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Who was Eliezer (i.e. servant of Avraham) father?

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According to Targum Yonoson - 14:14 (in Bereishis), Eliezer's father was Nimrod.

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Another Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 60:7) identifies Eliezer with Canaan. According to that, then, his father would have been Ham, Noach's son (Gen. 10:6).

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The Torah just introduces him as a Damascene.

But I believe one medrish identifies him as Nimrod's son. Eliezer was tired of his father's worldview and sought out Avraham's monotheism.

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    IIRC one version has Nimrod giving his son to Avraham as a slave.
    – yitznewton
    Dec 8, 2011 at 17:23
  • @yitznewton that's certainly possible though I haven't heard it before. Are you sure you're not confusing that with the one about Hagar being Pharaoh's daughter? Nimrod and Avraham weren't exactly best buddies.
    – Shalom
    Dec 8, 2011 at 18:00
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    @Shalom: it's in Pirkei d'R. Eliezer ch. 16: after Avraham got out of the furnace of Ur Kasdim safely, all of the VIPs of the kingdom gave him presents, and Nimrod did too. (Actually, though, PdRE has Eliezer as Nimrod's slave. The idea that he was Nimrod's son is from Targum Yonasan to Gen. 14:14, which calls him בר נמרוד.)
    – Alex
    Dec 8, 2011 at 18:11
  • @Alex, huh. That would imply that Nimrod felt impressed, rather than threatened, by Avraham post-furnace. ? Interesting. It's funny how people weave different midrashim together. I was taught in grade school about Lot's daughter who secretly gave a fellow girl jars of flour, and was killed by bees for it -- when I looked into it, that appears to be a mashup of several different midrashim.
    – Shalom
    Dec 8, 2011 at 19:46
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    @Alex yes, now I remember: slave-Og was the gift of Nimrod - I mixed them up indeed.
    – yitznewton
    Dec 8, 2011 at 22:29
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Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer has Eliezer as Og King of the Bashan.

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  • That doesn't really answer the question, though, does it?
    – msh210 ♦
    Dec 8, 2011 at 19:27
  • Huh. That's really head-scratcher.
    – Shalom
    Dec 8, 2011 at 19:42
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    @msh210 not per se, just mentioning another position on Eliezer's identity that would trickle up to his father's identity.
    – yitznewton
    Dec 8, 2011 at 22:28
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    Gee if you mix Midrashim here, this guy has a one-man show. He comes to tell Avraham of the war, then he's Avraham's army that goes and fights!
    – Shalom
    Dec 9, 2011 at 1:25
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    According to the Talmud (Niddah 61A) and commentaries, this would make Eliezer's father Schemchazel: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/8382/…
    – Menachem
    Dec 9, 2011 at 1:29

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