Ithamar

AI summary: Ithamar appears across the Torah and later genealogical material as a key figure in the establishment and continuation of Israel's priestly order. He is first named among Aaron's sons and is consecrated for priestly service, but his significance becomes clearer after the judgment on Nadab and Abihu leaves Eleazar and Ithamar to continue the family's sacred duties. The wilderness passages connect him with the administration of tabernacle service, especially the oversight of Merarite responsibilities and the accounting of materials used for the sanctuary, which presents him as a trusted priest in the practical work of worship as well as its ritual life. Later references in Chronicles preserve his place in the priestly divisions, and the broader tradition remembered in the dictionary material links his line with the later rise of Eli. Taken together, the cross references present Ithamar not as a minor genealogical footnote but as one of the surviving sons through whom Aaron's priestly house continued to serve Israel.¹

This section highlights places directly relevant to this person's role in the biblical story.

Palm isle, the fourth and youngest son of Aaron (1 Chr. 6:3). He was consecrated to the priesthood along with his brothers (Ex. 6:23); and after the death of Nadab and Abihu, he and Eleazar alone discharged the functions of that office (Lev. 10:6, 12; Num. 3:4). He and his family occupied the position of common priest till the high priesthood passed into his family in the person of Eli (1 Kings 2:27), the reasons for which are not recorded. (See ZADOK.) ³