Amram was a Levite who lived in Egypt during the oppressive period of Israel’s bondage. His importance is immense, as he is the patriarch of the family that produced the prophet, the high priest, and the prophetess who led the Israelites out of slavery.
🧬 Lineage and Marriage
Amram was the son of Kohath, the grandson of Levi (one of the original twelve sons of Jacob), and the nephew of Jochebed. The Bible specifically records his marriage, which kept the bloodline pure for the future leaders of the nation:
“And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.” (Exodus 6:20, KJV)
The children of Amram and Jochebed were:
- Aaron: The first High Priest of Israel, founder of the Aaronic priesthood.
- Miriam: A prophetess and the leader of the women in worship and song (Exodus 15:20, KJV).
- Moses: The great prophet and lawgiver who led Israel out of Egypt.
Amram’s family stands at the very center of the covenant history, demonstrating God’s providence in preparing leaders for pivotal moments.
👶 A Fateful Time of Birth
Amram lived during the reign of the Pharaoh who grew fearful of the multiplying Israelites and decreed that all male Hebrew babies be drowned in the river (Exodus 1:22, KJV). It was in this time of deadly peril that Amram and Jochebed gave birth to their third child, Moses.
The writer of Hebrews later praises the faith of Amram and Jochebed for their refusal to obey the wicked decree:
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” (Hebrews 11:23, KJV)
Their faith led them to secretly keep the child, and ultimately to place him in the ark of bulrushes in the river, which led to his miraculous rescue and upbringing in Pharaoh’s house. Amram’s quiet but firm defiance of the king’s commandment was the foundational act of faith that saved the deliverer of Israel.
🔑 The Exalted Legacy
Amram died at the advanced age of 137 years (Exodus 6:20, KJV), long before the great work of the Exodus took place. However, his life’s importance is not diminished, as he carried the priesthood lineage through the dark times of slavery and fathered the three individuals who established Israel’s new identity as a covenant nation under God. His name, “exalted people,” was truly fulfilled in the elevated status and divine commission given to his children.