Who was Eliezer in the Bible?

Eliezer was a priest who lived during the time of the Israelites' exile. He is specifically mentioned for having married a foreign woman, which was against the law given to Israel (Ezra 10:18).

Why is Eliezer mentioned in the book of Ezra?

Eliezer is listed among the priests who had taken foreign wives, an act that Ezra the scribe confronted as a violation of God's covenant. His inclusion highlights the community's effort to repent and restore their faithfulness by sending these wives away (Ezra 10:10-11, 18-19).

What is the significance of Eliezer's story?

Eliezer's story serves as a specific example of the spiritual compromise that occurred during the exile. It underscores the serious call to holiness and separation from pagan influences for God's people, especially for those in leadership like the priests.

Eliezer

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMalePriest

Eliezer was a priest who married a foreign woman during the exile (Ezr.10.18).

Eliezer

Biography

Eliezer was a priest listed in Ezra 10:18 among those who had taken foreign wives during the period of exile and early restoration. He belonged to the priestly family descended from Jeshua son of Jozadak, the high priest who had returned with Zerubbabel at the earliest stage of the restoration (Ezra 2:2). This makes Eliezer's transgression especially significant, as he was connected to the most prominent priestly family of the restoration era. Priests bore the primary responsibility for maintaining Israel's covenant purity and teaching the distinction between the holy and the common. His inclusion in Ezra's public registry of offenders reflects the comprehensive scope of the problem Ezra faced, corruption of covenant boundaries had penetrated even the high priestly family itself.

Significance

Eliezer the priest's situation in Ezra 10 illuminates a persistent biblical pattern: those entrusted with the greatest responsibility for covenant instruction are not immune to covenant failure. His connection to the family of the high priest Jeshua underscores that the problem of assimilation had reached the highest levels of Israelite religious leadership. Yet his presence on the list also implies participation in the communal repentance Ezra called for, a modeling of accountability that leaders must exemplify. Theologically, his story affirms that genuine renewal of a covenant community must begin with its religious leadership, a principle the prophets consistently articulated and one that finds New Testament expression in the apostolic call for leaders to exhibit exemplary faithfulness.

Verse Appearances (1)

Ezra

Ezra 10:18

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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