Who was Aaron?
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh (painting by Benjamin West) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) According to the genealogy of Ex. 6:14 ff., Aaron was one of the two sons of Amram and Jochebed (the other being Moses ) and third in line of descent from Levi (Levi-Kohath-Amram-Aaron); according to Ex. 7:7 he was 3 years older than Moses. Miriam, their sister, was older still, if she is Moses’ unnamed ‘sister’ of Ex. 2:4, 7 ff. Aaron first appears in the Exodus narrative as ‘Aaron the Levite’ who went to meet his brother Moses on the latter’s return to Egypt after the theophany at the burning bush; because of his superior eloquence he was to be Moses’ spokesman to the Israelites and to Pharaoh (Ex. 4:14 ff.). Throughout his career he was very much a lay figure alongside his dynamic brother; on the one occasion when he acted independently of Moses’ instructions he acted wrongly (Ex. 32:1–6). In addition to being Moses’ spokesman he also filled a thaumaturgic role: it was he who wielded the rod...