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Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning "bearer of martyrs" in Hebrew (perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian "Aha Rw," "Warrior Lion"), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAhărōn), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. He was the elder son (and second child) of Amram and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi; Moses, the other son, being three years younger, and Miriam, their sister, several years older.Exodus 2:4; Exodus 6:16 ff.; Numbers 33:39 Aaron was the great-grandson of Levi Exodus 6:16-20 and represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest. While Moses was receiving his education at the Egyptian court and during his exile among the Midianites, Aaron and his sister remained with their kinsmen in the eastern border-land of Egypt. Here he gained a name for eloquent and persuasive speech; so that when the time came for the demand upon Pharaoh to release Israel from captivity, Aaron became his brother’s nabi , or spokesman, to his own peopleExodus 4:16 and, after their unwillingness to hear, to Pharaoh himself.Exodus 7:9

His function

Aaron’s function included the duties of speaker and implied personal dealings with the court on behalf of Moses, who was always the central moving figure. The part played by Aaron in the events that preceded the Exodus was, therefore, ministerial, and not directive. He, along with Moses, performed “signs” before his people which impressed them with a belief in the reality of the divine mission of the brothers. Exodus 4:15-16 At the command of Moses he stretched out his rod in order to bring on the first three plagues. Exodus 7:19, 8:1, 12 In the infliction of the remaining plagues he appears to have acted merely as the attendant of Moses, whose outstretched rod drew the divine wrath upon Pharaoh and his subjects. Exodus 9:23, 10:13, 22 The potency of Aaron’s rod had already been demonstrated by its victory over the rods of the Egyptian magicians, which it swallowed after all the rods alike had been turned into serpents. Exodus 7:9 et seq. During the journey in the wilderness Aaron is not always prominent or active; and he sometimes appears guilty of rebellious or treasonable conduct. At the battle with Amalek he is chosen with Hur to support the hand of Moses that held the “rod of God”. Exodus 17:9 et seq. When the revelation was given to Moses at Sinai, he headed the elders of Israel who accompanied Moses on the way to the summit. Joshua, however, was admitted with his leader to the very presence of the Lord, while Aaron and Hur remained below to look after the people.Exodus 24:9-14 It was during the prolonged absence of Moses that Aaron yielded to the clamors of the people, and made a golden calf as a visible image of the divinity who had delivered them from Egypt. Exodus 32:1-6 At the intercession of Moses, Aaron was saved from the plague which smote the people (Deuteronomy 9:20; Exodus 32:35), although it was to Aaron’s tribe of Levi that the work of punitive vengeance was committed Exodus 32:26 et seq.

Becomes priest of Israel

At the time when the tribe of Levi was set apart for the priestly service, Aaron was anointed and consecrated to the priesthood, arrayed in the robes of his office, and instructed in its manifold duties (Exodus 28 and 29). On the very day of his consecration his sons, Nadav and Avihu, were consumed by fire from the Lord for having offered incense in an unlawful manner (Leviticus 10).

Rebellion of Korah

From the time of the sojourn at Sinai, where he became the anointed priest of Israel, Aaron ceased to be the minister of Moses, his place being taken by Joshua. He is mentioned in association with Miriam in a jealous complaint against the exclusive claims of Moses as the Lord’s prophet. The presumption of the murmurers was rebuked, and Miriam was smitten with tzara'as. Aaron entreated Moses to intercede for her, at the same time confessing the sin and folly that prompted the uprising. Aaron himself was not struck with the plague on account of sacerdotal immunity; and Miriam, after seven days’ quarantine, was healed and restored to favor.Numbers 12 It is noteworthy that the prophet MicahMicah (6:4) mentions Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as the leaders of Israel after the Exodus (a judgment wholly in accord with the tenor of the narratives). In the present instance it is made clear by the express words of the oracleNumbers 12:6-8 that Moses was unique among men as the one with whom the Lord spoke face to face. The failure to recognize or concede this prerogative of their brother was the sin of Miriam and Aaron. The validity of the exclusive priesthood of the family of Aaron was attested after the ill-fated rebellion of Korah, who was a first cousin of Aaron. When the earth had opened and swallowed up the leaders of the insurgents Numbers 16:25-35, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was commissioned to take charge of the censers of the dead priests. And when the plague had broken out among the people who had sympathized with the rebels, Aaron, at the command of Moses, took his censer and stood between the living and the dead till the plague was stayed.Numbers 17:1-15, 16:36-50, Authorized Version Another memorable transaction followed. Each of the tribal princes of Israel took a rod and wrote his name upon it, and the twelve rods were laid up over night in the tent of meeting. On the morrow Aaron’s rod was found to have budded and blossomed and borne ripe almonds.Numbers 17:8; see Aaron’s Rod The miracle proved merely the prerogative of the tribe of Levi; but now a formal distinction was made in perpetuity between the family of Aaron and the other Levites. While all the Levites (and only Levites) were to be devoted to sacred services, the special charge of the sanctuary and the altar was committed to the Aaronites alone Numbers 18:1-7 The scene of this enactment is unknown, nor is the time mentioned.

