Difference between revisions of "Aaron"

<p> ''(According To [[Jerome]] [[Means]] "Mountain Of Strength")'' , the oldest son of [[Amram]] and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi; brother of Moses and [[Miriam]] (&nbsp;Numbers 26:59; &nbsp;Exodus 6:20) 1574 B.C. Jochebed, mother of Moses and Aaron, bore them three centuries after the death of [[Levi]] (&nbsp;Exodus 2:1); "daughter of Levi, whom her mother bore to Levi," means "a daughter of a [[Levite]] whom her mother bore to a Levite." The point of &nbsp;Numbers 26:59 is, Moses and Aaron were [[Levites]] both on the father's side and mother's side, [[Hebrew]] of Hebrew. He was three years older than Moses (&nbsp;Exodus 7:7): born, doubtless, before Pharaoh's edict for the destruction of the Hebrew male infants (&nbsp;Exodus 1:22). Miriam was the oldest of the three, as appears from her being old enough, when Moses was only three months old and Aaron three years, to offer to go and call a Hebrew nurse for Pharaoh's daughter, to tend his infant brother. </p> <p> The first mention of Aaron is in &nbsp;Exodus 4:14; where, in answer to Moses' objection that he did not have the eloquence needed for such a mission as that to Pharaoh, [[Jehovah]] answers: "Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? I know that he can speak well: and thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do; and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." His being described as "the Levite" implies that he already took a lead in his tribe; and, as the firstborn son, he would be priest of the household. </p> <p> The Lord directed him to "go into the wilderness to meet Moses" (&nbsp;Exodus 4:27). In obedience to that intimation, after the forty years' separation, he met Moses in the "mount of God," where the vision of the flaming bush had been vouchsafed to the latter, and conducted him back to Goshen. There Aaron, evidently a man of influence already among the Israelites, introduced Moses to their assembled elders; and, as his mouthpiece, declared to them the divine commission of Moses with such persuasive power, under the Spirit, that the people "believed, bowed their heads, and worshipped" (&nbsp;Exodus 4:29-31). During Moses' forty years' absence in Midian, Aaron had married [[Elisheba]] or Elizabeth, daughter of Amminadab, and sister of Naashon, a prince of the children of Judah (&nbsp;Exodus 6:23; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 2:10). By her he had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, [[Eleazar]] (father of Phinehas), and Ithamar. From his first interview with [[Pharaoh]] to the end of his course he always appears in connection with his more illustrious brother, cooperating with and assisting him. </p> <p> On the way to Sinai, in the battle with Amalek, Aaron, in company with Hur, supported Moses' weary hands, which uplifted the miracle-working rod of God (&nbsp;Exodus 17:9-13); and so [[Israel]] prevailed. His high dignity as interpreter of Moses, and worker of the appointed "signs in the sight of the people," and his investiture with the hereditary high priesthood, a dignity which Moses did not share, account naturally for his having once harbored envy, and joined with Miriam in her jealousy of Moses' [[Ethiopian]] wife, when they said: "Hath the Lord spoken only by Moses? Hath He not spoken also by us?" (Compare &nbsp;Numbers 12:1-2 with &nbsp;Exodus 15:20.) But Moses is always made the principal, and Aaron subordinate. [[Whereas]] Moses ascended Sinai, and there received the tables of the law direct from God, as the mediator (&nbsp;Galatians 3:19), Aaron has only the privilege of a more distant approach with [[Nadab]] and [[Abihu]] and the seventy elders, near enough indeed to see Jehovah's glory, but not to have access to His immediate presence. </p> <p> His character, as contrasted with Moses, comes out in what followed during Moses' forty days' absence on the mount. [[Left]] alone to guide the people, he betrayed his instability of character in his weak and guilty concession to the people's demand for visible gods to go before them in the absence of Moses, their recognized leader under Jehovah; and instead of the pillar of cloud and fire wherein the Lord heretofore had gone before them (&nbsp;Exodus 13:21; Exodus 32). Perhaps Aaron had hoped that their love of their personal finery and jewelry, which is the idol of so many in our own days, would prove stronger than their appetite for open idolatry; but men will for superstition part with that which they will not part with for a pure worship. So, casting the responsibility on them, easy and too ready to yield to pressure from outside, and forgetting the precept, "thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil" (&nbsp;Exodus 23:2), he melted, or permitted their gold to be melted in a furnace, and "fashioned it with a graving tool into a calf." This form was probably designed as a compromise to combine the seemingly common elements of the worship of Jehovah associated with the calf-formed cherubim , and of the [[Egyptian]] idol-ox, Μnevis or Αpis . </p> <p> Like Jeroboam's calves long after, the sin was a violation of the second rather than of the first commandment, the worship of the true God by an image ''(As The Church Of Rome Teaches)'' , rather