Exodus 6:14-27
New English Translation
The Ancestry of Moses and Aaron
14 [a] These were the heads of their fathers’ households:[b]
The sons[c] of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans[d] of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 Now these were the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records:[e] Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)
17 The sons of Gershon, by their families, were Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (The length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.)
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, according to their records.
20 Amram married[f] his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. (The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.)
21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25 Now Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel and she bore him Phinehas.
These were the heads of the fathers’ households[g] of Levi according to their clans.
26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.”[h] 27 They were the men who were speaking to Pharaoh king of Egypt, in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.
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- Exodus 6:14 sn This list of names shows that Moses and Aaron are in the line of Levi that came to the priesthood. It helps to identify them and authenticate them as spokesmen for God within the larger history of Israel. As N. M. Sarna observes, “Because a genealogy inherently symbolizes vigor and continuity, its presence here also injects a reassuring note into the otherwise despondent mood” (Exodus [JPSTC], 33).
- Exodus 6:14 tn The expression is literally “the house of their fathers.” This expression means that the household or family descended from a single ancestor. It usually indicates a subdivision of a tribe, that is, a clan, or the subdivision of a clan, that is, a family. Here it refers to a clan (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 46).
- Exodus 6:14 tn Or “descendants.”
- Exodus 6:14 tn Or “families,” and so throughout the genealogy.
- Exodus 6:16 tn Or “generations.”
- Exodus 6:20 tn Heb “took for a wife” (also in vv. 23, 25).
- Exodus 6:25 tn Heb “heads of the fathers” is taken as an abbreviation for the description of “households” in v. 14.
- Exodus 6:26 tn Or “by their hosts” or “by their armies.” Often translated “hosts” (ASV, NASB) or “armies” (KJV), צְבָאוֹת (tsevaʾot) is a military term that portrays the people of God in battle array. In contemporary English, “regiment” is perhaps more easily understood as a force for battle than “company” (cf. NAB, NRSV) or “division” (NIV, NCV, NLT), both of which can have commercial associations. The term also implies an orderly departure.
Exodus 6:14-27
Lexham English Bible
The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron
14 These are the heads of their families.[a]
The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, are Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben.
15 And the sons of Simeon are Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jakin and Zohar and Shaul the son of the Canaanitess.[b] These are the clans of Simeon.
16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogies:[c] Gershon and Kohath and Merari, and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven years.[d]
17 The sons of Gershon are Libni and Shimei according to their clans.
18 And the sons of Kohath are Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel, and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three years.[e]
19 And the sons of Merari are Mahli and Mushi. These are clans of the Levites according to their genealogies.[f]
20 And Amram took Jochebed his aunt for himself as a wife, and she bore for him Aaron and Moses, and the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven years.[g]
21 And the sons of Izhar are Korah and Nepheg and Zikri.
22 And the sons of Uzziel are Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.
23 And Aaron took Elisheba the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, for himself as a wife, and she bore for him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 And the sons of Korah are Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites.
25 And Eleazar the son of Aaron took for himself one from the daughters of Putiel as a wife, and she bore for him Phinehas. These are the heads of the families[h] of the Levites according to their clans.
26 It was that Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Bring the Israelites[i] out from the land of Egypt according to their divisions.” 27 They were those who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, in order to bring the Israelites[j] out from Egypt. It was that Moses and Aaron.
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- Exodus 6:14 Literally “the house of their fathers”
- Exodus 6:15 Or “the Canaanite woman.” The Hebrew word is feminine
- Exodus 6:16 Or “generations”
- Exodus 6:16 Literally “seven and thirty and hundred of year”
- Exodus 6:18 Literally “three and thirty and hundred of year”
- Exodus 6:19 Or “generations”
- Exodus 6:20 Literally “seven and thirty and hundred of year”
- Exodus 6:25 Literally “fathers”
- Exodus 6:26 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 6:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
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