Death

Aaron, like Moses, was not permitted to enter Canaan with the successful invaders. The reason alleged is that the two brothers showed impatience at Meribah (Kadesh) in the last year of the desert pilgrimageNumbers 20:12, 13, when they, or rather Moses, brought water out of a rock to quench the thirst of the people. The action was construed as displaying a want of deference to the Lord, since they had been commanded to speak to the rock, whereas Moses struck it with the wonder-working rod.Numbers 20:7-11 Of the death of Aaron we have two accounts. The principal one gives a detailed statement to the effect that, soon after the above incident, Aaron, with his son Eleazar and Moses, ascended Mount Hor. There Moses stripped him (Aaron) of his priestly garments, and transferred them to Eleazar. Aaron died on the summit of the mountain, and the people mourned for him thirty days.Numbers 20:22-29; compare 33:38, 39 The other account is found in Deuteronomy 10:6, where Moses is reported as saying that Aaron died at Mosera and was buried there. Some scholars think that Mosera is not on Mount Hor, since the itinerary in Numbers 33:31-37 records seven stages between Moseroth (Mosera) and Mount Hor.

Typical signification in apocryphal and rabbinical literature

The older prophets and prophetical writers beheld in their priests the representatives of a religious form inferior to the prophetic truth; men without the spirit of God and lacking the will-power requisite to resist the multitude in its idolatrous proclivities. Thus Aaron, the typical priest, ranks far below Moses: he is but his mouthpiece, and the executor of the will of God revealed through Moses, although it is pointed out Sifra, Wa-yiḳra, 1 that it is said fifteen times in the Pentateuch that “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron.” Under the influence of the priesthood which shaped the destinies of the nation under Persian rule, a different ideal of the priest was formed, as is learned from Malachi 2:4-7; and the prevailing tendency was to place Aaron on a footing equal with Moses. “At times Aaron, and at other times Moses, is mentioned first in Scripture—this is to show that they were of equal rank,” says Mekilta בא, 1; and EcclesiasticusSirach 44:6-24 expressly infers this when introducing in his record of renowned men the glowing description of Aaron’s ministration.

Moses and Aaron compared

According to Tanhuma,ed. Buber, 2:12 Aaron’s activity as a prophet began earlier than that of Moses. The writer of the Testaments of the Patriarchs, however, hesitates to rank Moses the faithful, “him that speaks with God as with a father,” as equal with Aaron.Testament of Levi, 8:17 The rabbis are still more emphatic in their praise of Aaron’s virtues. Thus Hillel, who in Herod’s time saw before him mainly a degenerate class of priests, selfish and quarrelsome, held Aaron of old up as a mirror, saying: “Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace; love your fellow creatures and draw them nigh unto the Law!” Abot, 1:12 This is further illustrated by the tradition preserved in Abot de-Rabbi Natan 12, Sanhedrin 6b, and elsewhere, according to which Aaron was an ideal priest of the people, far more beloved for his kindly ways than was Moses. While Moses was stern and uncompromising, brooking no wrong, Aaron went about as peacemaker, reconciling man and wife when he saw them estranged, or a man with his neighbor when they quarreled, and winning evil-doers back into the right way by his friendly intercourse. The mourning of the people at Aaron’s death was greater, therefore, than at that of Moses; for whereas, when Aaron died the whole house of Israel wept, including the women.Numbers 20:29 Moses was bewailed by “the sons of Israel” only (Deuteronomy 34:8). Even in the making of the Golden Calf the rabbis find extenuating circumstances for Aaron.Sanhedrin 7a His fortitude and silent submission to the will of God on the loss of his two sons are referred to as an excellent example to men how to glorify God in the midst of great affliction.Zebahim 115b; Josephus, “Antiquities of the Jews” 3:8, § 7 Especially significant are the words represented as being spoken by God after the princes of the Twelve Tribes had brought their dedication offerings into the newly reared Tabernacle: “Say to thy brother Aaron: Greater than the gifts of the princes is thy gift; for thou art called upon to kindle the light, and, while the sacrifices shall last only as long as the Temple lasts, thy light of the Law shall last forever.”Tanhuma, ed. Buber, בהעלותך, 6