than the adding or substituting of another god. It was an accommodation to the usages which both Israel and [[Jeroboam]] respectively had learned in Egypt. Like all compromises of truth, its inevitable result was still further apostasy from the truth. Aaron's words, "These are thy gods elohim ''(A Title Of The True God)'' , [[O]] Israel, which brought thee up out of Egypt," as also his proclamation, "Tomorrow is a feast to JEHOVAH," show that he did not mean an open apostasy from the Lord, but rather a concession to the people's sensuous tastes, in order to avert a total alienation from Jehovah. </p> <p> But, the so-called "feast of the Lord" sank into gross paganness; "the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play," "dancing" before the calf, "naked unto their shame among their enemies"; they aroused Moses' righteous anger when he descended from the mountain, so that he broke in pieces the tables out of his hand, as a symbol of their violation of the covenant. Then he burned the calf in the fire, ground it to powder ''(A [[Process]] Which [[Required]] A Considerable [[Acquaintance]] With Chemistry)'' , strewed it upon the water, and made the [[Israelites]] drink of it. Compare &nbsp;Proverbs 1:31. Aaron alleged, as an excuse, the people's being "set on mischief," and seemingly that he had only cast their gold into the fire, and that by mere chance "there came out this calf." </p> <p> Aaron's humiliation and repentance must have been very deep; for two months after this great sin, God's foreappointed plan (Exodus 29) was carried into effect in the consecration of Aaron to the high priesthood (Leviticus 8). That it was a delegated priesthood, not inherent like the Messiah's priesthood, of the order of Melchizedek, appears from the fact that Moses, though not the legal priest but God's representative, officiates on the occasion, to inaugurate him into it. Compare, for the spiritual significance of this, Hebrew 7. Aaron's very fall would upon his recovery make him the more fit as a priest, to have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity (&nbsp;Hebrews 5:2); compare the case of Peter, &nbsp;Luke 22:31-32. </p> <p> The consecration comprised a sin offering for reconciliation, a burnt offering to express whole-hearted self-consecration to God, and a meat offering (minchah ), unbloody, of flour, salt, oil, and frankincense, to thank God for the blessings of nature (these marking the blessings and duties of man); then also the special tokens of the priestly office, the ram of consecration, whose blood was sprinkled on Aaron and his sons to sanctify them, the sacred robes "for glory and for beauty," breast-plate, ephod, robe, embroidered coat, mitre, and girdle, and linen breeches (Exodus 28); and the anointing with the holy oil, which it was death for anyone else to compound or use (&nbsp;Exodus 30:22-38), symbolizing God's grace, the exclusive source of spiritual unction. Aaron immediately offered sacrifice and blessed the people, and the divine acceptance was marked by fire from the Lord consuming upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat, so that the people shouted at the sight and fell on their faces. </p> <p> Nadab and Abihu, probably (see &nbsp;Leviticus 10:8-9) under the effects of wine taken when about to be consecrated, instead of taking the sacred fire from the brazen altar, burned the incense on the golden altar with common fire; or, as Knobel and Speaker's [[Commentary]] think, they offered the incense in accompaniment of the people's shouts, not at the due time of morning or evening sacrifice, but in their own self-willed manner and at their own time. ((See [[Fire]] .) God visited them with retribution in kind, consuming them with fire from the Lord; and to prevent a similar evil recurring, forbade henceforth the use of wine to the priests when about to officiate in the tabernacle; the prohibition coming so directly after the sin, if the cause was indeed intemperance, is an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness: compare &nbsp;Luke 1:15 and &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:3 for the present application. </p> <p> The true source of exhilaration to a spiritual priest unto God, is not wine, but the Spirit: &nbsp;Ephesians 5:18-19; compare &nbsp;Acts 2:15-18. Nothing could more clearly mark how grace had raised Aaron above his natural impulsiveness than the touching picture, so eloquent in its brevity, of Aaron's submissiveness under the crushing stroke, "and Aaron held his peace." Moses, in chronicling the disgrace and destruction of his brother's children, evinces his own candor and veracity as an impartial historian. The only token of anguish Aaron manifested was his forbearing to eat that day the flesh of the people's sin offering: &nbsp;Leviticus 10:12-20. All other manifestations of mourning on the part of the priests were forbidden; compare, as to our spiritual priesthood, &nbsp;Luke 9:60. </p> <p> Miriam, in a fit of feminine jealousy, some time afterward acted on Aaron so as to induce him to join in murmuring against Moses: the former relying on her prophetic inspiration (&nbsp;Exodus 15:20), the latter on his priesthood, as though equal with Moses in the rank of their commission. Their pretext against Moses was his Ethiopian