Ithamar

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: Hebrew ’Îtāmār, commonly understood as “island/coast of palms” (a traditional etymology; significance uncertain).
• Period/Era: Patriarchal Period (Exodus–wilderness generation of Israel).
• Main References: Exodus 6:23; Exodus 38:21; Numbers 3:2–4; Numbers 4:28, 33; 1 Chronicles 24:3–6.
• Key Connections: Son of Aaron and Elisheba; brother of Nadab, Abihu, and Eleazar; associated with Levite service under Moses.

Who was Ithamar?

Ithamar was the youngest named son of Aaron and served as an Israelite priest.
After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, he remained among Aaron’s surviving priestly sons.
He was appointed to oversee parts of the tabernacle work carried out by the Levites in the wilderness.

Key Events & Achievements

• Wilderness oversight: Supervised the Gershonites and Merarites in their tabernacle duties under Aaron’s authority (Numbers 4:28, 33).
• Tabernacle accounting: Oversaw the record of materials used for the tabernacle, connected with Levite administration (Exodus 38:21).
• Priestly lineage: Became an ancestral line within the Aaronic priesthood recognized in later priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24:3–6).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Ithamar’s role shows how priestly ministry in Israel included organized oversight and stewardship of sacred responsibilities.

Key Verse

"This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were listed on the commandment of Moses, through the agency of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest." — Exodus 38:21, ESV