Death of Aaron

In fulfillment of the promise of peaceful life, symbolized by the pouring of oil upon his head, Leviticus Rabbah 10, Midrash Tehilim 133:1 Aaron’s death, as described in the Haggadah, was of a wonderful tranquillity. Accompanied by Moses, his brother, and by Eleazar, his son, Aaron went to the summit of Mount Hor, where the rock suddenly opened before him and a beautiful cave lit by a lamp presented itself to his view. “Take off thy priestly raiment and place it upon thy son Eleazar!” said Moses; “and then follow me.” Aaron did as commanded; and they entered the cave, where was prepared a bed around which angels stood. “Go lie down upon thy bed, my brother,” Moses continued; and Aaron obeyed without a murmur. Then his soul departed as if by a kiss from God. The cave closed behind Moses as he left; and he went down the hill with Eleazar, with garments rent, and crying: “Alas, Aaron, my brother! thou, the pillar of supplication of Israel!” When the Israelites cried in bewilderment, “Where is Aaron?” angels were seen carrying Aaron’s bier through the air. A voice was then heard saying: “The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found on his lips: he walked with me in righteousness, and brought many back from sin”.Malachi 2:6, 7 He died, according to Seder Olam R. 9, Rosh Hashanna 2, 3a, and Josephus“Antiquities of the Jews” 4:4, § 7 on the first of Ab. Josephus says also that “he died while the multitude looked upon him.” The pillar of cloud which proceeded in front of Israel’s camp disappeared at Aaron’s death.see Seder ‘Olam, 9 and Rosh ha-Shanah 2b-3a). The seeming contradiction between Numbers 20:22 et seq. and Deuteronomy 10:6 is solved by the rabbis in the following manner: Aaron’s death on Mount Hor was marked by the defeat of the people in a war with the king of Arad, in consequence of which the Israelites fled, marching seven stations backward to Mosera, where they performed the rites of mourning for Aaron; wherefore it is said: “There Mosera died Aaron.”See Mekilta, Beshallah, Wayassa’, 1; Tanhuma, Huqqat, 18; Yerushalmi Sotah, 1:17c, and Targum Yerushalmi Numbers and Deuteronomy on the above-mentioned passages. The rabbis also dwell with special laudation on the brotherly sentiment which united Aaron and Moses. When the latter was appointed ruler and Aaron high priest, neither betrayed any jealousy; instead they rejoiced in one another’s greatness. When Moses at first declined to go to Pharaoh, saying: “O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send”,Exodus 4:13 he was unwilling to deprive Aaron, his brother, of the high position the latter had held for so many years; but the Lord reassured him, saying: “Behold, when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.”Exodus 4:14 Indeed, Aaron was to find his reward, says Simon ben Yohai; for that heart which had leaped with joy over his younger brother’s rise to glory greater than his was decorated with the Urim and Thummim, which were to “be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before the Lord.”Canticles Rabbah 1:10 Moses and Aaron met in gladness of heart, kissing each other as true brothersExodus 4:27; compare Song of Songs, 8:1 and of them it is written: “Behold how good and how pleasant is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”Psalms 133:1 Of them it is said Psalms 85:10: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed other”; for Moses stood for righteousness, according to Deuteronomy 33:21, and Aaron for peace, according to Malachi 2:6. Again, mercy was personified in Aaron, according to Deuteronomy 33:8, and truth in Moses, according to Numbers 12:7.Tanhuma, Shemot, ed. Buber, 24-26 When Moses poured the oil of anointment upon the head of Aaron, Aaron modestly shrank back and said: “Who knows whether I have not cast some blemish upon this sacred oil so as to forfeit this high office.” Then the Holy Spirit spake the words: “Behold the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard of Aaron, that even went down to the skirts of his garment, is as pure as the dew of Hermon.”Psalms 133:2, 3, Heb.; Sifra, Shemini, Milluim; Tanḥuma, Korah, ed. Buber, 14).

