Six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order in which they were born. The birth-order arrangement of the names on the two stones preserves the covenant genealogy: the order in which the sons of Jacob were born is the order in which they are carried before God. No rearrangement for theological convenience or alphabetical neatness — the birth order that Genesis records is the order engraved on the stones. The genealogical integrity of the covenant community is preserved in the priestly garment: Aaron carries the actual family of Israel before God, not an idealized or reorganized version of it.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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