Ezer
Ezer was a son of Ephraim who was killed by the men of Gath while attempting to steal their livestock.
Biography
Ezer was a son of Ephraim, the younger son of the patriarch Joseph. His story is recounted briefly but tragically in 1 Chronicles 7:20-21, where he and his brother Elead were killed by the men of Gath during a raid on Philistine livestock. The account places Ezer among the early generations of the tribe of Ephraim, during the period of Israel's sojourn in Egypt. His father Ephraim mourned deeply for Ezer and Elead, lamenting their deaths for many days. Though Ezer's life was short and his biblical record sparse, his death prompted a period of grief for the Ephraimite lineage before the birth of another son, Beriah, whose name commemorated the calamity that had befallen the family.
Significance
Ezer's brief narrative in 1 Chronicles 7 serves as a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of God's covenant people even within their own generational story. His death, and the mourning it provoked in Ephraim, illustrates the costliness of rash action and the reality of loss within tribal Israel. Theologically, his story underscores that God's redemptive purposes persevere through grief and setback, Ephraim's lineage continued through Beriah, and the tribe of Ephraim ultimately played a major role in Israel's history. Ezer's memory is preserved in the genealogical record as a witness to the full humanity of God's covenant community.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
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]