ELEAZAR
(E·le·aʹzar) [God has helped].
1. The third-named son of High Priest Aaron by his wife Elisheba. Eleazar was of the family of Kohath the son of Levi. (Ex. 6:16, 18, 20, 23; Num. 3:2) Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, constituted the priesthood of Israel at the time of its installation by Moses.—Lev. chap. 8.
In the second year after leaving Egypt, when the tabernacle had been set up, Eleazar is mentioned as being chief of the Levites. (Num. 1:1; 3:32) He must have been at least thirty years of age at the time, inasmuch as he was performing priestly duties.—Num. 4:3.
Eleazar was one of those above twenty years of age who had left Egypt and who also entered the Promised Land. Being of the tribe of Levi, he was not included in God’s condemnation expressed against the other twelve tribes, that none of them from twenty years old upward would enter the Promised Land, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. Levi had no representative among the twelve spies, ten of whom brought back bad reports, and the Levites apparently were not included in the faithless, rebellious murmuring against Jehovah.—Num. 13:4-16; 14:26-30.
Shortly after the dedication of the tabernacle and the consecration of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood (Lev. chap. 8), Nadab and Abihu offered up illegitimate fire to Jehovah and were killed by fire proceeding from Jehovah. (Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 3:2-4) Aaron, with his two faithful sons Eleazar and Ithamar, continued to carry on the priesthood. With the division of duties in the care of the sanctuary, Eleazar had oversight of the tabernacle with its utensils, constant grain offering, oil and incense. (Num. 4:16) At Jehovah’s command Eleazar took up the copper fire holders that Korah and the others associated with him (none of whom were priests) had used to offer up incense to Jehovah in a desire to take over priestly duties. These were made into thin metal plates with which the altar was overlaid. (Num. 16:37-40; Heb. 9:13) Eleazar officiated at the sin offering of the red heifer that provided the ashes for cleansing from certain uncleannesses.—Num. 19:2, 3.
After the Israelites went to war to punish the Midianites for the affair of Peor, Eleazar was on hand to aid in dividing the spoils taken from the Midianites and to declare God’s statute regarding the things taken.—Num. 31:6, 21-41.
Phinehas, Eleazar’s son by one of the daughters of Putiel, for zealous action in behalf of pure worship at the time Israel sinned in connection with the Baal of Peor, was rewarded by Jehovah with a covenant of peace. This may be considered as added to the covenant for the priesthood Jehovah had made with the tribe of Levi.—Num. 25:1-13; Ex. 6:25.
BECOMES HIGH PRIEST
In the fortieth year of the wilderness journey, upon Aaron’s death at the age of 123 years, Eleazar, then about 70 years of age, became high priest. (Num. 33:37-39) Eleazar, therefore, was the first high priest of Israel to officiate in the Promised Land when they entered about eight months later. (Num. 20:25-28; Deut. 10:6; Josh. 4:19) It was before Eleazar that Joshua was to stand to be appointed as Moses’ successor, and Eleazar was to continue to give support to Joshua in the appointment and to transmit to him Jehovah’s decisions on questions of importance according to the judgment of the Urim and the Thummim. (Num. 27:18-23) Eleazar also worked together with Joshua in the distribution of the Promised Land after the conquest of Canaan.—Josh. 14:1; 21:1-3.
HEAD OF MAJOR PRIESTLY HOUSE
The time of Eleazar’s death is not stated in the Scriptures with exactness, but it seems to have been near the time of Judge Joshua’s death. Eleazar was succeeded by his son Phinehas. (Josh. 24:29, 30, 33; Judg. 20:27, 28) Eleazar manifested the trait of zeal for Jehovah’s true worship and conducted the priesthood with honor all his days. Jewish tradition holds that during the time the tabernacle was in Shiloh there were sixteen courses of priests, eight in the family of Eleazar and eight in that of his brother Ithamar. However, in David’s time there were more chief men in the family of Eleazar than of Ithamar. Therefore David made sixteen priestly divisions of the house of Eleazar and eight of the house of Ithamar, making a total of twenty-four divisions that served in turn later at the temple.—1 Chron. 24:1-4.
2. The son of Abinadab who was sanctified to guard the sacred Ark that was brought to the house of his father in the city of Kiriath-jearim, after its return by the Philistines.—1 Sam. 7:1, 2.
3. Son of Dodo the Ahohite; one of David’s three outstanding mighty men. At Pas-dammim, during a military campaign with David, Eleazar distinguished himself by taking his stand in a field full of barley and single-handedly striking down the Philistines, “so that Jehovah saved with a great salvation.”—1 Chron. 11:12-14; 2 Sam. 23:9, 10.
4. Son of Mahli the Merarite of the tribe of Levi. Eleazar did not have any sons but only daughters. Therefore, the sons of Kish, their cousins, took them as wives.—1 Chron. 23:21, 22.
5. Son of a certain Phinehas, mentioned as assisting Meremoth the priest when, on the fourth day of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem, the silver and the gold and the utensils for temple use were weighed out.—Ezra 8:29, 32, 33.
6. A Levite priest in the procession arranged by Nehemiah at the inauguration of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem.—Neh. 12:42.
7. An ancestor of Jesus’ foster father Joseph.—Matt. 1:15.