It therefore does not matter what was the ethnic heritage, lineage, etc. A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly: This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 22:54. 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). Zipporah found very this difficult and she Miriam, forming a bond of feminine solidarity as Miriam lent an attentive ear and tried to help. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Saturday, April 22, 2023 Tell us where you're. So, when Zipporah refused, apparently, to follow him on his divinely appointed mission to Egypt, she abandoned him, which is why Moses had dismissed, divorced or sent her back (see Exod 18:2 where we read that Moses had "sent her [Zipporah] back", Heb. Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. But where did it come from? Just as Joseph was a Hebrew, with his wife being and Egyptian, yet his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, were Israelites due to their father's line. On his journey he took Zipporah and his son Gershom, who was uncircumcised. Catholic Daily Mass - Daily TV Mass - April 22, 2023 - Facebook During his education he learned somehow that he was a Hebrew, and his sense of concern and curiosity impelled him to visit his people. He puts her in a group of what he calls "notable and sainted Ethiopians". The most common translation is that Moses sent her away, but another grammatically permissible translation is that she sent things or persons, perhaps the announcement of the victory over Amalek. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com. Moses then left the Ethiopians after forty years of ruler-ship (Jasher 76:5-12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation, 1967. The midrash explains how Moses and Zipporah could have had a son who had not been circumcised. 12). It is unclear whether she remained with Moses or returned to Midian. So that they also keep Yahs commands (John 14:21-27) and enter his kingdom too. Thank you for this! He asks him: Moses, where were you all these years? To which Moses answers: In Midian. Aaron further asks him: Who are these children and women with you? Moses replies: My wife and my sons. Aaron continued to question him: And where are you taking them? The answer: To Egypt. Aaron then tells him: We are grieving for the first ones [the Israelites who are enslaved in Egypt], and now shall we grieve for these, as well? Moses accordingly orders Zipporah: Go to your fathers house. Zipporah then departs for her fathers home, taking her two sons (Mehilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Masekhta de-Amalek, Yitro 1). 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. With the words to break bread" (implying marriage), Jethro hinted that Moses might marry one of them. Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah | Jewish Women's Archive It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. 4:2426. Vetus Moses is told that his father-in-law Jethro is coming to see you, with your wife and her two sons (Exod i8:6). Rabbah [ed. He knew God wanted his son circumcised, and Zipporah felt forced to take action. Why Didn't Moses Enter the Promised Land. 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. After the Giving of the Torah, God instructed Moses (Deut. Proud member Other shepherds arrived and drove the girls away, so that they could water their own flocks first. My wife left me, and after 5 months of wrestling with God, and much turmoil (I know there is more grieving still to be done), and a several-hour prayer last night, I woke up this morning with that song from The Prince of Egypt in my head, all Ive ever wanted. I know its an animated film and not 100% accurate (it might not even be 10% accurate, who knows), but Ive been wrestling with the fact that I covenanted to this woman, had 4 kids with her, was happier than I ever thought possible, then bam, without warning shes gone. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and Aaron opposed to the marriage. Before the Giving of the Torah, God ordered Moses to sanctify the people, and he said to them (Ex. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Yocheved - Chabad.org She was born at the very moment when Jacob and his entire household, Levi and his wife among them, had just entered the gates of Egypt. Moses siblings, Aaron and Miriam turned against their brother because he married someone who was not from the race or culture. The midrash discloses that the existence of normal marital relations is important for a woman, and constitutes a significant part of her femininity and her self-perception. The men that decided the cannon (i.e. Moses' Cushite Wife | Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament After the Giving of the Torah, a life of sexual abstinence was imposed on Moses. Did Moses Have Two Wives, Tharbis and Zipporah, or Just One? After the battle, Tharbis the Ethiopian queen made an agreement to marry Moses and he accepted. Ive read all these accounts and one time believe them to be the same but after reading Josephus to them to be two separate marriages and ladies. Its worth reading and very insightful. When Jethro invited Moses into his house, the latter entered the garden and saw the staff. 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. Lutzer, Erwin. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. The predicate of this verse is unclear. Moses therefore fled from Egypt, and arrived in Midian. After the Giving of the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Miriam: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive The Truth About Moses' Wife Zipporah - Grunge As you can see above Abrahams second wife Kenturah gave birth to children and one of them was the father of the Midianites. I havent lost my family. After Moses succeeded in taking the Israelites out of Egypt, and won a battle against Amalek, Reuel came to the Hebrew camp in the wilderness of Sinai, bringing with him Zipporah and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Regardless of which parent failed to have their son circumcised, both had to confront this choice later in life, and Gershom paid a price for that. Everything belongs to Yah. He met her during his years away from Egypt ( Exodus 2:1 ). The Great Moses Divorced and Remarried? | Hoshana Rabbah Blog However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session According to the Jewish Women's Archive, when Moses killed a man in Egypt, he rushed to hide among the Midianites. Since modesty is appropriate for the relations between a man and his wife, how did Miriam learn of Mosess abstinence? As with other major Biblical figures, the venue of the first encounter between Moses and Zipporah, his future wife, was beside a well (Ex. [3] In Exodus 2:18, Jethro is also referred to as Reuel, and in the Book of Judges (Judges 4:11) as Hobab. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2011. While she is introduced early in Exodus, very little is said about her. When the daughters of Reuel, a Midianite priest, were being harassed, Moses helped them. The expression "Cushite woman" is used disparagingly against Moses because he . Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. 19:15): Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman. All Israel withdrew from their wives, and Moses withdrew from his wife. This stick was passed down until it reached Abraham, then Jacob took it. