Mosheh 2:

Shemot / שׁמותExodus Chapter 6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

6:1 Then YEHOVAH said to Mosheh:

Now shall you see what I will do to Paroh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.

Haftarah Shemot: Yeshayahu 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23 (A); Yirmeyahu 1:1-2:3 (S)

Brit Hadashah:- Mattityahu 22:23-33; 41-46; Markos 12:18-27; 35-37; Loukas 20:27-44; Acts 3:12-15; 5:27-32; 7:17-36; 22:12-16; 24:14-16; Ivrim 11:23-26

Parashah 14: Va'era (I appeared ) 6:2-9:35

6:2 (i) And Elohim spoke to Mosheh, and said to him, ANI YEHOVAH (יהוה):

6:3

Vaera EL-Avraham EL-Yitz'chak ve EL-Ya'akov beEL-Shadai ushemi YEHOVAH lo nodati lahem:

And I appeared to EL Avraham, EL Yitz'chak, and EL Ya'akov, as EL Almighty, but by My Name YEHOVAH (יהוה) I was not known to them.

6:4 And I have also established MY Brit with them, to give them the land of Kenaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of Benai Yisrael, whom the Mitzrites keep in bondage; and I have Zakar MY Brit.

6:6

Lakhen emor! livnei-Yisrael ANI YEHOVAH

Wherefore say to Benai Yisrael, ANI YEHOVAH (יהוה),

vehotzeti etkhem mitakhat sivlot Mitzrayim

And I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and

vehitzalti etkhem meavodatam

And I will free you from serving them

vegaalti etkhem bizroa netuyah uvishfatim gedolim:

I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgment:

6:7

Velakakhti etkhem li leAm;

And I will take you to Me for a People

vehayiti lakhem lElohim

and I will be to you a Elohim:

vidatem ki ANI YEHOVAH Eloheikhem hamotzi etkhem mitakhat sivlot Mitzrayim:

and you shall know that ANI YEHOVAH (יהוה) your Elohim, which bring you out from under the burdens of the Mitzrites.

6:8

Veheveti etkhem el-haaretz

I will bring you in to the Land

asher nasati et-yadi latet otah leAvraham leYitzchak uleYaakov

concerning, the which I did swear to give her to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and Ya'akov

venatati otah lakhem morashah

I will give her to you for a possession:

ANI YEHOVAH:

6:9 And Mosheh spoke so to Benai Yisrael: but they listened not to Mosheh for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

6:10 And YEHOVAH spoke to Mosheh, saying:

6:11 Go in, speak to Paroh Melekh of Mitzrayim, that he let Benai Yisrael go out of his land.

6:12 And Mosheh spoke before YEHOVAH (יהוה), saying: "Behold, Benai Yisrael have not listened to me; how then shall Paroh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?"

6:13

And YEHOVAH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon:

and gave them a charge to Benai Yisrael, and to Paroh Melekh of Mitzrayim, to bring Benai Yisrael out of the land of Mitzrayim.

Mosheh and Aharon's Family Record

6:14(ii)

These be the heads of their fathers' houses:

The son of Reuven Bachor Yisrael;

Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuven.

6:15 And Ben Shimeon;

Yemuel, and Yamin, and Ohad, and Yachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Kenaanitish woman: these are the families of Shimeon.

6:16 And these are the names of Ben ha Levy according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohas, and Merari: and the years of the Chayim of Levy were an hundred thirty and seven years.

6:17 Ben Gershon; Livni, and Shimi, according to their families.

6:18 And Ben Kohat; Amram, and Yitz'har, and Hevron, and Uzzi El: and the years of the Chayim of Kohas were an hundred thirty and three years.

6:19 And Ben Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levy according to their generations.

6:20 And Amram took him Yochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aharon and Mosheh: and the years of the Chayim of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

6:21 And Ben Yitz'har; Korach, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

6:22 And Ben Uzzi El; Misha El, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.

