אֱלִיעֶזֶר
𐤀𐤋𐤉𐤏𐤆𐤓
Eliezer
H461 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'My God is help' or 'God has helped.' Used as the proper name of several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most prominently Eliezer of Damascus (servant of Abraham) and Eliezer, son of Moses. The name reflects an attribution of God's assistance or deliverance, rather than a developed theological concept. As a theophoric name, it represents an individual's connection to the deity El through divine aid.
Semantic Range
God is help, God has helped, one whose God is help, divine assistance, recipient or acknowledgment of divine aid (in personal name contexts)
Root / Etymology
From the roots אֵל ('El', meaning 'God' or 'deity') and עֵזֶר (ʿezer, 'help, assistance'). The name is a theophoric compound, where אֵל serves as the subject and עֵזֶר as a predicate noun: 'God is help' or 'God has helped.' The root for עֵזֶר is ע-ז-ר, meaning 'to help, assist.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֱלִיעֶזֶר occurs in both the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 15:2, as Abraham's household steward from Damascus) and in the traditions concerning Moses (Exodus 18:4, as one of his sons). The name was common among Israelites and reflects a broader ancient Near Eastern tradition of theophoric names expressing divine aid. English translations typically transliterate the name as 'Eliezer,' following the convention of preserving personal names. In later Jewish tradition, the name Eliezer remains popular. There is no evidence that the name ever directly implied priestly or prophetic function; its primary semantic content is expressive of gratitude or hope in divine assistance. It should be distinguished from similar theophoric names like עֶזְרָא (Ezra), which uses a related but distinct root structure.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אֵל and עֵזֶר; God of help; Eliezer, the name of a Damascene and of ten Israelites; Eliezer.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עזר (ʿ-z-r) — help, assist, support
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3134 | יוֹעֶזֶר | and YHWH-is-help |
| H3270 | יַעֲזֵיר | in He-helps |
| H373 | אִיעֶזְרִי | the Iezerite clansman |
| H5809 | עַזּוּר | Azzur |
| H5826 | עָזַר | he helped me |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H461-01 |
אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר | eliezer | HNp |
Eliezer | God is help | 6 |
H461-03 |
וֶֽ/אֱלִיעֶ֔זֶר | veeliezer | HC/Np |
and Eliezer | And God-is-help | 5 |
H461-02 |
לֶ/אֱלִיעֶ֡זֶר | leeliezer | HR/Np |
by Eliezer | to My-God-is-help | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
14 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H461-01 |
Genesis 15:2 | אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר | eliezer | HNp |
Eliezer | God is help |
H461-01 |
Exodus 18:4 | אֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר | eliezer | HNp |
Eliezer | God is help |
H461-02 |
Ezra 8:16 | לֶ/אֱלִיעֶ֡זֶר | leeliezer | HR/Np |
to-Eliezer | to My-God-is-help |
H461-03 |
Ezra 10:18 | וֶֽ/אֱלִיעֶ֔זֶר | veeliezer | HC/Np |
Eliezer | And God-is-help |
H461-03 |
Ezra 10:23 | וֶ/אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר | veeliezer | HC/Np |
and Eliezer | And God-is-help |
H461-01 |
Ezra 10:31 | אֱלִיעֶ֧זֶר | eliezer | HNp |
Eliezer | God is help |
H461-03 |
1 Chronicles 7:8 | וֶ֠/אֱלִיעֶזֶר | veeliezer | HC/Np |
Eliezer | And God-is-help |
H461-03 |
1 Chronicles 15:24 | וֶֽ/אֱלִיעֶ֨זֶר֙ | veeliezer | HC/Np |
and Eliezer | And God-is-help |
H461-03 |
1 Chronicles 23:15 | וֶ/אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר | veeliezer | HC/Np |
and Eliezer | And God-is-help |
H461-01 |
1 Chronicles 23:17 | אֱלִיעֶ֖זֶר | eliezer | HNp |
Eliezer | God is help |