Exo 6:14-26 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 14. These be the heads ] rashey , the chiefs or captains . The following genealogy was simply intended to show that Moses and Aaron came in a direct line from Abraham, and to ascertain the time of Israel's deliverance. The whole account from inclusive, is a sort of parenthesis, and does not belong to the narration; and what follows from is a recapitulation of what was spoken in the preceding chapters.

‏ Exodus 6:14-26

Verse 14. These be the heads] rashey, the chiefs or captains. The following genealogy was simply intended to show that Moses and Aaron came in a direct line from Abraham, and to ascertain the time of Israel's deliverance. The whole account from Ex 6:14-26 inclusive, is a sort of parenthesis, and does not belong to the narration; and what follows from Ex 6:28 is a recapitulation of what was spoken in the preceding chapters.

Verse 16. The years of the life of Levi] "Bishop Patrick observes that Levi is thought to have lived the longest of all Jacob's sons, none of whose ages are recorded in Scripture but his and Joseph's, whom Levi survived twenty-seven years, though he was much the elder brother. By the common computation this would be twenty-three years: by Kennicott's computation at the end of Gen. xxxi., (See Clarke on Ge 31:55) Levi's birth is placed twenty-four years before that of Joseph; his death, therefore, would be only three years later. But this is not the only difficulty in ancient chronologies. Kohath, the second son of Levi, according to Archbishop Usher was thirty years old when Jacob came into Egypt, and lived there one hundred and three years. He attained to nearly the same age with Levi, to one hundred and thirty-three years; and his son Amram, the father of Moses, lived to the same age with Levi. We may observe here how the Divine promise, Ge 15:16, of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt in the fourth generation was verified; for Moses was the son of Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Jacob."-DODD.

Verse 20. His father's sister] dodatho. The true meaning of this word is uncertain. Parkhurst observes that dod signifies an uncle in 1Sa 10:14; Le 10:4, and frequently elsewhere. It signifies also an uncle's son, a cousin-german: compare Jer 32:8 with Ex 6:12, where the Vulgate renders dodi by patruelis mei, my paternal cousin; and in Am 6:10, for dodo, the Targum has karibiah, his near relation. So the Vulgate, propinquus ejus, his relative, and the Septuagint, οιοικειοιαυτων, those of their household. The best critics suppose that Jochebed was the cousin-german of Amram, and not his aunt. See Clarke on Ex 2:1.

Bare him Aaron and Moses] The Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, and one Hebrew MS. add, And Miriam their sister. Some of the best critics suppose these words to have been originally in the Hebrew text.

Verse 21. Korah] Though he became a rebel against God and Moses, (see Nu 16:1, &c.,) yet Moses, in his great impartiality, inserts his name among those of his other progenitors.

Verse 22. Uzziel] He is called Aaron's uncle, Le 10:4.

Verse 23. Elisheba] The oath of the Lord. It is the same name as Elizabeth, so very common among Christians. She was of the royal tribe of Judah, and was sister to Nahshon, one of the princes; see Nu 2:3.

Eleazar] He succeeded to the high priesthood on the death of his father Aaron, Nu 20:25, &c.

Verse 25. Phinehas] Of the celebrated act of this person, and the most honourable grant made to him and his posterity, see Nu 25:7-13.

Verse 26. According to their armies.] tsibotham, their battalions-regularly arranged troops. As God had these particularly under his care and direction, he had the name of Yehovah tsebaoth, Lord of hosts or armies.

"The plain and disinterested manner," says Dr. Dodd, "in which Moses speaks here of his relations, and the impartiality wherewith he inserts in the list of them such as were afterwards severely punished by the Lord, are striking proofs of his modesty and sincerity. He inserts the genealogy of Reuben and Simeon, because they were of the same mother with Levi; and though he says nothing of himself, yet he relates particularly what concerns Aaron, Ex 6:23, who married into an honourable family, the sister of a prince of the tribe of Judah."