6:23 And Aharon took him Elisheva, daughter of Ammiynadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadav, and Avihu, 'El`azar, and Itamar.

6:24 And Ben Korach; Assir, and Elkanah, and Aviasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.

6:25 And 'El`azar Aharon's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Pinchas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Leviim according to their families.

6:26 These are that Aharon and Mosheh, to whom YEHOVAH (יהוה) said, Bring out Benai Yisrael from the land of Mitzrayim according to their armies.

6:27 These are they which spoke to Paroh Melekh of Mitzrayim, to bring out Benai Yisrael from Mitzrayim: these are that Mosheh and Aharon.

Mosheh and Aharon return to Paroh

6:28 And it came to pass on the day when YEHOVAH (יהוה) spoke to Mosheh in the land of Mitzrayim,

6:29(iii) That YEHOVAH (יהוה) spoke to Mosheh, saying, ANI YEHOVAH (יהוה): speak you to Paroh king of Mitzrayim all that I say to you.

6:30 And Mosheh said before YEHOVAH (יהוה), Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Paroh heed to me?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

Go to Index page

Line of the Kohanim of Yisrael

From the Shemot to the Babylonian Exile


  * Aharon, during the Shemot from Mitzrayim
  * Eleazar Ben Aharon
  * Pinchas Ben Eleazar
  * Abishua Ben Pinchas
  * Bukki Ben Abishua-ancestor of Ezra
{According to the Shomron, Bukki was preceded by Shesha, a son of Abishua and father to Bukki}.
  * Uzzi Ben Bukki
  * Eli, descendant of Itamar Ben Aharon [1]
  * Ahitub Ben Phinehas and grandson of Eli
  * AhiYah Ben Ahitub
  * Ahimelekh Ben Ahitub, High Priest during the reign of Melekh Saul
  * Abiathar Ben Ahimelech, High Priest during the reign of Melekh David and the early years of Shlomo, deposed (1 Ki 
    2:2-4). 5th Generation descendant of Eli; Deposed from office of High Priest which went to the Beit Zadok after 
    the Holy Spirit deserted Abiathar and wiyout which the Urim and Thummin could not be consulted {Yehudi 
    Encylopedia}
  * Zadok Ben Ahitub (son of AmarYah Ben Meraioth Ben ZerahYah Ben Uzzi ¡ª 1 Chr 6:6-8) of the line of 
    Eleazar, High Priest during the reign of Melekh Shlomo and the construction of the First Temple
  * Ahimaaz Ben Zadok, High Priest during the reign of Melekh Shlomo
  * AzarYah Ben Ahimaaz (during Shlomo's reign ¡ª 1 Ki 4:2)
  * Yoash Ben AzarYah
  * Yehoyariv Ben Yoash (1 Chr 9:10)
  * Yehoshafat Ben Yehoyariv
  * Yehoyada Ben Yehosafat (c. 842 - 820 BCE ¡ª 2 Ki 11:4)
  * PedYah Ben Yehoyada
  * ZedekYah Ben PedYah
  * AzarYah II Ben ZedekYah (c. 750 BCE ¡ª 2 Chr 26:17; seemingly conflated with AzarYah I in 1 Chr 6:6-8)
  * Yotham Ben AzarYah
  * UriYah Ben Yotham (c. 732 BCE ¡ª 2 Ki 16:10; cf. IsaYah 8:2)
  * AzarYah III Ben Yochanan Ben AzarYah II (c. 715 ¡ª 1 Chr 6:9, 2 Chr 31:10)
  * HoshaYah Ben AzarYah
  * The Priesthood may have failed during the 50-years' apostasy of Manasseh
  * Shallum Ben Zadok, son (or probably grandson) of Ahitub Ben AmarYah Ben AzarYah III (c. 630 -- 1 Chr 
    6:12, 2 Chr 34:22)
  * HilkYah Ben Shallum (c. 622 ¡ª 2 Ki 22:4)
  * AzarYah IV Ben HilkYah (1 Chr 6:13)
  * SerYah Ben AzarYah IV (2 Ki 25:18)


Some name Yehozadak Ben SerYah, as a high priest prior to being sent to captivity in Babylonia, which however is a 
misreading of biblical references to "Yehoshua Ben Yehozadak, the high priest." Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi) wrote that 
Yehoshua the son of Yehozadak, the [High] Priest, "does not [mean] that Yehozadak ever served in the high priesthood, for he 
was exiled to Babylon in the days of Yeconyah, as it is written: And Yehozadak went when¡ exiled etc.," but Yehoshua his son 
was the High Priest when they ascended from Babylon during the time of the Second Temple. Now why was AzarYah the 
son of SeraYah the scholar not the High Priest, but [instead] his nephew Yehoshua the son of Yehozadak? This is the reason: 
because Yehoshua ascended with Zerubbabel many days and years before Ezra ascended.


A genealogy from Aharon through Eleazar to Yehozadak can be found in 1 Chronicles, chapter 6. As in several biblical 
genealogies, some names may be omitted. Therefore it is uncertain whether high priests mentioned elsewhere (such as 
Yehoiada and Yehoiarib) are simply omitted or did not belong to the unbroken male line in this genealogy. During the later 
time of the judges, the office went to Itamar's descendants for a period, the first known and most notable high priest being 
Eli. After Abiathar was expelled, the office returned to the line of Eleazar. It is not sure whether all those mentioned in the 
genealogy between Zadok and Yehozadak were high priests. From Shlomo's time until the captivity, Yosefus names 17 
high priests, while Seder 'Olam Zuta names 19.

After the Babylonian Exile


  * Yehoshua Ben Yehozadak, ca. 515-490 BCE, after the restoration of the Temple
  * Yoiakim Ben Yehoshua, ca. 490-470 BCE
  * Eliashiv Ben Yoiakim, ca. 470-433 BCE
  * Yoiada Ben Eliashib, ca. 433-410 BCE {A son married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite for which he was driven 
    out of the Temple by NehemYah}
  * Yochanan Ben Yoyada, ca. 410-371 BCE
  * Jaddua Ben Yohanan, ca. 371-320 BCE, during the reign of Alexander the Great. Some have identified him 
    as Simeon the Just.


The five descendants of Yehoshua are mentioned in NehemYah, chapter 12, 10f. The chronology given above, based on 
Yosefus, however is not undisputed, with some alternatively placing Jaddua during the time of Darius II and some 
supposing one more Yohanan and one more Jaddua in the following time, the latter Jaddua being contemporary of 
Alexander the Great.


  * Onias I Ben Jaddua, ca. 320-280 BCE
  * Shimon I Ben Onias, ca. 280-260 BCE
  * Eleazar Ben Onias, ca. 260-245 BCE
  * Manasseh Ben Jaddua, ca. 245-240 BCE
  * Onias II Ben Shimon, ca. 240-218 BCE
  * Shimon II Ben Onias, 218-185 BCE
  * Onias III Ben Shimon, 185-175 BCE, murdered 170 BCE
  * Jason Ben Shimon 175-172 BCE
  * Menelaus 172-162 BCE
      * Onias IV Ben Onias III, fled to Egypt and built a Yehudi Temple at Leontopolis (closed in CE 66)
  * Alcimus 162-159 BCE
Inter-Sacerdotium:


It is unknown who held the position of High Priest of Yerusalem between Alcimus' death and the accession of Yonatan.
Yosefus, in Yehudi Antiquities XX.10, relates that the office was vacant for six years, but this is indeed highly unlikely, if 
not impossible. In religious terms, the High Priest was a necessary part of the rites on the Day of Atonement - a day that 
could have not been allowed to pass uncelebrated for so long so soon after the restoration of the Temple service. Politically, 
Yisrael's overlords probably would not have allowed a power vacuum to last that length of time.
In another passage (XII.10 ¡ì6, XII.11 ¡ì2) Yosefus suggests that Judas Maccabeus, the brother of Yonatan, held the 
office for three years, succeeding Alcimus. However, Judas actually predeceased Alcimus by one year. The nature of 
Yonatan's accession to the high priesthood makes it unlikely that Judas held that office during the inter-sacerdotium. 
The Yehudi Encyclopedia tries to harmonise the contradictions found in Yosefus by supposing that Judas held the office 
"immediately after the consecration of the Temple (165-162), that is, before the election of Alcimus"[3]
It has been argued that the founder of the Qumran community, the Teacher of Righteousness (Moreh Zedek), was High 
Priest (but not necessarily the sole occupant) during the inter-sacerdotium and was driven off by Yonatan. This view is 
based on sources from the Qumran, that portray the teacher as a figure of authority usually associated with the high priest, 
however, wiyout clearly spelling out names or events.

Hasmonean dynasty
  * Yonatan Apphus, 153-143 BCE
  * Simeon Tassi, brother of Yonatan Apphus, 142-134 BCE
  * John Hyrcanus I Ben Simeon Tassi 134-104 BCE
  * Aristobulus I Ben John Hyrcanus, 104-103 BCE
  * Alexander Jannaeus Ben John Hyrcanus, 103-76 BCE
  * John Hyrcanus II Ben Alexander Jannaeus, 76-66 BCE
  * Aristobulus II Ben Alexander Jannaeus, 66-63 BCE
  * John Hyrcanus II (restored) 63-40 BCE
  * Antigonus Ben Aristobulos II, 40-37 BCE
  * Aristobulus III 36 BCE-last of the Hasmoneans; paternal grandson of Aristobulus II and brother of Herord's 
    wife Mariamne (second wife of Herod).

High Priest under Herodians and Romans
  * Ananelus 37-36 BCE
  * Aristobulus III 36 BCE-last of the Hasmoneans; paternal grandson of Aristobulus II and brother of Herord's 
    wife Mariamne (second wife of Herod).
  * Ananelus (restored) 36-30 BCE
  * Yehoshua Ben Fabus 30-23 BCE
  * Shimon Ben Boethus his daugther Mariamne (third wife of Herod) married Herod the Great-the parents of Herod II was 
    the first husband ofHerodias,
  * Matthias Ben Theophilos 5-4 BCE [4]
  * Yoazar Ben Boethus 4 BCE
  * Eleazar Ben Boethus 4-3 BCE
  * Yehoshua Ben Sie 3 BCE - ?
  * Yoazar Ben Boethus ? - 6 CE
  * Ananus Ben Seth 6-15
  * Yishmael Ben Fabus 15-16
  * Eleazar Ben Ananus 16-17
  * Shimon Ben Camithus 17-18
  * Yosef Kaiafas 18-36 Son-in-law of the high priest Ananas or Annas,
  * Yonatan Ben Ananus 36-37
  * Theophilos Ben Ananus 37-41
  * Shimon Cantatheras Ben Boethus 41-43
  * Matthias Ben Ananus 43
  * Elioneus Ben Shimon Cantatheras 43-44
  * Yonatan Ben Ananus 44 (restored)
  * Yosefus Ben Camydus 44-46
  * Ananias Ben Nebedeus 46-52
  * Yonatan 52-56
  * Yishmael Ben Fabus 56-62 (restored?)
  * Yosef Cabi Ben Shimon 62-63
  * Ananus Ben Ananus 63
  * Yehoshua Ben Damneus 63
  * Yehoshua Ben Gamaliel 63-64-his wife Martha belonged to family of Boethus
  * Mattathias Ben Theophilus 65-66

During the First Yehudi-Roman War
  * Phannias Ben Samuel 67-70