Aaron accompanied Moses into Egypt and aided in Israel’s liberation. Aaron co-leads the tribe through the desert and performs miracles and mighty feats of faith. Aaron is no mere sidekick. Below are 6 things that you should know about this important biblical character.

Aaron was the traditional founder and head of the Israelite priesthood, who, with his brother Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt. The figure of Aaron as it is now found in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, is built up from several sources of traditions.

Who was Aaron in the Bible? Aaron is best known for his role in the exodus and for being the first of the Levitical, or Aaronic, priesthood. He was born to a family of Levites during Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and was Moses’ older brother, three years his senior (Exodus 7:7).

When Moses and Elazar returned without Aaron, “the whole congregation saw that Aaron had expired, and the entire House of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.”

He was the elder brother of Moses and Miriam. His lineage is significant as the Levites were designated as the priestly tribe in Israel. Aaron first appears in the biblical narrative when God appoints him to assist Moses in leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

He was the father of priests, the mouthpiece of a prophet, but also the consummate “number two man” of the Bible. Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, the portrait painted of Aaron reveals a multifaceted and sometimes contradictory profile that we would expect from an actual historical person.