wife, a marriage abhorrent to Hebrew feelings. That Miriam was the instigator appears from her name preceding that of Aaron (Numbers 12), and from the leprosy being inflicted on her alone. Aaron, with characteristic impressibleness, repented of his sin almost immediately after he had been seduced into it, upon Jehovah's sudden address to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, declaring His admission of Moses to speak with Him "mouth to mouth, apparently," so that he should "behold the similitude of the Lord," a favor far above all "visions" vouchsafed to prophets. At Aaron's penitent intercession with Moses, and Moses' consequent prayer, Miriam was healed. </p> <p> [[Twenty]] years later (1471 B.C.), in the wilderness of Paran, the rebellion took place of [[Korah]] and the Levites against Aaron's monopoly of the priesthood, and of Dathan, Abiram, and the [[Reubenites]] against Moses' authority as civil leader. It is a striking instance of God's chastising even His own people's sin in kind. As Aaron jealously murmured against Moses, so Korah murmured against him. Fire from the Lord avenged his cause on Korah and the 250 priestsn with him burning incense: and the earth swallowed up the Reubenites with [[Dathan]] and Abiram. Possibly Reuben's descendants sought to recover the primogeniture forfeited by his incest (&nbsp;Genesis 49:3-4; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 5:1). The punishment corresponded to the sin; pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. His numbers were so reduced that Moses prays for his deliverance from extinction: "Let [[Reuben]] live, and not die, and let not his men be few." </p> <p> A plague from the Lord had threatened to destroy utterly the people for murmuring against Moses and Aaron as the murderers of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their accomplices, when Aaron proved the efficacy of his priesthood by risking his own life for his ungrateful people, and "making atonement for the people" with incense in a censer, and "standing between the living and the dead," so that the plague was stopped (Numbers 16). To prevent future rivalry for the priesthood, God made Aaron's rod alone of the twelve rods of Israel, suddenly to blossom and bear almonds, and caused it to be kept perpetually "before the testimony for a token against the rebels" (Numbers 17; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:4). </p> <p> [[Inclined]] to lean on his superior brother, Aaron naturally fell into Moses' sin at Meribah, and shared its penalty in forfeiting entrance into the promised land (&nbsp;Numbers 20:1-13). As Moses' self-reliance was thereby corrected, so was Aaron's tendency to be led unduly by stronger natures than his own. To mark also the insufficiency of the Aaronic priesthood to bring men into the heavenly inheritance, Aaron must die a year before Joshua (the type of Jesus) leads the people into their goodly possession. While Israel in going down the wady Arabah, to double the mountainous land of Edom, was encamped at Mosera, he ascended Mount [[Hor]] at God's command. There Moses stripped him of his pontifical robes, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died, 123 years old, and was buried on the mountain (&nbsp;Numbers 20:28; &nbsp;Numbers 20:38; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 10:6; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:50). The mountain is now surmounted by the circular dome of the tomb of Aaron, a white spot on the dark red surface. </p> <p> For thirty days all Israel mourned for him; and on the 1st of the 5th month, [[Ab]] (our July or August), the [[Jews]] still commemorate him by a fast. Eleazar's descendants held the priesthood until the time of Eli, who, although sprung from Ithamar, received it. With Eli's family it continued until the time of Solomon, who took it from Abiathar, and restored it to Zadok, of the line of Eleazar; thus accomplishing the prophecy denounced against [[Eli]] (&nbsp;1 Samuel 2:30). For the Jews' opinion of Aaron, see the apocryphal [[Ecclesiasticus]] 45. </p> <p> His not taking the priestly honor to himself, but being called by God (&nbsp;Hebrews 5:4-5), his anointing with incommunicable ointment (compare &nbsp;Psalms 45:7 and &nbsp;Psalms 133:2), his intercession for his guilty people, his bearing the names of his people on his shoulders and breast (&nbsp;Exodus 28:12; &nbsp;Exodus 28:29-30), his being the only high priest, so that death visited any other who usurped the priesthood, his rod of office (compare &nbsp;Psalms 110:2; &nbsp;Numbers 24:17), his alone presenting the blood before the mercy-seat on the day of atonement, the [[Holiness]] TO THE LORD on his forehead in his intercession within the veil (compare &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:30; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:24), the [[Urim]] and [[Thummim]] (Light and Perfection), all point to the true High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Aaron's descendants, to the number of 3,700 fighting men, with Jehoiada, father of Benaiah, their head, joined David at [[Hebron]] (&nbsp;1 Chronicles 12:27; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 27:17); subsequently, [[Zadok]] was their chief, "a young man mighty of valor." </p>

