Eliezer

Eliezer is the name of several biblical figures. The most prominent is Abraham's trusted servant from Damascus, who was set to be Abraham's heir before the birth of Isaac. Abraham sent Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, and he faithfully carried out the mission, finding Rebekah. Another Eliezer was the second son of Moses and Zipporah.

Etymology & Roots

The Hebrew name אֱלִיעֶזֶר (Eli'ezer) is a theophoric compound of אֵל (El, God) and עֵזֶר (ezer, help or helper). Together the name means God is my help or my God is help. The root עזר (a-z-r) is the same root used of Eve in Genesis 2:18 — she is called an ezer (helper) suited to Adam — and of God Himself throughout the Psalms as Israel's helper. The contracted form of this name yields Eleazar (El'azar), and further contraction produces the New Testament Greek name Lazarus (Λάζαρος).

Related names include Azariah (Yahweh has helped) and Ezra (help). The name was extraordinarily common in all periods of Israelite history.

Biblical Bearers

Multiple biblical figures bear this name. The most celebrated is Abraham's senior servant from Damascus (Genesis 15:2), traditionally identified as Eliezer, who was sent to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac and providentially found Rebekah at a well (Genesis 24). Moses named his second son Eliezer, saying "my father's God was my help and rescued me from Pharaoh's sword" (Exodus 18:4).

Other bearers include a son of Aaron (1 Chronicles 23:15), a priest who blew the trumpet before the ark (1 Chronicles 15:24), and numerous Levites, priests, and laypeople in Ezra and Nehemiah who bore the name during the restoration period.

Theological Significance

The name Eliezer — God is my help — carries a confessional quality wherever it appears in Scripture. Moses's naming of his son Eliezer was an act of worship, a testimony to divine deliverance embedded in family identity (Exodus 18:4). Abraham's servant, who bore the name by tradition, modeled total dependence on God's guidance throughout the long journey to find Rebekah, praying with remarkable specificity and recognizing God's providential answer (Genesis 24:12–27).

The name thus becomes a living theology of divine assistance: not human cleverness but divine help accomplishes covenant purposes. This theme reaches its climax in the New Testament Lazarus, whom Jesus raised — God's ultimate help overcoming death itself.

Discover the meanings and origins of 409 biblical names.