A, the first letter in almost all alphabets. In lebrew, it is called A leth, N, which signifies ox, irons the shape of it in the old Phenician alphabet, where it somewhat resembles the head and horns of that animal. (Plutarch. Qua.st. Sympos. ix:2; Gesenii Thcsaur. Hcb. p. I.) This Hebrew name has passed over, along with the letter itself, into the Greek Alpha. Both the Hebrews and Greeks employed the letters of their alphabets as nu merals; and A, (Ah-ph or Alpha) therefore, de noted one, the first. Hence our Lord says of him self, that he is Alpha and Omega. i. e., the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, as he hiniself explains it (Rev. i :S. ; xxi :6: xxii :13). This expression in the Old Testament was em ployed to denote the eternity of God (1s. xliv :6). The Church very early adopted these two letters as a symbol of the eternal divinity of our Lord. and used it extensively on monuments of every description, sometimes alone, but more frequently in connection with the cross and the monogram of Christ, in its various forms, as follows: A. The use of a or an before a word which began with vocal h varied at the date of the Au thorized Version (A. D. 161 t ). Thus we find a half in Exod. xxv :to, but an half in Dan. xii:7; a harp in t Chron. xxv :3. hut an harp in t Sam. xvi:t6; a hammer in Jer. xxiii :29. but an hammer in Judges iv:21 (see also Gen. xxvii ; 2 Kings i:S: 2 Kings xii :9, and Exod. xxviii :32). An is sometimes abbreviated to a and appears to have been closely related to on—"Fell a sleep" Acts vii:6o), "fell on sleep" (Acts xiii :36). In Exod, xix :IR, "Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke," means all Mount Sinai smoked. In 2 Chron.
"To set the people a work." means to set them to work. "A work" should be written with a hyphen (a-workl. "Sets it a-work."—Shakespeare.
AARON (5'ron sometimes pronounced Von), (11ch d-har-one', perhaps mountaineer or enlightener).
The eldest son of the l.evite Amram and Jochebed (Exod. vi :20: Num. xxvi :59). Ile was the brother of Moses and Miriam. being three years older than the great lawgiver (Evart and was born B. C. about t72;. which was the year before Pharaoh's edict for destroying the Hebrew male infants. and three years before his
brother ;doses (Exegl. via (1) Marriage. lie married Elisheba (or Elica heat). the daughter of Amminadah (Exod vi :231, of the tribe of Judah (Matt i•t: Luke iii :321. by whom lie had four cons. Nadah and Mau. Ream- and Ithamar The eldest two were de stroyed by fire from heaven : from the other two the race of the chief priests was continued in Israel Chron. xxiv :2 sq.).
(2) Divine Appointment. The Lord having appeared to Moses and directed him to de liver the Israelites from their oppressive bondage in Egypt, appointed Aaron to be his assistant and speaker, he being the more eloquent of the two (Exod. iv :14-t6; vii:1). Moses, having been di rected by God to return into Egypt, left Midian, where he had been (B. C. aiSS-16.48), and with his family entered upon his journey. At Mount Horeb lie met his brother Aaron, who had conic thither by a divine direction (Exod. iv:27), and after the usual salutations, and conference as to the purposes of the Almighty. the brothers prosecuted their journey to Egypt (B. C. 164S). Upon their arrival in Egypt, they called together the elders of Israel, and having announced to them the pleasure of the Almighty, to deliver the people from their bondage (Exod. iv :29-30. they presented them selves before Pharaoh, and exhibited the creden tials of their Divine mission by working several miracles in his presence.
(3) Conduct of Pharaoh. Pharaoh, however, drove them away, and for the purpose of re pressing the strong hopes of the Israelites of restoration to liberty, he ordered their laborious occupations to he greatly increased. whelmed with despair, the Hebrews bitterly corn plainer' to Moses and Aaron. who encouraged them to sustain their oppressions, and reiterated the determination of God to subdue the ob stinacy of Pharaoh, and procure the deliverance of his people (Eva& •l. In all their subsequent intercourse with Pharaoh, during which several powerful remonstrances were made. and many astonishing miracles performed, Aaron appears to have taken a very prominent part. and to have rleaded with much eloqueoce and effect the cause of the injured Hebrews (Exod. vi xiil.