Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of
the Exodus, from creating the plating for the
altar from the firepans of
Korah's assembly, to performing the ritual of the
red heifer. After the death of his older brothers
Nadab and Abihu, he and his younger brother
Ithamar were put in charge of the sanctuary. His wife, a daughter of
Putiel, bore him
Phinehas, who would eventually succeed him as High Priest of Israel.
Leviticus 10:16–18 recounts Moses's anger towards Eleazar and Ithamar for not eating a
sin offering inside the
Tabernacle, which violated the regulations outlined for priests in earlier chapters of
Leviticus. During the Exodus, as the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, Eleazar was in charge of carrying several important items: the oil for the
lampstand, the sweet
incense, the daily
grain offering, and the
anointing oil. Additionally, he oversaw the transportation of the
Ark of the Covenant, the table for
showbread, the
altar, and other tabernacle fittings. These items were transported by the
Kohathites of clan Levi. Following the rebellion against Moses's leadership recorded in
Numbers 16, Eleazar was charged with taking the rebels'
bronze censers and hammering them into a covering for the altar, acting as a reminder of
Korah's failed rebellion and the restriction of the Jewish priesthood to the
Aaronites. On
Mount Hor, he was clothed with the sacred vestments, which Moses had taken from Aaron and placed upon Eleazar as successor to the high priest's office before Aaron's death. Eleazar held the office of high priest for over twenty years. He took part with Moses in numbering the people and assisted at the inauguration of
Joshua. He assisted in the distribution of the land after the conquest. When he died, he "was buried at
Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of
Ephraim". The
Hill of Phinehas related in the
Hebrew Bible is associated with the location of the village of
Awarta in the
Samarian section of the current day
West Bank. The high priesthood remained in the family of Eleazar until the time of
Eli, into whose family it passed. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, Eleazar's brother. The high priesthood was restored to the family of Eleazar—in the person of
Zadok—after
Abiathar was cast out by
Solomon. According to Jewish tradition, Eleazar was buried in
Awarta. ==Commemorations==