<p> [[Aaron]] (''Âr'On'' or ''Â'Ron'' ). The name, if of Hebrew origin, means ''Enlightened.'' According to Jerome, it means ''Mountain Of Strength.'' The son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi He was three years older than his brother Moses. &nbsp;Exodus 6:20; &nbsp;Exodus 7:7. Aaron was noted for his eloquence, and was appointed by Jehovah to speak for Moses in the court of Pharaoh. &nbsp;Exodus 4:14-16. He aided Moses in leading the Hebrews out of Egypt; and was consecrated the first high priest of the Hebrew nation. &nbsp;Exodus 7:1-10; &nbsp;Exodus 28:1-43; &nbsp;Leviticus 8:1-36. He was a man of great devotion; but, from want of firmness, he sometimes fell into grievous sins. While Moses was absent in Mount Sinai receiving the law, Aaron weakly yielded to the people's demand to have some image of a deity for them to worship. The image he made was a golden calf, after the form of the Egyptian [[Apis]] or Mnevis. &nbsp;Exodus 32:1-35; &nbsp;Psalms 106:19-20. Aaron joined Miriam, his sister, in sedition against Moses, &nbsp;Numbers 12:1-12, and, with Moses, neglected to acknowledge the power of God at Kadesh. For this sin he was denied the privilege of entering the promised land. &nbsp;Numbers 20:12-24. While the Hebrews were encamped at Moserah, in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt, Aaron, at the divine command, ascended Mount Hor and died, at the age of 123 years. &nbsp;Numbers 20:25-29; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 10:6. The sons and descendants of Aaron served as priests at the sanctuary; while the other families of the tribe of Levi performed those religious duties which were of an inferior kind. &nbsp;Numbers 4:15-16; &nbsp;Numbers 4:24. Aaron is called the "saint of the Lord" with reference to his official character, &nbsp;Psalms 106:16, but, as the most superficial study of his life shows, he had many faults. Yet the people loved him, and the mourning over his death, which lasted 30 days, &nbsp;Numbers 20:28, was sincere. One of the fasts of later [[Judaism]] was held in his memory, on the first day of the fifth month, Ab, our July or August. </p> <p> Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, probably a prince of the tribe of Judah, and had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. &nbsp;Exodus 6:23; &nbsp;Numbers 1:7. The Jewish priesthood began in the family of Aaron and remained in its possession, though not uninterruptedly, in the line of Eleazar; it passed into the family of Ithamar, the brother of Eleazar, in the person of Eli; but, in consequence of the wickedness of Ell's sons, God declared that it should be taken from his family, &nbsp;1 Samuel 2:30, and this prophecy was fulfilled in the time of Solomon, who took the priesthood from Abiathar and restored it to Zadok, of the line of Eleazar. &nbsp;1 Kings 2:27. </p>

<p> [vulgarly pronounced Ar'on] (Heb. Aharon', אתְֲרֹן, derivation uncertain: Gesenius, ''Thesaur. Hebrews'' p. 33, thinks from the obsolete root אָתִר, to be ''Libidinous'' [so the Heb. Lex. ''Aruch,'' from תָרָת, referring (erroneously) to his [[Conception]] during the Pharaonic edict]; but in his ''Hebrews Lex.'' s.v. compares with תָרוֹן, mountaineer; Furst, ''Hebrews Handworterbuch,'' s.v., makes it signify ''Enlightener,'' from an obsolete root אָתִר = אוֹר, ''To Shine.'' Sept., N.T., and Josephus, Ἀαρών). </p> <p> '''I.''' [[History]] . — Aaron was the eldest son of the Levite Amram by Jochebed, and the brother of Moses (&nbsp;Exodus 6:20; &nbsp;Exodus 7:7; &nbsp;Numbers 26:59); born B.C. 1742. He is first mentioned in the account of Moses' vision of the burning bush (&nbsp;Exodus 4:14), whore the latter was reminded by the Lord that Aaron possessed a high degree of persuasive readiness of speech, and could therefore speak in His name in his behalf. During the absence of Moses in [[Midian]] (B.C. 1698-1658), Aaron had married a woman of the tribe of Judah, named Elisheba (or Elizabeth), who had borne to him four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar; and Eleazar had, before the return of Moses, become the father of [[Phinehas]] (&nbsp;Exodus 6:23-25). Pursuant to an intimation from God, Aaron went into the wilderness to meet his long-exiled brother, and conduct him back to Egypt. They met and embraced each other at the Mount of [[Horeb]] (&nbsp;Exodus 4:27), B.C. 1658. When they arrived in Goshen, Aaron, who appears to have been well known to the chiefs of Israel, introduced his brother to them, and aided him in opening and enforcing his great commission (&nbsp;Exodus 4:29-31). In the subsequent transactions, Aaron appears to have been almost always present with his more illustrious brother, assisting and supporting him; and no separate act of his own is recorded, although he seems to have been the actual instrument of effecting many of the miracles (&nbsp;Exodus 7:1-25; &nbsp;Exodus 19:1-25 sq.). Aaron and Hur were present on the hill from which Moses surveyed the battle which Joshua fought with the [[Amalekites]] (&nbsp;Exodus 17:10-12); and these two long sustained the weary hands upon whose uplifting (in order to extend the official rod, rather than in prayer, see ver. 9) the fate of the battle was found to depend. Afterward, when Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the tables of the law, Aaron, with his sons and seventy of the elders, accompanied him part of the way up, and were permitted to behold afar off the symbol of the [[Sacred]] [[Presence]] (&nbsp;Exodus 24:1-2; &nbsp;Exodus 24:9-11). During the absence of Moses in the mountain the people seem to have looked upon Aaron as their head, and an occasion arose which fully vindicates the divine preference of Moses by showing that, notwithstanding the seniority and greater eloquence of Aaron, he wanted the high qualities which were essential in the leader of the Israelites (see Niemeyer, ''Charakt.'' 