעָזָר); son of Aaron and Elisheba; a brother of Nadab, Abihu and Ithamar; husband of Putiel's daughter; father of Phinehas.

Profile

Eleazar was the third son of Aaron, the first high priest (Exodus 6:23). Eleazar's two older brothers, Nadab and Abihu, angered God by offering incense differently than God commanded (Leviticus 10:1–7). Because they disobeyed, God killed them. As the next oldest son, Eleazar was next in line to become high priest. He performed priestly duties during his father's life and assisted his father and Moses when some Levites rebelled, seeking equal status with Aaron's priestly family (Numbers 16:36–40).

Aaron died in the wilderness shortly before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. He could not enter because he and Moses had disobeyed God by striking the rock at Meribah (Numbers 20:1–13). Before Aaron died, he, Moses, and Eleazar went up on Mount Hor. There, Moses took the priestly garments from Aaron and gave them to his son (Numbers 20:22–29).

After this, Eleazar served as high priest for the rest of his life, including during the time when the Israelites took control of the land of Canaan. When it was time to divide the land among the tribes, Eleazar and Joshua used sacred lots to decide where each tribe would settle (Joshua 14:1–5). When Eleazar died, his son Phinehas became high priest. Phinehas had shown his faithfulness to the covenant when Israel started worshiping the gods of Moab (Numbers 25). Eleazar's descendants included:

In Ezekiel's ideal temple, only Eleazar's descendants through Zadok would be allowed to serve (Ezekiel 44:15).

Passages for Further Study

Exodus 6:23–25; Leviticus 10:6–7; Numbers 3:1–4; Numbers 16:36–40; Numbers 20:22–26; Numbers 26:1–4; Joshua 14:1

Glossary entries

Eleazar

Family members

Father

Aaron

Mother

Elisheba

Spouse

Putiel's daughter

Siblings

Abihu Ithamar Nadab

Children

Phinehas

Alternative names

Mentions

Includes 7 verses that refer to Eleazar without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. Exodus 6:23
    And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
  2. Exodus 6:25
    Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families by their clans.
  3. Exodus 28:1
    “Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests.
  4. Leviticus 10:6
    Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited.
  5. Leviticus 10:12
    And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the food offerings to the LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy.
  6. Leviticus 10:16
    Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
  7. Leviticus 10:17Referred to, not named
    “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD.
  8. Leviticus 10:18Referred to, not named
    Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
  9. Numbers 3:2
    These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
  10. Numbers 3:4
    Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
  11. Numbers 3:32
    The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
  12. Numbers 4:16
    Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy objects and their utensils.”
  13. Numbers 16:37
    “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are holy.
  14. Numbers 16:39
    So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,
  15. Numbers 16:40Referred to, not named
    …just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers.
  16. Numbers 19:3
    Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.
  17. Numbers 19:4
    Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting.
  18. Numbers 19:5Referred to, not named
    Then the heifer must be burned in his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned, along with its dung.
  19. Numbers 20:25
    Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor.
  20. Numbers 20:26
    Remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his people and will die there.”
  21. Numbers 20:28
    After Moses had removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
  22. Numbers 25:7
    On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,
  23. Numbers 25:11
    “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal.
  24. Numbers 26:1
    After the plague had ended, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,
  25. Numbers 26:3
    So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued the instruction,
  26. Numbers 26:60
    Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron,
  27. Numbers 26:63
    These were the ones numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.
  28. Numbers 27:2
    …the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said,
  29. Numbers 27:19
    Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight.
  30. Numbers 27:21
    He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”
  31. Numbers 27:22
    Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,
  32. Numbers 31:6
    And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
  33. Numbers 31:12
    They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
  34. Numbers 31:13
    And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.
  35. Numbers 31:21
    Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded Moses:
  36. Numbers 31:26
    “You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what was captured, both of man and beast.
  37. Numbers 31:29
    Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
  38. Numbers 31:31
    So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD had commanded Moses,
  39. Numbers 31:41
    Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
  40. Numbers 31:51
    So Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them all the articles made out of gold.
  41. Numbers 31:54
    And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.
  42. Numbers 32:2
    So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,
  43. Numbers 32:28
    So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family leaders of the tribes of Israel.
  44. Numbers 32:29Referred to, not named
    And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
  45. Numbers 32:30Referred to, not named
    But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”
  46. Numbers 34:17
    “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun.
  47. Deuteronomy 10:6
    The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest.
  48. Joshua 14:1
    Now these are the portions that the Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the tribes of Israel.
  49. Joshua 17:4
    They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD.
  50. Joshua 19:51
    These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.
  51. Joshua 21:1
    Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel
  52. Joshua 21:2Referred to, not named
    …at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”
  53. Joshua 22:13
    The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
  54. Joshua 22:31
    Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”
  55. Joshua 22:32
    Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead.
  56. Joshua 24:33
    Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
  57. Judges 20:28
    …and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
  58. 1 Chronicles 6:3
    The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
  59. 1 Chronicles 6:4
    Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, Phinehas was the father of Abishua,
  60. 1 Chronicles 6:50
    These were the descendants of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,
  61. 1 Chronicles 9:20
    In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him.
  62. 1 Chronicles 24:1
    These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
  63. 1 Chronicles 24:2
    But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
  64. 1 Chronicles 24:3
    With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service.
  65. 1 Chronicles 24:4
    Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.
  66. 1 Chronicles 24:5
    Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
  67. 1 Chronicles 24:6
    The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.
  68. Ezra 7:5
    …the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—