His father-in-law eventually brought Zipporah and her children to Moses, but he doesn't seem to have been happy to see her (via Jewish Women's Archive). Zipporah's father was a Midianite, which means that she was a Midianite as well. "Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah." In the Bible, women are often praised when they are obedient but they sometimes disappear from the text after giving birth or getting married. Yocheved was the youngest member of the seventy souls who made up Jacob's household. An important history book to read is called The works of Josephus I, inside the book we are given more clarity. Note that God makes no distinction between those who are Israelites and those who are "strangers" (Gentiles, aliens, sojourners, those who were not of Israel by "race") in regard to the need to offer sacrifices, the ability to receive forgiveness of sins, and even the punishment for presumptuous sins! Zipporah was one of them. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. 2 And all the children of Cush loved Moses all the days that he reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Cush were greatly afraid of him. Alonso de Sandoval, 17th century Jesuit, reasoned that Zipporah and the Cushite woman was the same person, and that she was black. Expository They believed Zipporahs ethnicity disqualified him from being Gods sole mouthpiece. Shalom. 4:2426. Vetus Whose legs did she touch? Higger], chap. Your email address will not be published. Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. In return for her good deed, God gave Moses permission to marry her (Exodus 18:13). The misconception is that Zipporah was Ethiopian and she was not, she was Shemitic. Interpretations differ on whether this Cushite woman[he] was one and the same as Zipporah, or another woman, and whether he was married to them simultaneously (which would make him a polygamist) or successively. So even though I have always hated the idea of divorce, no matter how much she drove me nuts or didnt step up to the plate when it came to our family, I patiently accepted her for who she was because she was the woman I chose, even though our relationship didnt start in Gods way, and now maybe God is rewarding me for that patience. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. [11], The Samaritan Pentateuch text refers to Moses' wife Zipporah as "Kaashet" (which translates to "the beautiful woman"), rather than "Cushit" ("black woman" or "Cushite woman"). what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. I will briefly discuss the staff of Moses because it has relevance to the marriage between Zipporah the Midianite and Moses. After God commanded Moses to return to Egypt to free the Israelites, Moses took his wife and sons and started his journey. In the Biblical account, when Moses and Zipporah were on their way to Egypt, they stayed in a night encampment, where they were in mortal danger: the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him (Ex. Some people believe that the "Cushite woman" the text referred to whom Moses married was not a second wife, but Zipporah (via My Jewish Learning). At some point, God told Moses to bring his family to Egypt in order to free his people. Zipporah found very this difficult and she Miriam, forming a bond of feminine solidarity as Miriam lent an attentive ear and tried to help. At some point before the exodus from Egypt, Moses sends her and the children away(Exod 18:2). How To Worship God: What Is Spirit And What Is Truth? Most focus on the clear teaching that Moses married Zipporah, a Midianite, during his 40 years in the wilderness (having fled from the presence of Pharaoh). 99). Moses and the latter met at the mountain of God when Moses was on his way to Egypt (Ex. 1 Now Moses' father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. I love the explanation it has answered my many questions. Parents share responsibility for raising their children: The incident at the inn where Zipporah circumcised their son is difficult to understand, especially in a modern context. How can we know which is correct? [13]:248,253254, In the Druze religion, Zipporah's father Jethro is revered as the spiritual founder, chief prophet, and ancestor of all Druze. Lockyer, Herbert. "the written Torah." Women in Scripture. 2 After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her, 3 along with her two sons. Zipporahs name, meaning bird, combined with her protection of Moses, is reminiscent of the fierce loyalty to her husband Osiris of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who is often portrayed as a bird of prey. All in all, we can't say. There are several interesting passages about interactions between Zipporah, her husband, and her in-laws. Miriam learned of this after the appointment of the seventy elders (Num. In regards to the next life, there is no marrying (Matthew 22:30), we will be resurrected in incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:54). Reuel's daughter, who became the wife of Moses ( Exodus 2:21).In consequence of the event recorded in Exodus 4:24-26, she and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when so far on the way with Moses toward Egypt, were sent back by him to her own kinsfolk, the Midianites, with whom they sojourned till Moses