Gershon

According to the Torah, Gershon was the eldest of the sons of Levi, [] The Torah names Gershon's sons as Libni and Shimei. []

Textual scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations, a document originating from a group similar to that behind the Priestly source, and at a similar date. [Richard Elliott Friedman, "Who Wrote the Bible?"] According to biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the Levites—the Gershonites, the Kohathites, the Merarites, and the Aaronids. ["Peake's commentary on the Bible"] ["Jewish Encyclopedia"] In these scholars' view, "Levite" was originally just a job title, deriving from the Minaean word "lawi'u", meaning "priest", rather than the name of a tribe. [JewishEncyclopedia]

Family tree

Jochebed's position in the family tree of Gershon is uncertain. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint version of the Torah state that Jochebed was Kohath's cousin, [Exodus 6:16-20, LXX] but the Masoretic Text states that she was Kohath's sister ["New American Bible", footnote to Exodus 6:20] —Amram's aunt—although Jochebed's relationship to Levi is not explicitly stated.

Thus, according to the Septuagint, Gershon's family tree would be as follows:

while according to the masoretic text, Gershon's family tree would be as follows:

References