Genetics

Recently, the tradition that Kohanim are actually descended from Aaron was supported by genetic testing.Skorecki et al., 1997. Since all direct male lineage shares a common Y chromosome, testing was done across sectors of the Jewish population to see if there was any commonality between their Y chromosomes. There was proven to be certain distinctions among the Cohen modal haplotype, implying that the Kohanim do share some common ancestry. This information was used to support the claim of the Lemba (a sub-Saharan tribe) that they were in fact, a tribe of Jews.

According to the documentary hypothesis

The Biblical representation of his character, negative and shadowy compared with Moses's, may be viewed in several ways. A clue to the seemingly contradictory delineations of Aaron (other than the obvious explanation that he is a complex character) is found in the framework of documentary analysis (see also Hexateuch), which is accepted by some but not all scholars. According to those who accept the documentary hypothesis, the following portions of text belong to (1) E, (2) J, (3) D, and (4) P sources, respectively, with the fifth item being from Ezekiel.

  1. Aaron as fallible. These passages do not represent Aaron as a sacrosanct priest. He comes to meet Moses,Exodus 4:14 supports him in war,Exodus 17:12 and jurisprudence.Exodus 24:14 He yields to the people and makes the calfExodus 32 and, with Miriam, criticises Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. Miriam is subsequently punished.Numbers 12 He is present at the sacrificial covenant meal between Israel and the Kenites.Exodus 18:12 In this aspect, Joshua, instead of Aaron, serves in the Tent.Exodus 33:11
  2. Aaron as Moses's prophet. This representation concerns the covenant meal on Sinai (Exodus 24:1, 2, 9-11) and the vague charge that Aaron "let the people loose" (Exodus 32:25). Aaron seems to be an afterthought in the plague narrative.Exodus 8:25 In both this and the last view, Moses is the viceregent of God and Aaron is Moses' prophet.Exodus 4:16, 7:1
  3. Aaron as idolatrous. In Deuteronomy 9, Aaron is partly responsible for the building of the Golden Calf. The story says that Yahweh is so angry toward Aaron that he was about to destroy him. It appears that it is only Moses's intercessory prayer and his destruction of the Golden Calf which saves Aaron. The account of his death in Deuteromy 10:6 is different from that in Numbers 20:22. According to Deuteronomy it occurred at Moserah, seven stations from Mount Hor (Numbers 33:30), in the early months of the wandering because of the sign of the Golden Calf. The only other passage in reference to Aaron in Deuteronomy merely states that he is the brother of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50).
  4. Aaron as subordinate. The first three, simpler, plagues Aaron brings on at Moses' command; thereafter Moses himself is the actor. In the narrativesNumbers 16, 17 it is Moses in each case who vindicates him. Aaron dies at Mount Hor in the fortieth year of the Exodus (Numbers 20:22, 33:38), because of rebellion at Meribah (cf. Deuteronomy as above).
  5. Aaron as non-priestly. In Leviticus 17-26, Aaron appears only in redactional passages connecting the Law of Holiness with its present context. In Ezekiel 40-48 Zadok, not Aaron, is the eponym of the priestly line (44:15, etc.).

In the Qur’an

In the Qur'an Aaron is known as Harun, which is Arabic for Aaron. A significant difference in the Quran is the fact that Aaron was not involved with the creation of the Golden Calf.

References

Resources

See also

Torah people | Ancient Jewish Egyptian history | High Priests of Israel

Aaron | Aaaron | Аарон (Библия) | Aaró | Aaron (biblische Person) | Aaron | Aaron | Aaron (personnage biblique) | Aharón - אהרן | Aaron | אהרן הכהן | Aäron | Aaron (Biblia) | Aarão | Аарон Леви | Aron | 亞倫 (人名)

 

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