3, 238 sq.). The people at length concluded that Moses had perished in the fire that gleamed upon the mountain's top, and, gathering around Aaron, clamorosly demanded that he should provide them with a visible symbolic image of their God, that they might worship him as other gods were worshipped (&nbsp;Exodus 32:1-35). [[Either]] through fear or ignorance, Aaron complied with their demand; and with the ornaments of gold which they freely offered, cast the figure of a calf (see Kitto's ''Daily Bible Illust.'' in loc.). (See Calf). </p> <p> However, to fix the meaning of this image as a symbol of the true God, Aaron was careful to proclaim a feast to Jehovah for the ensuing day (see Moncaeius, ''Aaron Purgatus Sive De Vitulo Aures,'' Atreb. 1605, Franckf. 1675). At this juncture, Moses' reappearance confounded the multitude, who were severely punished for this sin. Aaron attempted to excuse himself by casting the whole blame upon the people, but was sternly rebuked by his brother, at whose earnest intercessions, however, he received the divine forgiveness (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 9:20). During this and a second absence in the mountain, Moses had received instructions regarding the ecclesiastical establishment, the tabernacle, and the priesthood, which he soon afterward proceeded to execute. (See [[Tabernacle]]); (See [[Worship]]). Under the new institution Aaron was to be high-priest, and his sons and descendants priests; and the whole tribe to which he belonged, that of Levi, was set apart as the sacerdotal or learned caste. (See Levite). Accordingly, after the tabernacle had been completed, and every preparation made for the commencement of actual service, Aaron and his sons were consecrated by Moses, who anointed them with the holy oil and invested them with the sacred garments (&nbsp;Leviticus 8:1-36; &nbsp;Leviticus 9:1-24), B.C. 1657. The high-priest applied himself assiduously to the duties of his exalted office, and during the period of nearly forty years that it was filled by him his name seldom comes under our notice. But soon after his elevation his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, were struck dead for daring, seemingly when in a state of partial inebriety, to conduct the service of God in an irregular manner, by offering incense with unlawful fire. On this occasion it was enjoined that the priests should manifest none of the ordinary signs of mourning for the loss of those who were so dear to them. To this heavy stroke Aaron bowed in silence (&nbsp;Leviticus 10:1-11). Aaron joined in, or at least sanctioned, the invidious conduct of his sister Miriam, who, after the wife of Moses had been brought to the camp by Jethro, became apprehensive for her own position, and cast reflections upon Moses, much calculated to damage his influence, on account of his marriage with a foreigner — always an odious thing, among the Hebrews. For this Miriam was struck with temporary leprosy, which brought the high-priest to a sense of his sinful conduct, and he sought and obtained forgiveness (&nbsp;Numbers 12:1-16). (See Miriam). </p> <p> Subsequently to this (apparently B.C. 1620), a formidable conspiracy was organized against Aaron and his sons, as well as against Moses, by chiefs of influence and station — Korah, of the tribe of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, of the tribe of Reuben. (See Korah). But the divine appointment was attested and confirmed by the signal destruction of the conspirators; and the next day, when the people assembled tumultuously, and murmured loudly at the destruction which had overtaken their leaders and friends, a fierce pestilence broke out among them, and they fell by thousands on the spot. When this was seen, Aaron, at the command of Moses, filled a censer with fire from the altar, and, rushing forward, arrested the plague between the living and the dead (&nbsp;Numbers 16:1-50). This was, in fact, another attestation of the divine appointment; and, for its further confirmation, as regarded Aaron and his family, the chiefs of the several tribes were required to deposit their staves, and with them was placed that of Aaron for the tribe of Levi. They were all laid up together over night in the tabernacle, and in the morning it was found that, while the other rods remained as they were, that of Aaron had budded, blossomed, and yielded the fruit of almonds. The rod was preserved in the tabernacle (comp. &nbsp;Hebrews 9:4) as an authentic evidence of the divine appointment of the Aaronic family to the priesthood — which, indeed, does not appear to have been ever afterward disputed (&nbsp;Numbers 17:1-13). Aaron