Eliezer: Edit history

Biblical Record

Eliezer was the second son of Moses and Zipporah, a Midianite woman. Exodus 2 records only the birth of the firstborn, Gershom, and gives no separate account of Eliezer's birth. His name first appears in Exodus 18:2-4, where Moses' father-in-law Jethro comes to Moses in the wilderness, bringing Zipporah and her two sons, whom Moses had earlier sent back. The text explains the name as a confession of faith: "For the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:4). This is understood as a reference to Moses' flight from Pharaoh to Midian (Exodus 2:15).

1 Chronicles states that the sons of Moses were reckoned among the tribe of Levi (1 Chronicles 23:14-17). According to the same passage, Eliezer had only one son, Rehabiah, but Rehabiah's descendants were very numerous. 1 Chronicles 26:25-26 records that descendants of Eliezer were in charge of the treasuries of the dedicated things in the time of David.

Significance Within Scripture

Eliezer's name reflects Moses' experience of flight and deliverance. Moses' sons did not succeed their father as leaders. Leadership passed to Joshua and the priesthood to the descendants of Aaron, while Moses' descendants served in the sanctuary as ordinary Levites. The New Testament does not mention Eliezer by name, but he is included when Stephen says in his speech that Moses "was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons" (Acts 7:29).

Interpretations and Questions

• Exodus 4:24-26 describes Zipporah circumcising her son (see circumcision). Because the text does not specify whether this son was Gershom or Eliezer, interpretations differ.
• Several people in the Bible share the name. These include "Eliezer of Damascus," mentioned as Abraham's heir (Genesis 15:2); Eliezer of Mareshah, the prophet who prophesied against Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:37); and several men of the same name in the book of Ezra (Ezra 8:16; 10:18, 23, 31).
• In Genesis 24, Abraham's elderly servant who went to find Rebekah as a wife for Isaac is commonly called Eliezer. The text of Genesis 24, however, does not name the servant. Identifying him with Eliezer is an inference drawn from Genesis 15:2, and this identification is also reported to be a long-standing interpretation in Jewish tradition.
• There is no notable doctrinal dispute among denominations over these passages.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church sermons and Sunday school materials, the name "Eliezer" usually refers to Abraham's servant in Genesis 24. This passage is frequently presented as a model of a servant who was faithful to his master, prayed, and fulfilled his mission. In such settings, the fact that the servant is not actually named in the text often goes unmentioned. Eliezer the son of Moses is mostly mentioned in passing in passages dealing with Zipporah or Moses' family, and relatively few sermons focus on him.