Editing Aaron (section)

{{Short description|Prophet in the Abrahamic faiths}}
{{About|the biblical figure}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{primary sources|find=Aaron|find2=brother of Moses|reason=this article relies almost exclusively on the bible rather than modern scholarship|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| title              = {{Plainlist|
* Prophet
* High Priest
}}
| name               = Aaron
| image              = El sumo sacerdote Aarón (Museo del Prado) (cropped).jpg
| image_size         = 250px
| caption            = Portrait painting of Aaron by [[Joan de Joanes]], {{circa|1545|1550}}
| religion           = 
| module0            = {{infobox saint 
|child=yes
|feast_day = [[Latin Church]]: July 1<br />The Sunday before [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]] (Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Old Testament) ([[Eastern Orthodox Church]])<br />[[Maronite Church]]: September 4
|venerated_in = [[Judaism]]<br />[[Christianity]]<br />[[Islam]]<br />[[Samaritanism]]<br />[[Baháʼí Faith]]<br />[[Mormonism]]<br />[[Rastafari]]}}
| parents            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Amram]] (father)
* [[Jochebed]] (mother)
}}
| relatives          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Levi]] (grandfather)
* [[Miriam]] (sister)
* [[Moses]] (brother)
* [[Zipporah]] (sister-in-law)
* [[Gershom]] (nephew)
* [[Eliezer]] (nephew)
* [[Amminadab]] (father-in-law)
* [[Nahshon]] (brother-in-law)
}}
| spouse             = [[Elisheba]]
| native_name        = אַהֳרֹן
| birth_place        = [[Land of Goshen|Goshen]], [[Lower Egypt]], [[Ancient Egypt]]
| children           = {{Plainlist|
* [[Nadab (son of Aaron)|Nadab]]
* [[Abihu]]
* [[Eleazar]]
* [[Ithamar]]
}}
| death_place        = [[Mount Hor]], near the border of [[Edom]], [[Transjordan (region)|Transjordan]], or [[Moseroth]], near [[Edom]] (aged 123 in Jewish traditions)
| native_name_lang   = hbo
| nationality        = [[Israelite]]<br />[[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]]
| honorific prefix   = [[High Priest]]
}}

According to the [[Old Testament]] of the [[Bible]], '''Aaron'''{{refn|{{langx|he|אַהֲרֹן|ʾAhărōn}};<ref name=Olson/> {{langx|ar|هارون|Hārūn}}; {{langx|grc|label=[[Ancient Greek|Greek]] ([[Septuagint]])|[[wikt:Ἀαρών|Ἀαρών]]|Aarṓn}}; often called '''Aaron the priest''' ({{langx|he|אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן|ʾAhărōn ha-kōhēn|label=none}}).|group="note"}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛər|ən|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Aaron.wav}} {{respell|AIR|ən}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ær|ən|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Aaron (alt).wav}} {{respell|ARR|ən}})<ref>{{cite book|last=Wells|first=John C.|year=2008|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|edition=3rd|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0}}</ref> was an [[Israelite]] [[prophet]], a [[high priest]], and the elder brother of [[Moses]].<ref name=IbnHisham>{{harvnb|Ibn Hisham|1967|p=604; §=897}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus 6:16-20, 7:7|multi=yes}}</ref><ref>{{qref|7|103-156|b=yl}}</ref><ref name="qref|19|41-53|b=y">{{qref|19|41–53|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{qref|20|9–98|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{qref|28|34|b=y}}</ref> Information about Aaron comes exclusively from [[religious text]]s, such as the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[New Testament]] ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]], [[Acts]], and [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]]),<ref>({{bibleverse|Luke|1:5}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|7:40}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Hebrews 5:4, 7:11, 9:4|multi=yes}})</ref> and the [[Quran]].

The Hebrew Bible relates that, unlike Moses, who grew up in the Egyptian royal court, Aaron and his elder sister [[Miriam]] remained with their kinsmen in the [[Land of Goshen|northeastern region of the Nile Delta]]. When Moses first confronted the Egyptian king about the [[Slavery in ancient Egypt|enslavement]] of the Israelites, Aaron served as his brother's spokesman to the Pharaoh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exodus 7:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.7.1 |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> Part of the [[Law given to Moses at Sinai]] granted Aaron the priesthood for himself and his male descendants, and he became the first [[High Priest of Israel|High Priest]] of the Israelites.<ref>{{harvnb|Rockwood|2007|p=1}}</ref> [[Levite|Levitical]] priests or ''[[Kohen|kohanim]]'' are traditionally believed and [[halakha|halakhically]] required to be of direct [[Patrilineality|patrilineal descent]] from Aaron.<ref name=Leuchter2021>{{cite web|last=Mark Leuchter|first=Mark Leuchter|title=How All Kohanim Became Sons of Aaron|work=TheTorah.com|year=2021|url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/how-all-kohanim-became-sons-of-aaron|access-date=June 29, 2021}}</ref>

According to the [[Book of Numbers]], Aaron died at 123 years of age, on [[Mount Hor]], in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt.<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers 20:22, 33:38|multi=yes}}</ref> [[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]], however, places these events at [[Stations of the Exodus|Moseroth]].<ref name=jd3>{{harvnb|McCurdy|1906|p=3}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|10:6}}</ref>