Ithamar

Ithamar (meaning island of the palm-tree or land of palms) was the fourth and youngest son of Aaron, born before the consecration of the tabernacle (Exodus 6:23). He and his brothers Nadab, Abihu, and Eleazar were consecrated as priests with Aaron at the establishment of the Levitical priesthood (Leviticus 8–9). When Nadab and Abihu died for offering unauthorized fire before the LORD (Leviticus 10:1–2), Eleazar and Ithamar continued as priests under their father Aaron.

Ithamar was assigned specific administrative responsibilities for the tabernacle: he oversaw the work of the Gershonite and Merarite Levites in transporting the tabernacle's structural components (Numbers 4:28, 33). After the settlement in Canaan, the priestly house of Ithamar continued alongside the house of Eleazar; Eli the high priest at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1–4) belonged to Ithamar's line, and the high priesthood passed to this family during the period of the judges and early monarchy. David organized the priestly courses (1 Chronicles 24:1–6), at which time eight of the twenty-four courses were assigned to descendants of Ithamar and sixteen to descendants of Eleazar.