Eliezer

For the mathematician and Tamil activist see C.J. Eliezer; also look at Eleazar

Eliezer (Hebrew: אֱלִיעֶזֶר, Standard Eliʿézer, Tiberian ʾĔlîʿézer; "Help/Court of my God") was the name of at least three different individuals in the Bible.

The son of Moses

Eliezer was Moses and Zipporah's second son. His name means "God is help" in Hebrew.

The verse in the Book of Exodus (18:4) states:

The name of the (other son) son was Eliezer, because 'My father's God (Eli) was my helper (ezer), rescuing me from Pharaoh's sword.

Both Gershom and Eliezer were born during the time Moses had fled from Egypt and had taken refuge in Midian and had married Jethro's daughter Zipporah.

Eliezer of Damascus

There is also an Eliezer known as Eliezer of Damascus (Hebrew: דַּמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶר, Standard Damméseq Eliʿézer, Tiberian Damméśeq ʾĔlîʿézer), son of Nimrod, and head of the patriarch Abraham's household mentioned in the Book of Genesis (15:2):

And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me,seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? — King James Version

According to most opinions the nameless servant in Genesis 24, who searched for a bride for Isaac, was this Eliezer. There is also an interpretation, cited for example by Rashi, that Eliezer went alone with Abraham to rescue Lot, with the reference to 318 men (Genesis 14:14) being the numerical value of Eliezer's name in Hebrew.

Eliezer, prophet

A prophet called Eliezer, son of Dodavah, rebuked King Jehosophat for aligning himself with Ahaziah the King of Israel. He and Ahaziah built ships in Ezion Geber which were to sail to Tarshish for trade. According to 2 Chronicles (20:37), the ships sank due to his not relying on the Lord:

Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.

Trivia

Eliezer is the name of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which supports the activities of Eliezer at Yale at Yale University.