afterwards joined them ( 18:2-6). This criticism displeases God, who punishes Miriam with Tzaraath (often glossed as leprosy). The truth is, as you have seen throughout this article, is that this assumption is based off a lack of knowledge and thorough study of the scriptures. The Cushite Woman - Tzipporah, wife of Moses - Chabad.org Most people know that Moses had a staff which he carried when he performed the eleven miracles against Pharaoh in Egypt. This is something that Ive always wondered about, because when I checked the background of Moses wife I never found this to be true. The Israelites, too, are called Kushiim in Amos 9:7: To me, O Israelites, you are just like the Ethiopians [Kushiim], because of the difference between them and the other peoples of the earth, since they observe the commandments (Sifrei on Numbers chap. Daughter to a priest, wife of the emancipator of the Israelites from captivity and bondage in Egypt, her unique status invites many questions. Zipporahis a Midianite woman who becomes the wife of Moses. Rabbah 2:33; Mann, Fragments from the Geniza, fragment 12, p. 95). After the crown was given to Moses Adoniah the former kings wife married Moses. In a marriage, spouses should support one another and help navigate the relationship with their respective relations. 40 And he approached the stick and he looked, and behold the name of the Lord God of hosts was engraved thereon, written and developed upon the stick. 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. Most. Thank you! Zipporah was the wife of Moses. Much of the tension in their marriage is documented only after Moses began to step into his role as the liberator of the Hebrews. One is that Satan sought to kill the uncircumcised baby, and the appellation a bridegroom [hatan] of blood was given to the child himself, who thereby become a hatan (the title given to the child who undergoes circumcision). 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session How old was Zipporah when she married Moses and how many years passed They will be prophets, and they will withdraw from their wives, as my husband withdrew from me. Thus Miriam learned that Moses abstained from relations with Zipporah, and she told this to Aaron (Tanhuma, Zav 13). Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. After the battle, Tharbis the Ethiopian queen made an agreement to marry Moses and he accepted. She may be Zipporah, the known wife of Moses (Exod 2:21, 18:2), or another woman. I also came across the fact that he had been married to an Ethiopian woman and it had me looking into the relationship between the Midians and the Ethiopians. A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly: This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 22:54. Answer Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. The next documented moment in Zipporahs life came after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Your email address will not be published. 24:34, which speaks of a bill of divorce. Another view maintains that he separated from her orally (and therefore this was not a formal act of divorce) (Mehilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Masekhta de-Amalek, Yitro 1). B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2013. Strangers in the land were also commanded to observe and fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29) and additionally adhere to all God's Commandments (Exodus 12:48 - 49). 4:18): Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether [yeter], from which the Rabbis learn that Moses went to Egypt, but returned to Midian to be released from (le-hatir) his vow (Ex. The girls answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." The common assumption made is that Zipporah was Ethiopian, some even say that there is some type of biblical error. The Great Moses Divorced and Remarried? | Hoshana Rabbah Blog Touched by Greatness Women in the Life of Moses. How old was Moses wife Zipporah when she died? - Answers 99). After the exodus, her father, the priest of Midian (here called Jethro), comes to visit Moses, bringing Zipporah and her two sons. See answer (1) Best Answer Copy The Scripture is silent on Zipporah after Exodus 18, not saying whether she died or did not stay with Moses after the incident in Exodus 4:24-26. It may refer to the African country of Cush (see Gen 10:6; 1 Chr 1:8) or to Midian, the region east of the Gulf of Aqabah from which Zipporah came (see Exod 3:1, 18:1; Hab 3:7). Josephus was a devout Jew, who lived just after the death of the Messiah, he had knowledge of all the historical information about Israel. Her right hand is to her chest. She saved his life in the night encampment when she made haste to circumcise her son. I bless you for the information and now i have an greater understanding of the life of Moses and his wifes. One day while he sat by a well, Reuel's daughters came to water their father's flocks. Race of Moses' Wife - Bible Study Moses defended the girls and watered their flocks. The Rabbis sought to elicit the nature of the parting between Moses and Zipporah from the wording after she had been sent home [shiluheha]. According to one opinion, Moses divorced her, with a writ of divorce, since shiluah also appears in Deut. We all become responsible for our own walk with Yah when we become adults (Philippians 2:12). 