The name Aaron may have once been equated with some old Celtic name, for it and Julius were both names of British martyrs under Diocletian's persecution, and a later Aaron was an abbot of Brittany. (History of Christian Names, Yonge, 1884)

AARON.  The elder son of Amram and his wife Jochebed; Amram again being the son of Kohath, and the grandson of Levi.  Aaron was the elder brother of Moses, by three years his senior; and, as we do not read of perils attending his infancy, it may be inferred that he was born before the promulgation of the nefarious Egyptian edicts dooming the Hebrew male children to death.  He was younger than his sister Miriam (q.v.) (Exod. vi. 16-20, 26; vii. 7; xv. 20).  When Moses, divinely called to stand forth as the deliverer of his oppressed countrymen, complained that he was "slow of speech, and of a slow tongue," and wished some other one appointed to the trying duty, God in anger repelled the objection, and said, "Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother?  I know that he can speak well."  This decided the matter, and shortly afterwards Aaron was instructed to go out and meet Moses in the wilderness.  He did so, affectionately kissing his younger brother when the two met on the Mount of God (iv. 10-16, 27).  They lost no time in gathering together the elders of Israel and intimating to them the approaching deliverance (29-31).  Before then, how long we known not, Aaron had married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, who bore him four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (vi. 23; Numb. iii. 2, etc.).  The wonder-working rod of Moses was apparently with the Divine sanction, transferred to Aaron, and is henceforth usually known as Aaron's rod (Exod. iv. 17; vii. 9, 19).  Acts of smiting with this rod brought on in succession the ten Egyptian plagues (vii. 17, 19, 20; viii. 5, etc.).  At the Red Sea Moses was directed to lift up the rod (this time called his) and the waters would be divided (xiv. 16).  Aaron and Hur supported Moses's arms while the Jewish leader prayed during the battle with Amalek (xvii. 12).  Aaron, with two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, was invited to ascend Mount Sinai a certain distance when Moses had an interview with Jehovah to receive the Law (Exod. xxiv. 1).  Afterwards he and his four sons were solemnly and with much ceremony consecrated to the priesthood after splendid vestments had been made for them to wear as their official dress (xxviii. 1-43; xl. 13-16; Levit. viii. 1-36).  Aaron had not the iron firmness of Moses in dealing with the rebellious Israelites.  Asked to make them gods, he weakly consented, and molded for them the golden calf (Exod. xxxii. 1-29).  He joined with Miriam in finding fault with Moses for having married an Ethiopian woman (Numb. xii. 1-16).  The rebellion of Korah was directed more against Aaron than Moses (xvi. 1-35) [KORAH], and it was to vindicate the exclusive right of Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood that his rod was made to bud (xvii. 1-13).  Soon afterwards he was taken by Divine direction up Mount Hor and stripped of his sacred vestments, which were transferred to his son Eleazar.  This done, he immediately died.  A mourning of the whole Israelite nation for his decease took place, and lasted thirty days (22-29). (The Sunday School Teacher's Bible Manual, Hunter, 1894)