Eleazar

Eleazar was the third son of Aaron and succeeded his father as high priest of Israel. He served alongside Moses and Joshua during the conquest of Canaan and helped divide the promised land among the tribes. Eleazar is an important figure in the priestly lineage, carrying forward the Aaronic priesthood after the deaths of his brothers Nadab and Abihu.

Etymology & Roots

The Hebrew name אֶלְעָזָר (El'azar) is a theophoric compound of two elements: אֵל (El, God) and עָזַר (azar, to help, assist, or aid). Together the name means God has helped or God is my help. The root azar appears in numerous Hebrew names including Ezra, Azariah (Yahweh has helped), and Azaziah.

The Greek form Eleazar and its contracted variant Lazarus (from Λάζαρος) derive from the same Hebrew original, making Eleazar the full form of the name later carried by Lazarus of Bethany and the Lazarus of the parable (Luke 16:20). The name was extremely common throughout the Second Temple period.

Biblical Bearers

Several men bear this name in Scripture. The most prominent is Eleazar, third son of Aaron (Exodus 6:23), who became high priest of Israel after his father's death (Numbers 20:26–28) and served alongside both Moses and Joshua. He administered the distribution of Canaan among the tribes (Joshua 14:1) and died in the hill country of Ephraim (Joshua 24:33).

Other bearers include Eleazar son of Abinadab, who guarded the ark at Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel 7:1); Eleazar one of David's three mighty warriors (2 Samuel 23:9); and various Levites and priests in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Theological Significance

The name Eleazar — God has helped — proved prophetically apt across all its biblical bearers, but most powerfully in the life of Aaron's son. Eleazar inherited the high priesthood at a moment of crisis, after his brothers Nadab and Abihu had been consumed for unauthorized worship (Leviticus 10). That God sustained the Aaronic line through Eleazar, guiding Israel through the wilderness years and the conquest, affirms the divine promise that the priestly mediating office would endure.

His name's meaning also resonates in the New Testament through Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11), making God's help dramatically literal in the face of death itself.

Discover the meanings and origins of 409 biblical names.