was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, on account of the distrust which he, as well as his brother, manifested when the rock was stricken at Meribah (&nbsp;Numbers 20:8-13). When the host arrived at Mount Hor, in going down the [[Wady]] [[Arabah]] (See [[Exode]]), in order to [[Double]] the mountainous territory of Edom, the divine mandate came that Aaron, accompanied by his brother Moses and by his son Eleazar, should ascend to the top of that mountain in the view of all the people; and that he should there transfer his pontifical robes to Eleazar, and then die (&nbsp;Numbers 20:23-29). He was 123 years old when his career thus strikingly terminated; and his son and his brother buried him in a cavern of the mountain, B.C. 1619. (See Hor). </p> <p> The Israelites mourned for him thirty days; and on the first day of the month Ab the Jews yet hold a fast in commemoration of his death (Kitto, s.v.). The Arabs still show the traditionary site of his grave (&nbsp;Numbers 20:28; &nbsp;Numbers 33:38; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:50), which in the time of [[Eusebius]] was reputed to be situated in Petra, in the modern Wady Mousa (Onomast. s.v. Or; Am. Bib. Repos. 1838, p. 432, 640). He is mentioned in the [[Koran]] (Hottinger, Hist. Orient. p. 85 sq.), and the Rabbins have many fabulous stories relating to him (Eisenmenger, Ent. Judenth. 1:342,855,864). For Talmudical references, see Real-Encyklop. s.v. For an attempted identification with Mercury, see the Europ. Mag. 1:16. (See Moses). </p> <p> In &nbsp;Psalms 133:2, Aaron's name occurs as that of the first anointed priest. His descendants ("sons of Aaron," &nbsp;Joshua 21:4; &nbsp;Joshua 21:10; &nbsp;Joshua 21:13, etc.; poetically, "house of Aaron," &nbsp;Psalms 115:10; &nbsp;Psalms 115:12; &nbsp;Psalms 118:3, etc.) were the priesthood in general, his lineal descendants being the high- priests. (See [[Aaronite]]). Even in the time of David, these were a very numerous body (&nbsp;1 Chronicles 12:27). The other branches of the tribe of Levi were assigned subordinate sacred duties. (See Levite). For the list of the pontiffs, including those of the line of Ithamar (q.v.), to whom the office was for some reason transferred from the family of the senior Eleazar (see Josephus, Ant. v. 11, 5, 8:1, 3), but afterward restored (comp. &nbsp;1 Samuel 2:30), (See [[High-Priest]]). </p> <p> '''II.''' ''Priesthood. —'' Aaron and his sons were invested by Moses with the priestly office, which was to remain in Aaron's line forever (&nbsp;Exodus 29:1-46). This was altogether distinct from the semi-sacerdotal character with which his mere seniority in the family invested him according to patriarchal usage. The duty and right of sacrificing to God was thereafter reserved to that family exclusively. The high-priesthood was confined to the first-born in succession; and the rest of his posterity were priests, simply so called, or priests of the second order (Ernesti, De Aarone, Wittenb. 1688-9). (See [[Sacerdotal Order]]). </p> <p> '''III.''' ''Typical Character. —'' Aaron was a type of Christ (see Hylander, [[De]] Aarone summisque Judoeor. pontificibus, Messioe typis, Lond. and Goth. 1827) — not, indeed, in his personal, but in his official, character: </p> <p> '''1.''' As high-priest, offering sacrifice; </p> <p> '''2.''' In entering into the holy place on the great day of atonement, and reconciling the people to God; in making intercession for them, and pronouncing upon them the blessing of Jehovah, at the termination of solemn services; </p> <p> '''3.''' In being anointed with the holy oil by ''Effusion,'' which was pre-figurative of the Holy Spirit with which our Lord was endowed; </p> <p> '''4.''' In bearing the names of all the tribes of Israel upon his breast and upon his shoulders, thus presenting them always before God, and representing them to Him; </p> <p> '''5.''' In being the medium of their inquiring of God by Urim and Thummim, and of the communication of His will to them. But, though the offices of Aaron were typical, the priesthood of Christ is of a far higher order. Aaron's priesthood was designed as "a shadow of heavenly things," to lead the Israelites to look forward to "better things to come," when "another priest" should arise, "after the order of Melchizidek" (&nbsp;Hebrews 6:20), and who should "be constituted, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." (See Hunter, Sacred Biog. p. 282 sq.; Evans, Scrip. Biog. 3, 77; Williams, Characters of O.T. p. 97; Gordon, Christ in the [[Ancient]] Church, 1:271.) (See Priest). </p> <p> ADDENDUM FROM [[Volume]] 11: </p> <p> The following description of the ascent to his reputed tomb on Mount Hor is taken from Porter's Handbook for Syria (p. 91). See HOR. </p> <p> "Ascending the ravine from the south-eastern angle of the valley, we reach in about half an hour the plain called Sutuh Harun, which skirts the base of Mount Hor. [[Crossing]] this towards the south-east side of the peak, we find a path winding up to the summit. The ascent from the plain must be made on foot, and occupies about an hour. It is neither difficult nor dangerous if the proper track be followed, for in the steeper portions rude steps aid the pilgrim. Not far from the summit is a little platform, from which the central and culminating peak rises