Eliezer

Eliezer (meaning God his help or help of my God) is most famous as the chief servant of Abraham, sent on the critical mission of finding a bride for Isaac from among Abraham's kindred in Mesopotamia (Genesis 24). Though his name is not given in Genesis 24 itself, the servant is almost universally identified with Eliezer of Damascus, described in Genesis 15:2 as the heir Abraham feared would inherit in the absence of a son: "he that shall be heir of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus." His long journey to Paddan-aram and his prayer-guided discovery of Rebekah at the well constitute one of the most detailed and theologically rich narratives of divine guidance in Genesis.

Other notable men named Eliezer include: (1) the second son of Moses and Zipporah, whose name commemorated God's deliverance from Pharaoh (Exodus 18:4; 1 Chronicles 23:15); (2) a priest who blew the trumpet at the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:24); (3) a son of Dodavahu who prophesied against Jehoshaphat's maritime venture (2 Chronicles 20:37); and (4) several men listed in Ezra who had married foreign wives (Ezra 10:18, 23, 31).