ELIEZER
142 ELIEZER BEN-NATHAN
("r'^3""|2, paraphrased l)y "one born in mine house") is niiiio lieir." This removes every objection to Elie- zer's buinq; of Damascus, anil enables us to dispense with tlie tradition; for it is no longer necessary to sup- pose that Eliezcr was a house-born slave, or a servant at all, and leaves it more probable that he was some near relative vhom Abraham regarded as his heir-at- law. It is by no means certain that "this Eliezer" was present in Aliraham's camp at all ; and we, of course, cannot know in what degree he stood related to Abraham, or under what chcumstances he was born at, or Ijelonged to Damascus. It is possible that he lived there at the very time when Abraham thus spoke of him, and that he is hence called "Eliezer of Da- mascus." This view removes another difficulty, which arises from the fact that, while Abraham speaks of Eliezer as his heir, his nephew Lot was in his neigh- borhood, and had until lately been the companion of his wanderings. If Eliezer was Abraham's servant, it might well occasion surprise that he should speak of him and not of Lot as his heir ; but this surprise ceases when we regard Eliezer as also a relative, and if so, a nearer relative than Lot, although not, like Lot, the companion of his journeys. Some have sup- posed that Lot and Eliezer were, in fact, the same per- son ; and this would be an excellent explanation if the Scriptures afforded sufficient grounds for it. (See Gesenius, Tim. Heb. s. v. p'i"? ; Rosenmiiller, on Gen. XV ; Knobel, Comment, in loc.) — Kitto, s. v.
2. A son of Becher, and grandson of Benjamin (1 Chron. vii, 8). B.C. post 1856.
3. (Josephus 'E\£«4«noc, Ant. ii, 13, 1.) The sec- ond of the two sons of Moses and Zipporah, born dur- ing the exile in Midian, to whom his father gave this name, "because, said he, the God of my fathers was my help, that delivered me from the sword of Pha- raoh" (Exod. xviii, 4; 1 Chron. xxiii, 15, 17). B.C. cir. 1G90. He remained with liis mother and brother Gershom, in the care of .Jethro his grandfather, when Moses returned to Egypt (Exod. iv, 18), she having been sent back to her father by Moses (Exod. xviii, 2), though she set off to accompany him, and went part of the way with him. Jethro brought back Zip- porah and her two sons to Moses in the wilderness, after he heard of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt (xviii). Eliezcr had one son, Rehabiah, from wliom sprang a numerous posterity (1 Chron. xxiii, 17 ; xxvi, 25, 26). Shelomith, in the reigns of Saul and David (ver. 28), who had the care of all the treas- ures of things dedicated to God, was descended from Eliezer in the 6th generation, if the genealogy in 1 Chron. xxvi, 25, is complete.- — Smitli, s. v.
4. One of the priests who blew with trumpets before the ark when it was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chron. XV, 24). B.C. 1043.
5. Son of Zichri, and chief of the Eeubenites under David (1 Chron. xxvii, 16). B.C. ante 1013.
6. A prophet (son of Dodavah of jNIareshah), who foretold to Jchoshaphat (q. v.) that the merchant fleet which lie fitted out in partnershi]) with Ahaziah should lie wrecked, and thus prevented from sailing to Tar- shish (2 Chron. xx, 37). B.C. 895.
7. Son of Jorini, and father of Joseh, of the private lineage of David prior to Salathiel (Lukeiii, 29). B.C. ante 588.
8. One of the chiefs of the Jews during the exile, sent by Ezra, with others from .Miava, to Casipliia, to induce some Levitcs and Nethinim to join the party returning to Jerusalem (Ezra viii, 16). B.C. 459.
9. One of tlie priests (of the kindred of Jeshua) who divorced his Gentile wife after the exile (Ezra x, 18). B.C. 458.
10. A Lcvite who did the same (Ezra x, 2a). B.C. 458.
11. An Israelite of the lineage of Harim, who did the same (Ezra x, 31). B.C. 458.
Eliezer ben-Elias Aschenazi (i. e. son of Eli- jah, the German'), a distinguished Ilabbi, was born about the opening of the 16th century, and jjracticed medicine at Cremona. Obliged to leave that town, he went to Constantinople, and was intrusted with the care of the synagogue at Naxos, in the Archipelago. Finally he went to Poland, and was made chief Pabbi of the synagogue at Posen. His coreligionists regard him as one of the most learned men of the 16th cen- tury. He died at Cracow in 1586. He published npb CjOi'' (Cremona, 1576, and often), a commentary on Esther: — "^i iTw"''2 (Worlc of Jehovah), in wliich he describes the historical events of the Pentateuch (Venice, 1583; Cracow, 1584, and later), and one or two less important works. ^ — Hoefer, A'b?«'. Blog. Ginir. XV, 827. (J. II. W.)
Eliezer ben-Hyrkanos, sumamcd the Great, was born about the middle of the 1st centurj*. He was of a good familj'. but his early education was very much neglected, and at the age of 28, urged by an awakened impulse after knowledge, he left his father's house and became a disciple of Jochanan ben-Zachai. Eliezer soon repaired his deficiencies, and became one of the distinguished Rabbins of his age. Profound in the Cabala (c(. v.), he made manj' practical acquisi- tions in magical science, and became the thaumatur- gist of the school. During the controversies between Gamaliel (q. v.) and the rival doctors at Jamnia, he founded a school at Lydda, wh«re his teaching appears to have assumed so mystical a character as to involve him in difficulties with the rabbinical authorities. The Karaites regarded Eliezer as one of the defenders cf their doctrines. He died about 73 A.D., at Ca'sarea, in Palestine. His principal work is I irhe R. Eliezeris (edit. Princ. Ilebraice.Venet. 1544, 4to), translated into Latin with notes by Vorstius (Leyd. 1614, 4to), ed. by Abr. Aaron Broda, with a Heb. commentary (Wilna, 1838, 4to), and often republished. See Boraitha dtr E. Eliestr, by Leop. Zunz (Berlin, 1832), a critical ac- count of the work and its author. He is regarded also as the author of Orcothchaiim (The Wa?/ of Lift), which has been often reprinted. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Gener. XV, 825-6 ; Etheridge, Introd. to Heb. Literature, p. GO sq. ; Griisse, Allgem. JJterurgesch. i, 1108 sq. (J.H.W.)