Were Moses' parents alive at the time of the Exodus?

Here is some info you might find interesting.

Jocheved had the rare distinction of both entering and leaving Egypt,1 and according to tradition she actually outlived her son Moses and entered the Holy Land (at the age of 250!).

Amram lived long enough to see Moses' great-grandkids, his own great-great-grandchildren,2 and mentor Ahijah the Shilonite.3

Yours truly,

Rabbi Menachem Posner

Footnotes

Seder Olam Rabba 9.

Targum Yonatan, Exodus 6:20.

Talmud, Bava Batra 121b.

By Menachem Posner

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as managing editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

All names of persons and locations or other identifying features referenced in these questions have been omitted or changed to preserve the anonymity of the questioners.

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16 Comments

Georges Canada May 2, 2019

Could you please provide us with verses from Ha Tanakh for that claim? Thank you Reply

James Ervin Hickory, NC November 17, 2015

Exodus Egypt/Holy Land I was firmly under the opinion that no one that left Egypt entered Canaan except Caleb and Joshua. Please explain and how to verify in the Bible, King James version. Thanks Reply

Rachel Baltimore, USA January 15, 2023

in response to James Ervin:

I don't know why this question has not be answered yet, so I will tell you what I know, which is based on the Hebrew Torah.

The men who participated in the chet ha'egel (sin of the golden calf) were punished by death in the desert. The tribe of Levi did not participate, so they were not included in that accounting. Additionally, during the last year in the desert, none of the oldest men (who would have been turning 60) were killed, as a mercy from HaShem.

None of the Jewish women participated in the sin, and so were not punished.

It is through the merit of the Jewish women, and their modest behavior in Goshen, Egypt, that the first exile happened.

The men who instigated the sin of the golden calf were the "Erev Rav," hangers-on, not true converts. They encouraged the non-Leviim to join in. There were (I think) three times as many Erev Rav people as Jews.

See Exodus 31, 32. (See 12:38 for the Erev Rav). Rashi's commentary must be read, too. And Midrash. Reply

dan boston August 7, 2015

out of curiosity where is it sourced that jochebed entered canaan? i thought everyone but joshua and caleb died out in the wildreness? Reply

Stephen Weinstein Camarillo, CA, USA via chabadcamarillo.com January 17, 2023

in response to dan:

Everyone of both genders? Or just all the males? Reply

Itche brooklyn June 21, 2011

contradiction According to the Talmud you reference, Amram saw Yaakov, if so he only lived till Moshe was 24 years old. (Yaakov passed away in the year 2255; Moshe was born 2368; Amram lived 137 years) Reply

Anonymous Jerusalem, Israel July 22, 2009

Jochebed Answering: "if Jochebed lived 250 years and the affliction on Isreal was 400 years, (Gensis 15:13), Then how could she have been there for both??". The 400 years were calculated from the birth of Yitschak (Isaac). The Jews were only in Egypt 210 years, if they had stayed longer, their level of spirituality would have fallen to the point they would not have had any merit to leave.

Answering:, "Jochebed couldn't have gone to the Holy land because God killed off the entire generation that left Egypt except for Caleb and Joshua as punishment. " That decree applied only to the men and not to the women. Also not to the tribe of Levi. Reply

Paul Irvine, CA April 5, 2009

first, they were in egypt like 215 years because 430 refers to Abraham's covenant to the giving of the law.

2nd, Jochebed couldn't have gone to the Holy land because God killed off the entire generation that left Egypt except for Caleb and Joshua as punishment. Reply

Anonymous February 22, 2009

amram lived to see his great-grandkids? i just learnt in class that when g-d appeared to moshe at the burning bush, he said onchi elokai avich- im the g-d of your father and the interpretation of this is that g-d never attaches his name to a living person and therefore was relating to moshe that his father had passed away and therefore in the future when moshe protested that aharon should do the mission and not him, he wasn't able to say that his father should go. Reply

Anonymous White Bluff, TN August 15, 2008

Jochebed's entry and leaving Egypt I'm studying Jewish history and have a question regarding Rabbi Manachem Posner's statement that Jochebed, Moses's Mother, both entered into Egypt with Jacob and was among the exodus from Egypt. Sir, excuse my ignorance, but if Jochebed lived 250 years and the affliction on Isreal was 400 years, (Gensis 15:13), Then how could she have been there for both??Thanks in advance for your reply. Reply

Trenton February 28, 2008

120 years When the Bible says that mans days will be numbered to 120, it also goes on to list people living over that age including:
Noah and Shem who both lived over 600. The reference to 120 years is more likely a reference to the amount of time left before the flood was to occur. Reply

Richard Pointe Claire April 18, 2018

in response to Trenton:

Strangely enough every time I've mentioned this passage in Genesis to fellow Christians in my 45 adult years it came as a surprise to them. Nobody seems to notice this short and somewhat obscure passage. Looking into this question of life expectancy in the Bible I found that after Noah and down to Abraham it is quite noticeable how slowly the life expectancy was going down from over 900 years in the first generations after Adam to about 600 years at the time of Noah and then decreasing gradually after Noah down to Abraham (175 years) and again to Moses and Joshua (about 120 years). By the time of David old age was considered to be about 80 years.The fact that people even today can live to 112 years in the case of the Japanese man who presently holds the record and even to 116 gives not so log ago, gives credibility to God's word in Genesis. More people than ever today live beyond 100 years. To me this often overlooked and rarely discussed passage of Scripture is significant and credible Reply

Pastor John Bagwell Henderson, Nv January 20, 2008

The Bible also states that all the children of Israel above the age of 20 (except Joshua and caleb) died in the wilderness before the promised land entry. Reply

Stephen Weinstein Camarillo, CA via chabadcamarillo.com August 15, 2007

Max human age? Genesis says that human lifespan was already limited to 120 years by this time. Please explain how it is possible for someone to live 250 years after the end of Genesis. Reply

KevinKlingner Australia November 4, 2017

in response to Stephen Weinstein:

The answer to to lies in scripture and the promises God makes to his faithful children.For instance he promises that if they and we honour his word faithfully and therefore him we will not just be given a longer life though the granting of divine strength for doing so but this promise also flows to the thousands of generations of their descendants whom love,serve,honour,trust and obey him. There in lies the answer to your question.
But woe betide any who reject him and go chasing all that is sinfull and evil.
Kevin. Reply

Eric S. Kingston North Hollywood, CA March 13, 2007

Good Very interesting. Reply

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