Exodus 6:19

Study note

Setting — The narrative inserts a genealogical record during God’s revelation to Moses in Egypt, positioned between the listing of Kohath’s sons and the birth account of Amram.

The words — The Hebrew מִשְׁפְּחֹת (mishpechot) denotes "clans" or family divisions, while לְתֹלְדֹתָם (letoledotam) literally means "to their descendants" or "according to their records." These terms anchor the Levitical line to a documented familial structure rather than a loose tribal association.

The thread — The same lineage appears in Numbers 3:20, 1 Chronicles 6:19, and 1 Chronicles 23:21, though the closing phrase varies between "according to their fathers' houses" and "according to their fathers."

Why it lands — The text establishes a documented genealogical record to verify the Levitical clans before introducing the birth of Aaron and Moses. A reader must recognize that covenant promises are fulfilled through specific, recorded family lines rather than abstract tribal identities.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.