Amram

Amram (Hebrew עַמְרָ֜ם, friend of the Most High) (ca. 2358 AM–ca. 2495 AM) (ca. 1646 BC–ca. 1509 BC) was the first-named son of Kohath and the father of the three most famous Levites in history.

Life and family[edit]

The Bible does not give a specific date of Amram's birth. But the Bible says that Amram lived 137 years. Using this figure and also the life spans of Levi (137 years) and Kohath (133 years), Floyd Nolen Jones estimates that Amram was likely born in 2358 AM (1646 BC) and died about eighteen years prior to the Exodus of Israel.

Amram made an unusual marriage with his aunt Jochebed. This type of marriage would later be expressly forbidden by Levitical law. (Leviticus 18:12 ) They had three children, named Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. Miriam gained a reputation as a prophetess, Aaron became the first High Priest, and Moses became the first civil leader and Judge of national Israel.

A desperate measure[edit]

In 2433 AM (ca. 1571 BC), probably when Amram was 75 years old, his son Moses was born. In this year, the reigning Pharaoh had ordered that every male Hebrew child be thrown into the Nile. Amram and Jochebed hid Moses for three months, but could not hide him forever. So Jochebed prepared a wicker basket coated with tar and pitch, placed Moses into it, and set it adrift in the Nile. Amram's daughter Miriam, whom Ussher estimates was eleven years old at the time,^[1] followed the basket until the Pharaoh's daughter retrieved it, and then arranged for Jochebed to nurse her own son. (Exodus 2:1-10 ).

In fiction[edit]

Amram appears as a character probably in only one motion picture project, that being the famous Cecil B. DeMille picture The Ten Commandments. He is shown assisting his wife Jochebed in placing Moses into his wicker ark prior to setting it adrift in the Nile River. He does not appear in any scene thereafter, though he almost certainly lived to see the day when Moses had to flee from Egypt.

References[edit]

See also[edit]

• Israel
• Palestine
• Biblical calendar

v • d • e House of Levi Patriarch Levi Sons and daughter Gershon · Kohath · Merari · Jochebed Grandsons Libni · Shimi · Amram · Izhar · Hebron · Uzziel · Mahali · Mushi Fourth generation Miriam · Aaron · (Elisheba)  · Moses · (Zipporah) · Korah · Nepheg · Zichri · Mishael · Elzaphan · Zithri Fifth generation Nadab · Abihu · Eleazar · Ithamar · Gershom · Eliezer Sixth generation Phinehas · Jonathan