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). [Hence, it is no longer dangerous to have him in our home.] The latter tries to help, and is punished. The Rabbis ascribe many traits to her; they considered her different than other women, in a positive sense, in both appearance and deed. The misconception is that Zipporah was Ethiopian and she was not, she was Shemitic. Moses' Kushite Wife Was Zipporah the Midianite - TheTorah.com The details of the passage are unclear and subject to debate. At some point before the exodus from Egypt, Moses sends her and the children away(Exod 18:2). Shalom! Lieberman], Ki Teze 1, reads: milah [circumcision; i.e., stages within the circumcision] u- periah). 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). Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. 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. Since he himself is apparently always in preparation for meeting with God, we can infer that he never sleeps with Zipporah. 18: . in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. "Why did you leave the man? [6] The idea that Moses separated from Zipporah could be adduced from the description of Jethro bringing Moses his wife, "after she had been sent home" ( ) in Exod. There's not a lot mentioned about her in the Bible; however, she's known for one major thing and it's a bit strange. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Moses and Zipporah did have two children and were married for decades before he went back to Egypt. Your question refers to Numbers 12:1 that states his mate was a Cushite, a term often used to refer to African nations. She and Moses have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer(Exod 18:34). Who Was Zipporah? Moses' Wife in the Bible - Bible Study Tools 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. [3] In Exodus 2:18, Jethro is also referred to as Reuel, and in the Book of Judges ( Judges 4:11) as Hobab. So everybody naturally assumes that she was the Ethiopian. Who was Moses' wife? Did Moses have more than one wife? | GotQuestions.org 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). 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. The sons of Ham, mentioned within the Book of Genesis, have been identified with nations in Africa (Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya), the Levant (Canaan), and Arabia. Their son did. what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. Answer Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. 99). Some women are beautiful in their youth but are repulsive in their old age. Being married to a person with a passion or calling can be hard: Zipporahs husband confronted the most powerful ruler in the world at the time, saw God so much he was physically changed, and led people through the wilderness for forty years. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. After killing an Egyptian, Moses runs away to Midian, where he marries Zipporah, the daughter of the local priest (Exod 2:15-22). Who was Zipporah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org The situation remains unclear to us. I trust Him. Numbers 12:1 is the only passage in the Old Testament where Moses' wife is identified as a "Cushite.". So here we see that Moses reigned over the people of Cush. 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. 11:27) that Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp! Zipporahs reaction to this report was: Woe to their wives. According to one hermeneutical position, Zipporah touched Mosess legs and said to him: Take retribution for your debt. According to another interpretive approach, she touched the legs of the angel and said: This is the culmination of your mission. A third understanding has her touching the body of the child, and only then (v. 26) He let him alone (JT Nedarim 3:9, 38b). Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses because of the beautiful woman he had married, for he had separated from the beautiful woman he married. This passage mostly focuses on Jethro aiding Moses in getting help judging the conflicts among the tribes. Zipporah, in contrast, was a Cushite in her poverty and a Cushite with regal status. More proof of Moses marriage to the Ethiopian queen Tharbis known as Adoniah in the book of Jasher can be found below: 30 So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush. 31 December 1999. 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! Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. How Many Wives Did Moses In The Bible Have - CHURCHGISTS.COM She then flings the foreskin at his feet, declaring that he ishatan damimto her(Exod 4:26). In return for her good deed, God gave Moses permission to marry her (Exodus 18:13). Throughout the Pentateuch, Moses's wife is identified as Zipporah, a Midianite woman and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:21; 3:1). And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. The Patriachs who had multiple wives never sought these wives out, except for Solomon and the results were negative in his case. Invite him for supper to break bread." He did not withdraw from his wife because she aged or because she was no longer desirable in his eyes; rather, his abstinence resulted from a divine command. There are several interesting passages about interactions between Zipporah, her husband, and her in-laws. Hopefully this article has helped clear up the questions you may have had about Moses wives. The woman is not named. That was in the year 2238 after Creation. Heres a scripture that shows that Reuel (Jethro) Zipporahs father was a Midianite. 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). This is the first time I have heard that Moses had an Ethiopian wife! And not for a few months as Moses may have assumed. a female bird. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). We are told that the Most High used what is now known as the supernatural staff of Moses to create the worlds (Jasher 77:42). Below you will see one of the sons Abraham had with his late wife Keturah. 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!" Hi I had been reading the book of yasher over Passover and Ive been finding it very interesting! They answer that just as a Cushite has different skin, Zipporah was different, since she was more comely than all other women. Most probably, the . In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. Zipporah had compassion on Moses and brought him bread and water. Rabbah 2:33; Mann, Fragments from the Geniza, fragment 12, p. 95). There are some people in the Bible whose lives we only see in bits and pieces, and Zipporah is one of those figures. 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. Many of us are familiar with Moses' wife, Zipporah. Have an update or correction? Let us know. Such heroes were and are called "the righteous." The Rabbis resolve this by identifying the Cushite woman with Zipporah. [12][bettersourceneeded], "Cushite woman" becomes in the Greek Septuagint and Aethiopissa in the Latin Vulgate Bible version (4th century). Higger], chap. God did not agree, punishing Miriam with leprosy to make an example of their bigotry and pride. Aaron goes forth to greet his brother and hugs and kisses him. Moses was that man, when he took it out the ground Reuel saw him with it, and it was at that moment he knew Moses was special, so he gave him his daughter Zipporah. Like me, they never knew about Adoniah (Tharbis). Detail of Jacob Jordaens' painting "Moses and his Ethiopian Wife Zipporah," c. 1650.
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