1-2. It states, “A Levite man tied the knot with a Levite woman, who bore him a son.” This child would later be recognized as Moses.
Unfortunately we don’t know very much about Amram, as Moses was raised by the daughter of Pharoah, after being nursed by his mother for somewhere around 2 years.
What We Know About Moses’ Father from the Bible
According to Exodus 6:18, Amram was a descendant of Kohath, one of the three Levitical clans. This would make Levi Amram’s grandfather. Exodus 6:20 further details that Amram married Jochebed, and they had two sons, Aaron and Moses. Amram lived for 137 years.
We don’t know more about Amram because Moses was raised by Pharoah’s daughter and eventually went to live in the wilderness of Midian before returning to Egpyt to free the Israelites.
We also see Amram talked about in the Book of Hebrews where the author constructs the “Hall of Faith.”
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
Hebrews 11:23
So despite not knowing much about him, the Bible tell us that he had great faith, seen most clearly in his risky attempt to save his son after Pharoah decreed all newborn boys be thrown into the Nile.
What Other Traditions Say About Amram
Moses’ dad is also depicted in other traditions that draw from the Israelites’ beginnings.
The Quran has a chapter titled Al-Imran dedicated to him. Sometimes, there’s confusion between Amram and the father of Maryam (Mary) because her father is also named Imran. Maryam is recognized as the mother of Isa (Jesus) in the Quran. The name “Mūsā bin ‘Imrān” translates to “Moses, son of Amram.”
Amram is also mentioned in other apocryphal literature like the Testament of Levi and the Book of Jubilees. According to the Book of Jubilees, Amram was among the Israelites who took the bones of Jacob’s sons according to Jacob’s blessing (excluding those of Joseph) to Canaan for burial in the cave of Machpelah.