in broken masses, giving a peculiar character to the mountain, like — </p> <p> '''‘ Embattled towers raised by Nature's hands.'''' </p> <p> A deep cleft in the rock opens a way to the top. A little way up are the openings to subterraneous vaults with rounded arches, nearly similar to those in front of the tomb in the eastern cliff of Petra. From hence a staircase leads to the narrow platform on which the tomb stands. </p> <p> "The tomb, as it now stands, is comparatively modern; but it is composed of the ruins of a more ancient and imposing structure. Some small columns are built up in the walls, and fragments of marble and granite lie scattered around. The door is in the- outh-west corner. An ordinary cenotaph, such as met with in every part of the East — a patchwork of stone and marble — is the only thing in the interior. It is covered with a ragged pall, and garnished with the usual accompaniments — old shawls, ostrich-eggs, and a few heads;" Near the north-west angle a staircase leads down to a dark vault, partly hewn in the rock. Visitors desirous of exploring this grotto would do well to have lights in readiness. The real tomb of the high-priest is here shown at the far end of the vault. It was formerly guarded by an iron grating. The date of the building is at least prior to the time of the Crusades; for the author of the Gesta Prancorum mentions that in the time of [[Baldwin]] (A.D. 1100) an expedition was made in vallem Moysi, to Wady Musa;' and that there, on the summit of a mountain, was an oratory. Fulcher of Chartres, who also gives an account of the expedition, says he saw the chapel. It is highly probable that the spot was held sacred by the [[Christians]] before the Mohammedan Conquest. </p> <p> Aaron is commemorated as a Christian saint in the Ethiopic calendar on March 27; and his deposition on Mount Hor is assigned in early Roman martyrologies to July 1. </p>

<p> '''''âr´un''''' , sometimes pronounced '''''ar´on''''' ( אהרון , <i> ''''''ahărōn''''' </i> - S eptuagint Ἀαρών <i> '''''Aarō̇n''''' </i> , meaning uncertain: [[Gesenius]] suggests "mountaineer"; Fürst, "enlightened"; others give "rich," "fluent." Cheyne mentions Redslob's "ingenious conjecture" of <i> '''''hā'ārōn''''' </i> - "the ark" - with its mythical, priestly significance, <i> Encyclopedia Biblica </i> under the word): </p> 1. Family <p> Probably eldest son of Amram (&nbsp;Exodus 6:20 ), and according to the uniform genealogical lists (&nbsp;Exodus 6:16-20; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 6:1-3 ), the fourth from Levi. This however is not certainly fixed, since there are frequent omissions from the Hebrew lists of names which are not prominent in the line of descent. For the corresponding period from Levi to Aaron the Judah list has six names (Rth 4:18-20; 1 Ch 2). Levi and his family were zealous, even to violence (&nbsp;Genesis 34:25; &nbsp;Exodus 32:26 ), for the national honor and religion, and Aaron no doubt inherited his full portion of this spirit. His mother's name was Jochebed, who was also of the Levitical family (&nbsp;Exodus 6:20 ). Miriam, his sister, was several years older, since she was set to watch the novel cradle of the infant brother Moses, at whose birth Aaron was three years old (&nbsp;Exodus 7:7 ). </p> 2. Becomes Moses' Assistant <p> When Moses fled from Egypt, Aaron remained to share the hardships of his people, and possibly to render them some service; for we are told that Moses entreated of God his brother's coöperation in his mission to Pharaoh and to Israel, and that Aaron went out to meet his returning brother, as the time of deliverance drew near (&nbsp;Exodus 4:27 ). While Moses, whose great gifts lay along other lines, was slow of speech (&nbsp;Exodus 4:10 ), Aaron was a ready spokesman, and became his brother's representative, being called his "mouth" (&nbsp;Exodus 4:16 ) and his "prophet" (&nbsp;Exodus 7:1 ). After their meeting in the wilderness the two brothers returned together to Egypt on the hazardous mission to which Yahweh had called them (&nbsp;Exodus 4:27-31 ). At first they appealed to their own nation, recalling the ancient promises and declaring the imminent deliverance, Aaron being the spokesman. But the heart of the people, hopeless by reason of the hard bondage and heavy with the care of material things, did not incline to them. The two brothers then forced the issue by appealing directly to Pharaoh himself, Aaron still speaking for his brother (&nbsp;Exodus 6:10-13 ). He also performed, at Moses' direction, the miracles which confounded Pharaoh and his magicians. With Hur, he held up Moses hands, in order that the 'rod of God might be lifted up,' during the fight with Amalek (&nbsp;Exodus 17:10 , &nbsp;Exodus 17:12 ). </p> 3. An Elder <p> Aaron next comes into prominence when at Sinai he is one of the elders and representatives of his tribe to approach nearer to the Mount than the people in general were allowed to do, and to see the manifested glory of God (&nbsp;Exodus 24:1 , &nbsp;Exodus 24:9 , &nbsp;Exodus 24:10 ). A few days later, when Moses, attended by his "minister" Joshua, went up into the mountain, Aaron exercised some kind of headship over the people in his absence. Despairing of seeing again their leader, who had disappeared into the mystery of communion