Who was Eliezer in the Bible?

Eliezer was an Israelite man who returned from exile in Babylon. He is mentioned only once for having married a foreign woman, which was a violation of the covenant law after the return to Jerusalem (Ezra 10:31).

Why is Eliezer mentioned in the book of Ezra?

Eliezer is listed among the men who confessed to marrying foreign wives, a practice that Ezra and the community leaders compelled them to end to maintain Israel's religious purity (Ezra 10:10-11, 44). His mention highlights the struggle to rebuild a faithful community after exile.

What happened to Eliezer after he confessed his marriage?

The biblical account states that those who had taken foreign wives, including Eliezer, pledged to send them away along with their children. This was a difficult act of communal repentance to restore their covenant relationship with God (Ezra 10:44).

Eliezer

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleReturned divorcee

Eliezer was an Israelite who married a foreign woman during the exile (Ezr.10.31).

Eliezer

Biography

Eliezer was among the Israelite laymen listed in Ezra 10:31 who had taken foreign wives during the period of exile and were called upon to dissolve these marriages as part of Ezra's sweeping covenant renewal. Following the return from Babylon, Ezra discovered that significant numbers of Jewish men, including priests, Levites, and laypeople, had intermarried with surrounding pagan peoples in violation of Mosaic covenant boundaries. In a dramatic act of communal repentance, a public assembly was convened and the offenders were called to separate from their foreign wives. Eliezer's compliance with this requirement, implied by his inclusion in the public list, represents a painful but obedient act of covenant faithfulness, prioritizing communal purity and covenant identity over personal attachment.

Significance

Eliezer's inclusion in Ezra's list of those who had taken foreign wives and then separated from them illustrates the costly nature of covenant renewal. His story reflects the tension between personal loyalty and communal covenant obligation that runs throughout Scripture. Theologically, the foreign wife controversy in Ezra is not primarily about ethnicity but about the spiritual threat of assimilation into surrounding religious practices that would corrupt the covenant community. Eliezer's repentance and compliance model the willingness to submit personal choices to divine authority, a principle that transcends cultural context. His act of obedience, however painful, contributed to the preservation of the community through which God's redemptive purposes would continue.

Verse Appearances (1)

Ezra

Ezra 10:31

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]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources