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Exodus 7:7

And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

And Moses was eighty years old,.... At this time, which is observed partly to show how long Israel had been afflicted in Egypt; for their great troubles and miseries began about the time of the birth of Moses, or a little before, as appears from the above history; and partly to show the patience and forbearance of God with the Egyptians, and how just and righteous were his judgments on them; with this perfectly agrees Stephen's account of the age of Moses, Acts 7:23 and Aaron eighty three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh; so that they were men that had had a large experience of things, and had been long training up for the service designed to be done by them; they were men of wisdom and prudence, of sedate and composed countenances, and fit to appear before a king, whose age and venerable aspect might command attention to them. Aben Ezra observes, that

"in all the Scripture there is no mention of any prophets that prophesied in their old age but these, because their excellency was greater than all the prophets.''

By this it appears that Aaron was three years older than Moses. A Jewish chronologer says {n}, that it is affirmed in an exposition of theirs, that Aaron prophesied to the Israelites in Egypt eighty years, which is making him to be a very young prophet when he first entered into the office. The Arabic writers {o} say, Miriam was at this time eighty seven, so was seven years older than Moses, and four years older than Aaron; see Exodus 2:4.


{n} Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 7. 1.
{o} Patricides, p. 26. apud Hottinger. p. 415.

 

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