with the invisible God, they appealed to Aaron to prepare them more tangible gods, and to lead them back to Egypt (Ex 32). Aaron never appears as the strong, heroic character which his brother was; and here at Sinai he revealed his weaker nature, yielding to the demands of the people and permitting the making of the golden bullock. That he must however have yielded reluctantly, is evident from the ready zeal of his tribesmen, whose leader he was, to stay and to avenge the apostasy by rushing to arms and falling mightily upon the idolaters at the call of Moses (&nbsp;Exodus 32:26-28 ). </p> 4. High Priest <p> In connection with the planning and erection of the tabernacle ("the Tent"), Aaron and his sons being chosen for the official priesthood, elaborate and symbolical vestments were prepared for them (Ex 28); and after the erection and dedication of the tabernacle, he and his sons were formally inducted into the sacred office (Lev 8). It appears that Aaron alone was anointed with the holy oil (&nbsp;Leviticus 8:12 ), but his sons were included with him in the duty of caring for sacrificial rites and things. They served in receiving and presenting the various offerings, and could enter and serve in the first chamber of the tabernacle; but Aaron alone, the high priest, the [[Mediator]] of the Old Covenant, could enter into the Holy of Holies, and that only once a year, on the great Day of [[Atonement]] (&nbsp;Leviticus 16:12-14 ). </p> 5. [[Rebels]] Against Moses <p> After the departure of Israel from Sinai, Aaron joined his sister Miriam in a protest against the authority of Moses (Nu 12), which they asserted to be self-assumed. For this rebellion Miriam was smitten with leprosy, but was made whole again, when, at the pleading of Aaron, Moses interceded with God for her. The sacred office of Aaron, requiring physical, moral and ceremonial cleanness of the strictest order, seems to have made him immune from this form of punishment. [[Somewhat]] later (Nu 16) he himself, along with Moses, became the object of a revolt of his own tribe in conspiracy with leaders of Dan and Reuben. This rebellion was subdued and the authority of Moses and Aaron vindicated by the miraculous overthrow of the rebels. As they were being destroyed by the plague, Aaron, at Moses' command, rushed into their midst with the lighted censer, and the destruction was stayed. The Divine will in choosing Aaron and his family to the priesthood was then fully attested by the miraculous budding of his rod, when, together with rods representing the other tribes, it was placed and left overnight in the sanctuary (&nbsp;Numbers 17:1-13 ). See Aaron 'S [[Rod]] . </p> 6. Further History <p> After this event Aaron does not come prominently into view until the time of his death, near the close of the [[Wilderness]] period. Because of the impatience, or unbelief, of Moses and Aaron at Meribah (&nbsp;Numbers 20:12 ), the two brothers are prohibited from entering Canaan; and shortly after the last camp at Kadesh was broken, as the people journeyed eastward to the plains of Moab, Aaron died on Mount Hor. In three passages this event is recorded: the more detailed account in Nu 20, a second incidental record in the list of stations of the wanderings in the wilderness (&nbsp;Numbers 33:38 , &nbsp;Numbers 33:39 ), and a third casual reference (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 10:6 ) in an address of Moses. These are not in the least contradictory or inharmonious. The dramatic scene is fully presented in Nu 20: Moses, Aaron and Eleazar go up to Mount Hor in the people's sight; Aaron is divested of his robes of office, which are formally put upon his eldest living son; Aaron dies before the Lord in the Mount at the age of 123, and is given burial by his two mourning relatives, who then return to the camp without the first and great high priest; when the people understand that he is no more, they show both grief and love by thirty days of mourning. The passage in Nu 33 records the event of his death just after the list of stations in the general vicinity of Mount Hor; while Moses in Dt 10 states from which of these stations, namely, Moserah, that remarkable funeral procession made its way to Mount Hor. In the records we find, not contradiction and perplexity, but simplicity and unity. It is not within the view of this article to present modern displacements and rearrangements of the Aaronic history; it is concerned with the records as they are, and as they contain the faith of the Old [[Testament]] writers in the origin in Aaron of their priestly order. </p> 7. Priestly Succession <p> Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, and sister of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah, who bore him four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The sacrilegious act and consequent judicial death of Nadab and Abihu are recorded in Lev 10. Eleazar and Ithamar were more pious and reverent; and from them descended the long line of priests to whom was committed the ceremonial law of Israel, the succession changing from one branch to the other with certain crises in the nation. At his death Aaron was succeeded by his oldest living son, Eleazar (&nbsp;Numbers 20:28; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 10:6 ). </p>