Exodus 6:20 records the marriage of Amram and Jochebed and names the two children they had, Aaron and Moses, the men who would later lead Israel out of Egypt. It also gives Amram’s lifespan, a small genealogical detail that shows God’s plan moving through ordinary families. The verse is part of a family register spoken by the narrator of Exodus, and it introduces the parents of the two brothers who appear on the next page of the story.
Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
Exodus 6:20 (WEB)
What Exodus 6:20 Means
The verse begins with a marriage: Amram takes Jochebed, who is described as his father’s sister, as his wife. Modern readers often pause here, because such unions were later forbidden in the law of Moses. In this early setting, the text simply records the family line without commenting on the custom, and its job is to tell you who the parents were.
The second half of the verse says that Jochebed bore Aaron and Moses. Those two names were not just family names. They mark the two men God would use as his spokesman and as the first priest of Israel. The final clause gives Amram’s age at death, one hundred and thirty-seven years. That detail tells you nothing about God’s promises directly, but it places the family within the long chronology of the book.
What the verse does not promise is any specific role or outcome for these parents. It does not say that Amram and Jochebed were special in piety or that their marriage was an example to copy. It only reports who they were, and the weight of meaning comes from what their sons later do.
The Context of Exodus 6:20
Exodus is traditionally attributed to Moses, and it was written for the people of Israel after their escape from Egypt. The book opens with a growing and enslaved Israelite population, and chapter 6 is the point where God reaffirms his covenant with the patriarchs and sends Moses to Pharaoh. The genealogy in verses 14 through 25 pauses that narrative to establish the identity of Moses and Aaron before their mission begins.
Verses 17 through 23 list the sons of Levi’s three main lines, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, and then the children of Kohath’s descendants. Verse 20 sits in the middle of that register, between Kohath’s sons and the sons of Izhar. Reading it in that setting shows that the verse is not an isolated family note but part of a careful record that anchors Aaron and Moses within Levi’s tribe, which is why their later priestly and prophetic work makes sense to the first readers.
Key Phrases in Exodus 6:20
Exodus 2:1-2
1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
(WEB)
This passage tells of a Levite man and woman who have a son, and it introduces Moses’ birth in Egypt. Reading it alongside Exodus 6:20 helps you see the same parents from an earlier point in the story, when their child is hidden from Pharaoh’s decree.
Hebrews 11:23
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
(WEB)
Hebrews remembers Moses’ parents for their faith in hiding their baby, which gives a moral reading to the family whose names Exodus records. It shows how later believers understood the quiet courage of the households that Exodus 6:20 names.
A Short Prayer From Exodus 6:20
Lord, you knew the names of Amram and Jochebed long before the world noticed them, and you carried their sons into your purposes for Israel. Help me to trust your work in the ordinary places of my own life, in my home, my work and my family. When I feel that my faithfulness is small or unseen, remind me that you remember every household that belongs to you. Keep my heart steady, and let my life be a quiet place where your promises can grow. Amen.
