Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

> From: Bryant J. Williams III [mailto:bjwvmw AT com-pair.net]
> 
> Dear Steve,
> 
> It is a good question you ask, but I do not know the answer. The text does
> not
> give the age of Levi when he entered Egypt, Jockeyed, the age of Jockeyed
> at the
> birthing of Aaron, Miriam and Moses, etc. We do know that Jacob died at
> 147 yrs
> of age. Joseph was 17 when sold into slavery into Egypt by his brothers.
> The
> question would be, "How old was Levi and the other brothers at this time?"
> I
> think that they were in their 20's, maybe 30's. 

[Steve Miller] Levi would be older than that. Joseph was 30 when he stood
before Pharoah (Gen 41:46). There were still at least the 7 years of plenty
+ 2 years of famine to go before Jacob moved to Egypt, So Joseph was at
least 39. Levi had to be at least 5 years older than Joseph (1 yr for Judah
+ 1 year for when Leah left off bearing + 1 yr for Issachar + 1 yr for
Zebulun + 1 year for Dinah.) So Levi was at least 44 when Jacob moved to
Egypt.

> Add about 70-80 years to
> when
> they would be in Egypt, then somewhere along that line of time Jockeyed is
> born
> in Egypt. The above is just speculation, The question then is, Does BAT
> have the
> meaning of "daughter," "granddaughter" or "great-granddaughter" in this
> context?
> I am more inclined with "great-granddaughter, but that is more of an
> educated
> guess than anything else.

[Steve Miller] It says "she bare her [Jochebed] to Levi in Egypt". I think
this says unambiguously that Jochebed is Levi's direct daughter, not
granddaughter. The phrase '<woman> bare to <man>' is used for an immediate
son or daughter in all the other places that it is used that I could find
(Genesis 21:3; 36:4, 12, 14). 
It would make no sense to say "whom she bare to Levi in Egypt" about Levi's
later descendant born after Levi had died. Levi's other direct children were
born before he came to Egypt, so it is noteworthy to say Jochebed was born
in Egypt. But Levi's later descendants were pretty much all born in Egypt.

The geneology of Levi -> Kohath -> Amram -> Moses is mentioned a number of
times. It also says that Amram married his father's sister (Exo 6:20).

> 
> From what I gather from the context of the passage in Numbers is that this
> is
> the Second Census/Numbering of the Children of Israel. The entire list
> gives
> tribes and families, but does not break further down. It appears that the
> since
> the tribe of Levi, not having an inheritance of land, is singled out as
> Levi,
> original head of the tribe; Amram and Jockeyed, then Moses, Aaron and
> Miriam.
> Finally, the descendents of Aaron as High Priest.
> 
> Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>
> To: "'Bryant J. Williams III'" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>;
> <steve AT voiceInWilderness.info>; "'K Randolph'" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>;
> "'B-Hebrew'" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2009 10:18 AM
> Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] Exo 12:40 430 years
> 
> 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Bryant J. Williams III
> > >
> > > Dear Steve,
> > >
> > >
> > > Twice is the emphasis placed on 430 years. This would have to mean
> from
> > > the time
> > > of "Israel (Jacob) entered Egypt to the time of departure. Verse 41 is
> > > quite
> > > emphatic about it "to the very day."
> > >
> > > Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
> > >
> > [Steve Miller] Bryant, Then how do you deal with
> >
> > Numbers 26:59  And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter
> of
> > Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram
> Aaron
> > and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
> >
> > Since Moses' mother was Levi's direct daughter, even taking that
> Jochebed
> > was born the year Levi died, and that Jochebed was 90 when she gave
> birth to
> > Moses, you can't get anywhere near 430 years.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -Steve Miller
> > Detroit
> >