Compressed Genealogies

An example of a Biblical genealogy with many generations missing

Moses and Joshua were contemporaries during the exodus from Egypt. They were descendants of Levi and Joseph, two of Jacob's sons—also contemporaries. Moses was descended from Levi, and Joshua was descended from Joseph and his son Ephraim. Comparing the genealogies of Moses and Joshua, we see that all the names cannot be recorded: there would be twelve generations from Joseph to Joshua, but only four generations from Levi to Moses.

Exodus 6:16-20: ¹⁶  . . . the sons of Levi . . .: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: . . . ¹⁸  . . . the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel . . . ²⁰ And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses . . . (KJV)

Numbers 26:57-59: ⁵⁷ . . . of the Levites after their families: . . . of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: . . . ⁵⁸  . . . And Kohath begat Amram. . . . Jochebed . . . bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister. (KJV)

1 Chronicles 6:1-3: ¹ . . . Levi . . . Kohath, . . . ² . . .Amram . . . ³ And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. . . . (KJv)

1 Chronicles 23:6-13: ⁶ . . .the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari . . . ¹² The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. ¹³ The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: . . .          (KJV)

1 Chronicles 7:20-27: ²⁰ And the sons of Ephraim; . . .²²  . . . Beriah, . . . ²⁵ And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,²⁶ Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son. ²⁷ Non his son, Jehoshuah his son. . . . ²⁹ . . . the children of Joseph the son of Israel. (KJV)

Jacob
Levi	Joseph
Kohath	Ephraim
Amram	Beriah
	Raphah
	Resheph
	Telah
	Tahan
	Ladan
	Ammihud
	Elishama
	Nun
Moses	Joshua

See 2 Timothy 3:15-17 — these scriptures are "profitable for doctrine" (KJV): for teaching us how to read the Bible itself!

— Bruce