Eliezer (, "Help/Court of El") was the name of at least three different individuals in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

Eliezer of Damascus

West, Benjamin - Isaac's servant trying the bracelet on Rebecca's arm

Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to the Targums, the son of

Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...

. Eliezer was head of the patriarch

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

's household, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis (15:2). Medieval biblical exegetes have explained the noun ''ben mešeq'' as meaning "butler; steward; overseer", while the name ''Damméseq Eliʿézer'' is explained by Targum Onkelos as meaning "Eliezer the Damascene." Others say that he was given the name "Damascus" by Abraham who purchased Eliezer from

, and had passed through the city of Damascus while returning with his servant from Babylonia. Other translations of Genesis describe Eliezer as Abraham's heir. There is an interpretation in Bereshit Rabbah (43:2), cited by Rashi, that Eliezer went alone with Abraham to rescue Lot, with the reference to "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 "servant, the elder of braham'shouse, that ruled over all that he had," () who obtained Rebeccah as a bride for

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was ...

, 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 being the current heir of his house. Eliezer Zalmanov, ''Why Is Eliezer Anonymous?'', on Chabad.org

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The son of Moses

Eliezer was Moses' and Zipporah's second son. His name means "Help of my God" in Hebrew. The verse in the

Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from grc, Ἔξοδος, translit=Éxodos; he, שְׁמוֹת ''Šəmōṯ'', "Names") is the second book of the Bible. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through ...

(18:4) states: Both Gershom and Eliezer were born during the time Moses had taken refuge in Midian and had married Jethro's daughter Zipporah.

Eliezer the prophet

A prophet called Eliezer, son of Dodavah, rebuked King

Jehosophat Jehoshaphat (; alternatively spelled Jehosaphat, Josaphat, or Yehoshafat; ; el, Ἰωσαφάτ, Iosafát; la, Josaphat), according to 1 Kings 22:41, was the son of Asa, and the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, in succession to his father ...

for aligning himself with

Ahaziah Ahaziah ( he, אֲחַזְיָהוּ, "held by Yah(-weh)"; Douay–Rheims: Ochozias) was the name of two kings mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: *Ahaziah of Israel *Ahaziah of Judah Ahaziah ( he, אֲחַזְיָהוּ, "held by Yah(-weh)"; Douay� ...

, the King 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 the Lord:

References

{{Extra-Quranic Prophets of Islam 9th-century BCE Hebrew people Book of Genesis people Book of Exodus people Nimrod

Eliezer of Damascus

The servant of Abraham

The son of Moses

Eliezer the prophet

See also

References