Understanding Exodus 6:20 in Depth: God's Chosen Leaders

Family Line of the Deliverer

This verse fits into a short genealogy that traces the family line from Levi to Moses and Aaron, showing how God was preparing a deliverer within a specific family line.

Right before this, the passage lists the descendants of Levi - Gershon, Kohath, and Merari - and then focuses on Kohath, whose son Amram becomes the father of Moses and Aaron. Although the people remain enslaved and Moses doubts his speaking ability, God is already revealing the family He will use.

This family record may seem like a simple detail, but it shows that God’s plan was unfolding quietly, even before Moses stepped into his role as leader.

Marriage Customs and Family Purity in Moses' Line

This verse notes that Amram married Jochebed, his father’s sister - a union that, while unusual today, was not uncommon in early biblical times and was not yet prohibited under God’s law.

Later, in Leviticus 18:12, God explicitly says, 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's relative.' This makes such marriages unlawful under the Law given through Moses himself. But at this earlier time - before the Law was given - such family marriages were part of the cultural norm, especially among clans preserving religious heritage. What’s more, this family line had to remain within Levi to maintain priestly descent, and God was protecting the spiritual lineage that would bring deliverance.

God often works through imperfect family situations to fulfill His promises.

So even though this marriage would later be restricted, God honored this family and used it to raise up Moses and Aaron - showing that He works within human customs while gradually revealing His full moral will.

God’s Plan Through Ordinary Parents

The story of Amram and Jochebed shows that God does not need famous or powerful people to fulfill His promises - only willing ones.

They were ordinary Levites living in slavery, yet God chose their family to bring forth Moses and Aaron, the leaders who would confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt.

This fits God’s pattern of using humble beginnings to display His power, like when He called Moses from a burning bush or later chose David, a young shepherd, to be king.

Moses’ Lineage and the Unfolding Promise

This genealogy is more than a list of names and ages; it quietly reminds us that God was faithfully moving history toward the promised deliverance.

Amram lived 137 years, just like his grandfather Levi (Exodus 6:16), and his father Kohath lived 133 years (Exodus 6:18) - these numbers anchor Moses’ family in the timeline of God’s covenant, stretching all the way back to Genesis 15, where God promised Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved but then delivered.

God was not just counting years - he was keeping a promise that would lead to redemption.

This steady line of life and leadership points forward to Jesus, the ultimate Deliverer, who fulfills God’s ancient promise not just to rescue a people from Egypt, but to save the world from sin.

Application