Greek word · G2

Ἀαρών

aarōn

Aaron

Proper name: Aaron son of Amram, brother of Moses, the first high priest of Israel (Exod 28–29; Lev 8).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Ἀαρών (Heb. אַהֲרוֹן), indecl. (in FlJ, -ῶνος),

Aaron (Exodus 4:14, al.): Luke 1:5, Acts 7:40, Hebrews 5:4, 7:11, 9:4.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 5:4

Range of meaning

Proper name: Aaron son of Amram, brother of Moses, the first high priest of Israel (Exod 28–29; Lev 8).

Against the English

No translation issue. The question is what the name brought to mind.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 28:1; Lev 8–9; Num 16–17 (Korah's revolt and the budding staff, which Hebrews mentions in 9:4); Ps 105:26 ("Aaron, whom he had chosen"); Sirach 45:6–22.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 1:5 Ἀαρὼν of Aaron

    In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.

    Here: Moses' brother and Israel's first high priest, ancestor of every legitimate priest. Elizabeth comes from priestly stock as well as her husband.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 7:40 Ἀαρών· to Aaron;

    They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

Hebrews · 3

  1. Hebrews 5:4 Ἀαρών. Aaron.

    No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.

    Here: Moses' brother and founder of Israel's priestly line. In the stories his appointment was disputed and then confirmed by God (Num 16–17), so he is the standard example of a high priest who did not appoint himself.

  2. Hebrews 7:11 Ἀαρὼν of Aaron

    Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on this basis the people received the law), why was there still need for another priest to appear—one in the order of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron?

    Here: Moses' brother and first high priest, the father of the legitimate priestly line (Exod 28–29; Lev 8).

  3. Hebrews 9:4 Ἀαρὼν of Aaron

    containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

    Here: Moses' brother and Israel's first high priest. His name points to the line of priests that Hebrews contrasts with Christ's priesthood.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.