Eleazar

Biblical Record

Eleazar was the son of Aaron and Elisheba. His older brothers were Nadab and Abihu, and his younger brother was Ithamar. He married one of the daughters of Putiel, who bore him Phinehas (Exodus 6:23–25). Along with Aaron's other sons, he was set apart as a priest (Exodus 28:1).

• Death of his brothers: Nadab and Abihu died after offering "strange fire," that is, fire that God had not commanded. Eleazar and Ithamar then carried on the priestly duties (Leviticus 10; Numbers 3:4).
• Oversight of the sanctuary: Eleazar was chief over the leaders of the Levites. He was also responsible for sanctuary supplies such as the oil for the light, the incense, and the anointing oil used for consecration (Numbers 3:32; 4:16).
• After the rebellion of Korah: He collected the censers the rebels had used and had them hammered into broad plates to cover the altar. These plates served as a sign that no one outside the priestly family was to offer incense (Numbers 16).
• Succession to the high priesthood: On Mount Hor, Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar, and Aaron died there (Numbers 20:22–29).
• Alongside Moses and Joshua: Eleazar took part in the second census, conducted on the plains of Moab (Numbers 26). He was present with Moses when the daughters of Zelophehad brought their appeal concerning inheritance (Numbers 27). Joshua was commissioned as Moses' successor before Eleazar and was told that Eleazar would ask counsel of God for him by the Urim (Numbers 27:21).
• Settlement of Canaan: Together with Joshua, he divided the land among the tribes (Numbers 34:17; Joshua 14:1). After his death he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, on land belonging to Phinehas (Joshua 24:33).

Significance Within Scripture

In 1 Chronicles 6, Eleazar's line is traced down to Zadok, and his name also appears in the genealogy of Ezra (Ezra 7:1–5). When the priests were organized into twenty-four divisions in David's time, sixteen divisions came from Eleazar's descendants and eight from Ithamar's (1 Chronicles 24). His son Phinehas received "the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" (Numbers 25:13).

The New Testament does not mention Eleazar the son of Aaron directly. However, Hebrews contrasts the many priests who succeeded one another because death prevented them from continuing in office with the priesthood of Christ, who continues forever (Hebrews 7:23–24). For this reason, the succession from Aaron to Eleazar is often cited to illustrate this contrast.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Others of the same name: Scripture mentions other individuals named Eleazar. The son of Dodo, one of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:9), and the Eleazar in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:15 are different people from the son of Aaron. The aged scribe Eleazar, who is martyred in 2 Maccabees 6 in the Apocrypha, is also a different figure.
• Priestly lines: One view holds that the house of Eli belonged to the line of Ithamar and the house of Zadok to the line of Eleazar, and reads the history as a transfer of the priesthood from one line to the other. Scripture does not explicitly state Eli's lineage.
• Additional traditions: Jewish tradition (the Talmud) records that Eleazar and Phinehas wrote the final portion of the book of Joshua. This is a later tradition, not a statement of the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Sermons devoted solely to Eleazar are relatively rare. He is usually mentioned in connection with the death of Aaron, the succession to the high priesthood, and the commissioning of Joshua. In such contexts, the emphasis typically falls on the passing of office from one person to another or on the contrast with Christ, the eternal High Priest.