Hebrew word · H461

אֱלִיעֶ֫זֶר

'eli'ezer

Eliezer

A personal name meaning 'my God is help' or 'my God is (my) help'.

Appears 14 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament.

What it means

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.18.4;

son of: Moses (H4872) and Zipporah (H6855);

brother of: Gershom (H1647);

father of: Rehabiah (H7345)

§ Eliezer = "God is help"

1) Abraham's Damascene servant

2) a son of Moses

3) a Benjamite

4) a priest who helped move the ark

5) a Reubenite

6) a prophet who spoke to Jehoshaphat

7) a Levite chief

8) son of Harim

9) priest with foreign wife

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Exodus 18:4

Range of meaning

A personal name meaning 'my God is help' or 'my God is (my) help'.

Against the English

English transliterates it as 'Eliezer', so the meaning is invisible to English readers unless the verse's explanation is read with the name.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same name belongs to Abraham's household steward 'Eliezer of Damascus' (Gen 15:2) and to several later Israelites (a prophet in 2 Chr 20:37; men in Ezra 8:16; 10:18). Moses' son Eliezer's line is traced in 1 Chr 23:15–17 and 26:25–26, where his descendants are Levites in charge of the temple treasuries.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 15:2 אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃ Eliezer

    But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

    Here: A personal name, “My God is help.” This is the only place in Genesis where Abram's servant is named.

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 18:4 אֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר [was] Eliezer

    The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

    Here: A name that is a sentence: 'My God is help' (Eli = 'my God', 'ezer = 'help'). The explanation that follows picks up the same word, 'ezer, so the name and its reason echo each other.

1 Chronicles · 7

  1. 1 Chronicles 7:8 וֶ֠אֱלִיעֶזֶר and Eliezer

    The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons.

  2. 1 Chronicles 15:24 וֶֽאֱלִיעֶ֙זֶר֙ and Eliezer

    Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.

  3. 1 Chronicles 23:15 וֶאֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃ and Eliezer

    The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

  4. 1 Chronicles 23:17 אֱלִיעֶ֖זֶר לֶאֱלִיעֶ֙זֶר֙ Eliezer, to Eliezer

    The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.

  5. 1 Chronicles 26:25 לֶֽאֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר to Eliezer

    His relatives through Eliezer included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.

  6. 1 Chronicles 27:16 אֱלִיעֶ֖זֶר Eliezer

    These officers were in charge of the tribes of Israel: Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of Zichri; over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah;

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:37 אֱלִיעֶ֤זֶר Eliezer

    Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish.

Ezra · 4

  1. Ezra 8:16 לֶאֱלִיעֶ֡זֶר for Eliezer

    Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.

  2. Ezra 10:18 וֶֽאֱלִיעֶ֔זֶר and Eliezer

    Among the descendants of the priests who had married foreign women were found these descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

  3. Ezra 10:23 וֶאֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃ ס and Eliezer

    Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

  4. Ezra 10:31 אֱלִיעֶ֧זֶר Eliezer

    From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.