He married one of the daughters of Putiel, who bore him Phinehas (
Ex 6:25). With his father and 3 brothers he was consecrated to the priest's office (
Ex 28:1). After the destruction of Nadab and Abihu, he occupied a more important position, and he and Ithamar "ministered in the priest's office in the presence of Aaron their father" (
Le 10:6 f;
Nu 3:4;
1Ch 24:2 ff). He was given the oversight of the Levites and had charge of the tabernacle and all within it (
Nu 3:32;
4:16). To Eleazar fell the duty of beating out for an altar covering the censers of Korah and his fellow-conspirators who had attempted to seize the
priesthood (
Nu 16:37,
39). On the death of Aaron, Eleazar succeeded him (
Nu 20:25 ff). He assisted Moses with the census after the plague in the plains of Moab (
Nu 26:1 ff), and with Moses and the elders heard the petition of the daughters of Zelophehad who wished to be served as heirs to their father (
Nu 27:1 ff). After the entrance into Canaan, Eleazar and Joshua gave effect to the decision arrived at by giving the daughters of Zelophehad a share in the land of Manasseh (
Jos 17:4). He was priest and adviser to Joshua, the successor of Moses (
Nu 27:19;
31:12 ff),
whom he also assisted in partitioning Canaan among the tribes (
Nu 34:17;
Jos 14:1;
19:51;
21:1). He was buried in the hill (the Revised Version, margin "Gibeah") of Phinehas his son in the hill country of Ephraim (
Jos 24:33). For some reason unknown the descendants of Ithamar seem to have held the chief position among the priests from Eli till the accession of Solomon, when Abiathar was sent into retirement, and Zadok, the descendant of Eleazar, was appointed in his place (
1Ki 2:26 ff). Ezra was a descendant of Zadok (
Ezr 7:1 ff); and the high priest's office was in the family of Zadok till the time of the
Maccabees.