Eleazar ( he, אֶלְעָזָר, ''Eləʻāzār''; 10th or 9th century) was one of the
Three Mighty Warriors and an officer under
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, according to
2 Samuel and
1 Chronicles
The Book of Chronicles ( he, דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third sect ...
. His father was Dodai or Dodo, and he was a
Benjamite
According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin () was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The tribe was descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob (later given the name Israel) and his wife Rachel. In the Samaritan Pentateuc ...
through his ancestor
Ahoah.
While fighting the Philistines at
Ephes Dammim alongside
Jashobeam and
Shammah
Shammah is a name mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible.
In the Book of Samuel, Shammah ( he, שַׁמָּה) was the son of Agee, a Hararite (2 Samuel 23:11) or Harodite (23:25), and one of King David's three legendary " mighty men". His gr ...
, the other two warriors of the Three, Eleazar fought so long and hard his hand clamped onto his sword.
Eleazar, as part of the Three, broke through Philistine lines in
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
to get a drink for David from a well near the gate while they were encamped in the
Cave of Adullam
The Cave of Adullam was originally a stronghold referred to in the Old Testament, near the town of Adullam, where future King David sought refuge from King Saul.
The word "cave" is usually used but "fortress", which has a similar appearance in w ...
, but David poured the water out as a
drink offering to God, saying, "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleazar
David's Mighty Warriors