2021 23 Jul The wife of Moses is named Zipporah. Moses - Years and deeds | Britannica ", Reuel asked them. Then at the age of sixty-six he went to the land of Midian and married Zipporah the Midianite. Moses marries Zipporah during his time in Midian. Zipporah: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive 4:20 relates that Moses took Zipporah and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when he returned to Egypt, and describes an incident that occurred on their journey in the night encampment. After 10 years, she turned to her father and said: "This Hebrew who has been jailed in the pit for the past 10 years, nobody has come around asking for him. [5] The word that makes this difficult is shelucheiha, the sendings [away] of her (Ex. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. A beautiful woman, she had received a special blessing that her comeliness would last her into old age. On the road, they stayed at an inn, where God came to kill Moses. This teaches that at some point Zipporah and her sons had been sent back to Midian, where they stayed with Jethro until he brought them to Moses in the wilderness. Zipporah first appeared in the Book of Exodus after Moses fled Egypt. Her words stopped the attack against Moses. The main plot of Zipporah's cryptic story, which contains a few large holes, is this: Moses, a fugitive from Egypt, where he killed a man for abusing a Hebrew slave, happens upon the seven. After having performed this rite, Zipporah says (v. 26): A bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision [la-mulot, in the plural], from which the Rabbis deduced two elements of the circumcision procedure: periah (uncovering the corona) and zizin (the shreds of the corona, that invalidate the circumcision) (JT Nedarim 3:9, 38b; Deut. Rabbah 5:8). If you havent read the apocrypha (It fills the gap between Malachi and Matthew), the book of Maccabees within it will shed light on the Romans conquest over Israel. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. It explains the wars that Moses was a part of when he left Egypt. Let us know. The name Tharbis can not be found in the book of Exodus, but you can find it below in other scriptures. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. 41 And he read it and stretched forth his hand and he plucked it like a forest tree from the thicket, and the stick was in his hand. According toU.S. News and World Report, removing the foreskin was mandatory among Hebrews, as God had told Abraham. Another interpretation, however, has this danger hovering over Moses, and in order to save him, Zipporah circumcises their son. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 42 And this is the stick with which all the works of our God were performed, after he had created heaven and earth, and all the host of them, seas, rivers and all their fishes. Kadari, Tamar. 2:21). She is later reunited with Moses when her father . According to the Jewish Women's Archive, when Moses killed a man in Egypt, he rushed to hide among the Midianites. In a third tradition, the initiative to marry Zipporah came from Moses himself. 1920). Your children are a gift from Yah (Psalms 127:3). Zipporah noticed her husband was at risk and swiftly used a stone to cut their son's foreskin. Salem Media Group. Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. (Exodus 4:24). 39). 31 December 1999. In the Book of Chronicles, two of her grandsons are mentioned: Shebuel, son of Gershom; and Rehabiah, son of Eliezer (1 Chronicles 23:1617). [4] Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in Numbers 10:29 . Below is an excerpt from the Josephus works. So the question is, who is the Ethiopian woman that Aaron and Miriam had an issue with Moses about? But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. More research shows a biblical record that supports the information presented by Josephus concerning Moses war against the Ethiopians when he was the king of the Ethiopians. These scriptures should clear up any misunderstandings you may have had about these different names. 12:1 attests that Miriam and Aaron spoke against the Cushite woman whom Moses had married. The Rabbis ascribe many traits to Zipporah, whom they considered as differing from other women, in a positive sense, in both appearance and deed. According to Jewish tradition, Moses married Zipporah when she saved him from dying after God sent a burning bush to talk to him (Exodus 2:21-22). Ashby, Godfrey. Pardes, Ilana. [3] In Exodus 2:18, Jethro is also referred to as Reuel, and in the Book of Judges ( Judges 4:11) as Hobab. 45 And when Abraham had given all he had to his son Isaac, he also gave to him this stick. Purgatory vs Hell, The Truth. They then ask why she was called the Cushite woman, since she was a Midianite. 43 And when God had driven Adam from the garden of Eden, he took the stick in his hand and went and tilled the ground from which he was taken. No reason is given, just as no reason is given for the angels attack on Jacob as he came back from Mesopotamia(Gen 32:24). Sorry to here about the break up. From the day that God spoke to Moses your brother, he has not lain with me. Miriam immediately went to Aaron, and the two discussed the matter. They said: Moses is haughty. Zipporah quickly circumcised her son with a sharp stone and touched Moses' feet with the foreskin, saying "Surely you are a husband of blood to me!" Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Moses and the Kushite Woman: Classic Interpretations and Philo's Allegory, Jewish history, Jewish religion: the weight of three thousand years, "Moses and the Kushite Woman: Classic Interpretations and Philo's Allegory", "Jacob Jordaens and Moses's Ethiopian Wife", Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, "Proust's Aesthetic Analogies: Character and Painting in Swann's Way", The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, "Yvonne De Carlo, 84; Said Her "Munsters" Role Made Her Hot", Moses and the Kushite Woman: Classic Interpretations and Philos Allegory, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy, With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, Current Ummah of Islam (Ummah of Muhammad), ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zipporah&oldid=1152724917, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2019, Articles lacking reliable references from September 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo. Context matters: Why Miriam and Aaron dare rebuke Moses According to this A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash, Zipporah wanted to marry Moses, acted accordingly, and achieved her goal. 47 Also when he went down to Egypt he took it into his hand and gave it to Joseph, one portion above his brethren, for Jacob had taken it by force from his brother Esau. We are told that Moses led the Ethiopians in battle against the Magician Balaam and his two sons (Jasher 72:3,6), who had taken over the Ethiopian castle and convinced the Ethiopians to betray their original king while he was in battle. Zipporah - Wikipedia Hi I had been reading the book of yasher over Passover and Ive been finding it very interesting! And the Lord said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. Based on the Bible, there is no prohibition against what people define as different "races" from being married. The Bible does not say when Zipporah and her sons rejoined Reuel/Jethro, only that after he heard of what God did for the Israelites, he brought Moses' family to him. The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? [4] Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in Numbers 10:29. He fled from the scene of a crimehe had murdered an Egyptian for being cruel to an Israelite slave. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Moses and Zipporah did have two children and were married for decades before he went back to Egypt. 12). That was in the year 2238 after Creation. The Bible records, She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land (Exodus 2:22). Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried to the Lord, O God, please heal herplease. But the Lord said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? There is an understanding about Moses wife, which says that he was married to an Ethiopian lady. The details of the passage are unclear and subject to debate. In Marcel Proust's story Swann's Way (1913), Swann is struck by the resemblance of his eventual wife Odette to Sandro Botticellis painting of Zipporah in a Sistine Chapel fresco, and this recognition is the catalyst for his obsession with her. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. The latter understanding is based on Zipporah's declaration in the following verse (25) that you are truly a bridegroom of blood to me, which is directed to her bridegroom, Moses. Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah. Numbers 12:1 is the only passage in the Old Testament where Moses' wife is identified as a "Cushite.". The Rabbis explain that Moses sent Zipporah to her fathers house in Midian only out of fear that Egyptian servitude would harm her. Although any alien or Gentile (a term used for anyone of a race different that Israel) that was not circumcised could not partake of the yearly Passover ceremony, they still were required by law to do several things. 12)? The Torah does not specify when Zipporah left Moses, nor the reason for this parting. According to one tradition, Miriam saw that Zipporah no longer adorned herself with womens jewelry, and asked her: Why have you stopped wearing womens ornaments? Zipporah answered: Your brother no longer cares about this. Thus Miriam learned that Moses had abstained from intercourse (Sifrei on Numbers chap. Exodus 3:1 1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Page from the Rylands Haggadah. The midrash explains how Moses and Zipporah could have had a son who had not been circumcised. Zipporah was left all but divorced. Here where we see in the Book of Jasher the same history documented in the Josephus histories. of Moses' wife. Her mysterious life leaves us with more questions than answers, but it does not mean her life was not worth studying. Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? Rabbah [ed. Af and Hemah (the destructive angels of wrath and anger) came and swallowed Moses, leaving only his legs. Zipporahs enigmatic statement has two possible explanations: she flings the foreskin atMosessfeet, saying, You are a bridegroom of blood to me (NRSV), or she flings it atGodsfeet, saying, You are a blood father-in-law to me.