{
  "id": "dict_001628",
  "term": "Eleazar",
  "slug": "eleazar",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A biblical name borne by several men, especially Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest who succeeded his father in priestly service.",
  "simple_one_line": "Eleazar is a biblical name used for several men, most notably Aaron’s son and priestly successor.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical name, especially for Aaron’s son who served as priest after him.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Aaron",
    "Aaronic priesthood",
    "Ithamar",
    "Phinehas",
    "Moses",
    "Joshua"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Priest",
    "Levite",
    "High priest",
    "Names in the Bible"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Eleazar is a biblical personal name borne by several men in the Old Testament, with the best-known referent being Eleazar son of Aaron, who continued in priestly service after his father.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A Hebrew personal name meaning “God has helped,” used for multiple biblical men; the most prominent is Eleazar, son of Aaron and a priestly leader in Israel.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "The name appears more than once in Scripture.",
    "The most important Eleazar is Aaron’s son and priestly successor.",
    "Context is needed to distinguish one Eleazar from another.",
    "The name highlights God’s help and priestly continuity."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Eleazar is a Hebrew personal name borne by several biblical figures, especially Eleazar son of Aaron, who served as priest after Nadab and Abihu and later appears in leadership roles tied to Israel’s wilderness and inheritance narratives. Other men with the same name also occur in the historical books, so the name should be treated as a disambiguated biblical-person entry rather than a theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Eleazar is a Hebrew personal name, not a distinct theological term. The most prominent bearer is Eleazar son of Aaron, brother of Nadab, Abihu, and Ithamar. After the judgment on Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar continued in priestly service and later appears in important leadership moments connected with Israel’s wilderness journey, Joshua’s administration, and the distribution of the land. Scripture also mentions other men named Eleazar in Israel’s history. A good dictionary entry should therefore identify the name, distinguish the principal referent, and note that context determines which Eleazar is in view.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In the Pentateuch and historical books, Eleazar is associated especially with the Aaronic priesthood, the transition of leadership after Aaron, and the orderly administration of Israel under Moses and Joshua. The name also appears elsewhere for other individuals, requiring contextual disambiguation.",
  "background_historical_context": "As with many Hebrew names, Eleazar appears in several family lines and historical settings. The repeated use of the name reflects ordinary naming patterns in ancient Israel rather than a single unified figure.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Jewish usage, personal names often carried theological meaning. Eleazar’s name, meaning “God has helped,” fits the common biblical pattern of names that confess God’s action and faithfulness.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Exodus 6:23, 25",
    "Numbers 3:2–4, 32",
    "Numbers 20:25–28",
    "Numbers 27:19–22",
    "Joshua 14:1"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Samuel 7:1",
    "compare other historical-book references to men named Eleazar as context requires."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: אֶלְעָזָר (ʾElʿāzār), commonly understood to mean “God has helped.”",
  "theological_significance": "Eleazar is significant because the name is attached to priestly succession and covenant administration. The best-known Eleazar serves as a link in the continuity of Aaron’s line and reminds readers that God preserves ordered leadership in Israel.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a proper name, Eleazar is not a doctrine in itself. Its significance comes from the persons who bear it and from the biblical narrative in which the best-known Eleazar serves.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not collapse all occurrences of the name into one person. Distinguish Eleazar son of Aaron from other biblical men with the same name by context.",
  "major_views_note": "Bible dictionaries typically treat Eleazar as a personal name entry, with primary attention given to Aaron’s son and brief notice of other referents.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to build doctrine apart from the actual biblical texts. Its value is historical and narrative, not conceptual or speculative.",
  "practical_significance": "Eleazar’s prominence helps readers trace priestly continuity, inheritance administration, and the faithfulness of God in preserving leadership for his people.",
  "meta_description": "Eleazar is a biblical name borne by several men, especially Aaron’s son and priestly successor.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/eleazar/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/eleazar.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}