XIII. IECHEBED, DAUGHTER OF LEVI

A coincidence now presents itself in the history of Jacob’s family, very similar to that noticed in No. 3.

Levi had three sons, one of whom was Kohath [Exod. 6:16. 18. 20.] . Kohath had four sons, one of whom was Amram, the father of Moses.

Amram took to wife Jochebed, his father’s sister; and she became the mother of Moses.

Thus Amram, the grandson of Levi, was married to Jochebed, the daughter of Levi. This would seem to be improbable from disparity of age; the parties not being of the same generation.

But let us now turn to Numbers [Num. 26:59.] , and we there find, “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt.”

From this we may conclude, that Jochebed was born to Levi long after his other children; that Kohath, her brother, who was born in Canaan, was much older than herself; and this the rather, forasmuch as Levi’s sons born in Canaan were probably of a considerable age when they went to Egypt, since Jacob was then a hundred and thirty years old [Gen. 47:28.] , and Levi was one of his elder sons, his third [Gen. 29:34.] ; a child, therefore, most likely of Jacob’s youth; Joseph being actually distinguished from his elder brethren by being described as the son of Jacob’s old age [Gen. 37:3.] It would appear, therefore, to be almost certain that the difference of age between Kohath and Jochebed, his sister, must have amounted to a generation; and accordingly, that Amram of the second descent would be about coeval with Jochebed of the first. Is it possible to suppose that the short incidental notice of Jochebed being born in Egypt was introduced for the purpose of meeting the objection which might suggest itself with respect to the disparity of years of the parties in this marriage—an objection altogether of our own starting, for there is no allusion to it in the history?