(Damimmeans blood, andhatancan mean either bridegroom or father-in-law.) Either way, her deed and words stop the attack. Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and Aaron opposed to the marriage. Who Was Tharbis and Did Moses Marry Twice? - christianity.com Jethro helped his son-in-law by encouraging him to delegate some of his responsibilities. She and Moses have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer(Exod 18:34). What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, I have been a sojournerin a foreign land), and the name of the other, Eliezer(for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh). Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. Who Was Zipporah in the Bible - Moses' Wife Story - Crosswalk.com And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). Moses recognized this quality in her, as it is said (Num. The stick was then taken by Adam (Jasher 77:43) when he was sent out of the Garden of Eden. They had several rough patches in their marriage in part because of Moses devotion to his responsibilities. Thank you for an extremely interesting read. There are some people in the Bible whose lives we only see in bits and pieces, and Zipporah is one of those figures. 44 And the stick came down to Noah and was given to Shem and his descendants, until it came into the hand of Abraham the Hebrew. After the Giving of the Torah, a life of sexual abstinence was imposed on Moses. There, Moses met a man named Jethro and received Jethro's daughter Zipporah in marriage. He read the symbols on it, extended his hand, and took it. Moses siblings, Aaron and Miriam turned against their brother because he married someone who was not from the race or culture. Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses because of the beautiful woman he had married, for he had separated from the beautiful woman he married. They answer that just as a Cushite has different skin, Zipporah was different, since she was more comely than all other women. He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. And Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have d15one foolishly and have sinned. Required fields are marked *, 2020 We Are Hebrew | Bible Facts & Bible Notes |, 22 comments on Moses Wife: Zipporah Or Tharbis (Adoniah)?. The Bloody Bridegroom: The Interpretation of Exodus 4:2426. In the above scriptures the queen of Ethiopia took a liking to Moses because of his abilities during battle. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her son's foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. These scriptures explain where the staff of Moses came from: 38 And afterward Moses went into the garden of Reuel which was behind the house, and he there prayed to the Lord his God, who had done mighty wonders for him. 49 And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when they endeavored to get Zipporah his daughter, but they were unsuccessful. My prayers will go out to you. The law you quote is in Deuteronomy, which was not yet in existence when Moses married the Cushite - it was spoken at the very end of Moses' life (Deut 4:44-5:1). Thank you!!!!! Spare The Rod Spoil The Child: Biblical Discipline Explained, Brief Explanation Of Tharbis & Moses Marriage, 19 Old Testament Passages That Foreshadow Jesus, Prophet Like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18): 11 Likenesses To the Messiah (Jesus), Slavery Bible Verses: Transatlantic Slave Trade Explained, phenomenal woman in the bible: Examples & how to be & Find one, A Quran And Bible Comparison: Why Theyre Not The Same, Canonization Of The Bible: And What We Should Be Reading, Was The Maccabean Revolt successful? So the answer to the question, whether or not Moses married an Ethiopian has been answered, and the answer is, Yes! "Where is he then? When Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, he met Jethro's seven daughters, who were having some trouble getting enough water for their flocks ( Exodus 2 ). Zipporah was rejoined with Moses early on the Exodus (see Exodus 2:16-22; 18:2-6). I have an better understanding also who Josephus the historian is and also the book of Jasher. and to be the occasion of the great danger the Ethiopians were in, when they had before boasted of their great achievements, she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalency of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. She became the mother of Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' children. So just as Abraham's marriage could not be condemned by legal standards established centuries later, and just as you were not in 2003 required to pay taxes according to the reforms of . This exegesis explains why only one of Mosess sons was uncircumcised, and why they were not in such mortal danger immediately after his birth, but only after they had left Jethros home and were released from his vow. The last mention of Zipporah came while the Hebrews were camped in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. Many people often assume that Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses because of his marriage with Zipporah: 12 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

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