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AARON

From the time Moses set out to free Israel from Egypt, Aaron his brother played an important part in

the young nation’s development. He remained in a position of influence and responsibility until the day of

his death, forty years later (Exod 7:7; Num 33:39).

Early developments

Although Aaron was three years older than Moses (Exod 7:7), he willingly accepted Moses’ supreme

leadership of the nation. He became Moses’ chief spokesman and personal assistant (Exod 4:10-16; 4:29-

30; 7:1-2,10,19; 8:5,17,25). As Moses grew in confidence, he became less dependent upon Aaron in his

public activities (Exod 9:13,22,33). Aaron, however, continued to support Moses, especially in prayer

(Exod 17:12).

Aaron was one of the privileged few who went with Moses up on to the mountain of God. He was

also one of those to whom Moses entrusted the leadership of Israel during his absence (Exod 24:1-2,9,14).

Aaron proved to be a weak leader, and was easily persuaded to build an idol as a visible symbol of the

invisible God (Exod 32:1-6,21-25). When Moses challenged the faithful to fight against this idolatry, the

men of the tribe of Levi responded. God rewarded them by promising that in the new religious order, the

Levites would be his chosen religious servants (Exod 32:26-29).

Levi was the tribe to which Moses and Aaron belonged (Exod 6:16-20). God had already told Moses

that in the new religious order, Aaron and his sons were to be the priests, with Aaron the high priest

(Exod 28:1-4). In the generations to follow, although all Levites were to be religious officials, only those

of the family of Aaron could be priests (Num 3:3-10; see LEVITE; PRIEST).

Troubles along the way

In spite of his devoted service to God, Aaron had his disappointments and failures. His two older sons

made an offering contrary to the way God had instructed them, and were punished with instant death (Lev

10:1-3). On another occasion, he and his sister Miriam showed some jealousy against Moses because of

Moses’ supreme position in Israel. When Miriam, who had led the criticism, was punished with leprosy,

Aaron confessed his wrong and asked God to heal her (Num 12:1-2,9-12).

Just as Aaron had been jealous of Moses’ position as supreme leader, so other Levites grew jealous of

Aaron’s position as high priest (Num 16:1-11). God destroyed the rebels (Num 16:31-35) and sent a

plague on the people who had supported them; but Aaron prayed for them and the plague stopped (Num

16:47-48). By the miraculous budding of Aaron’s rod, God emphasized afresh that only those of the

family of Aaron were to be priests (Num 17:1-11).

Moses and Aaron were guilty of disobedience to God when, in anger at the people’s constant

complaining, they struck the rock at Meribah. God punished them by assuring them that they would never

enter the promised land (Num 20:2,10-13). Soon after, when the journeying Israelites reached Mt Hor,

Aaron died. Before he died, however, there was a public ceremony to appoint Eleazar, Aaron’s eldest

surviving son, as the replacement high priest (Num 20:22-29).

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ABARIM

Bordering the Jordan River on its eastern side was a

region that in the south was commonly known as the

Plains of Moab. Within this region was a mountainous

area known as Abarim, which contained the prominent

peak, Mt Nebo. Israel camped on the Plains of Moab

while making final preparations to cross Jordan and

conquer Canaan. From Mt Nebo Moses viewed the land

on the other side of the river before he died (Num 33:47-

48; Deut 32:49; 34:1,7).

 

ABBA

Abba was a common word in the Aramaic and Hebrew languages, and meant ‘father’. It was a warm

and informal term used in the everyday language of family life. 

Jews of Old Testament times never used abba when addressing God, but Jesus used it when praying

to his Father (Mark 14:36). The early Christians also addressed God as Abba; for, through Christ, God

has adopted believers as his sons and made them joint heirs with Christ of his heavenly inheritance (Rom

8:15-17; Gal 4:5-6; cf. 3:26; see ADOPTION).

 

ABEL

The second son of Adam and Eve, Abel was a keeper of sheep. Like his elder brother Cain, he made

an offering to God of things God had given him (Gen 4:1-4). Abel was a righteous man (Matt 23:35), and

he offered his sacrifice in a thankful attitude of sincere faith (Gen 4:4; Heb 11:4). Cain was an

unrighteous man (1 John 3:12) and offered his sacrifice in the wrong attitude. God therefore rejected his

sacrifice (Gen 4:5; for further details see SACRIFICE).

In envy and anger, Cain killed Abel (Gen 4:8). But God gave to Adam and Eve another son, Seth,

who helped maintain the sort of faith in God that Abel had shown (Gen 4:25-26).

 

ABIATHAR

When Saul ordered the slaughter of Ahimelech and the other priests at Nob, only one person escaped,

and that was Ahimelech’s son, Abiathar (1 Sam 22:18-20). He joined David and the others who were

fleeing from Saul, and acted as priest for them (1 Sam 23:6,9; 30:7).

Later, when David became king, Abiathar and another priest, Zadok, became part of David’s royal

court (2 Sam 8:17). At the time of Absalom’s rebellion, when David was forced to flee Jerusalem, the two

priests stayed behind to become spies on David’s behalf (2 Sam 15:24-29,35; 19:11). At the time of

Adonijah’s rebellion, however, the two took different sides, Abiathar supporting Adonijah, and Zadok

supporting Solomon. Upon becoming king, Solomon promoted Zadok to chief priest, but sent Abiathar

into exile (1 Kings 1:5-8,43-45; 2:26,35).

 

ABIGAIL

Two women named Abigail are mentioned in the Bible (1 Sam 25:3; 2 Sam 17:25). The better known

of the two is the wife of the foolish farmer, Nabal. Nabal almost brought disaster upon his household by

his insulting refusal to supply David and his men with food in return for their service in protecting his

farmlands against the raiding Philistines. Only quick thinking and wise words from Abigail saved the

situation (1 Sam 25:2-35).

When Nabal unexpectedly died, David married Abigail (1 Sam 25:39-42). She became the mother of

David’s second son, Chileab (2 Sam 3:3).

 

ABIJAH (ABIJAM)

The Judean king Abijah (or Abijam) was one of several people of that name in the Bible. He was the

second king of Judah after the division of the kingdom, and reigned from 913 to 910 BC (1 Kings 15:1-2).

Abijah was not wholly loyal to Yahweh, for he tolerated false religion in Judah (1 Kings 15:3).

However, he was not as bad as his contemporary in Israel, Jeroboam, who had set up an official rival

religion in the northern kingdom. When Abijah went to war with Jeroboam, he presumed God would give

him victory because his kingdom was based on the Davidic dynasty and the Levitical priesthood (2 Chron

13:1-12). He did, in fact, defeat Jeroboam, not because God was in any way obliged to help him, but

because his soldiers fought in an attitude of genuine reliance on God (2 Chron 13:13-22).

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