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. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. 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. 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? 51 And when Reuel saw the stick in the hand of Moses, he wondered at it, and he gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife. The Rabbis ascribe many traits to her; they considered her different than other women, in a positive sense, in both appearance and deed. She became the mother of Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' children. I havent broken my covenant to her, and maybe God will still honor it in the next life, and maybe she will too when her mental illnesses are then gone. Moses therefore fled from Egypt, and arrived in Midian. InNum 12:1Miriamand Aaron speak against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he married, but they do not mention her name. If the Rabbis identify the Cushite woman with Zipporah, and the word Cushite describes her positive qualities (her beauty and her deeds), what flaw did Miriam and Aaron find in her when they spoke against Moses (Num. 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. On their way, at a night encampment, The Lord met him [Moses] and tried to kill him(Exod 4:24). Page from the Rylands Haggadah. Ive already told friends about what Ive read. The Rabbis explain that Moses sent Zipporah to her fathers house in Midian only out of fear that Egyptian servitude would harm her. Everything belongs to Yah. When Jethro invited Moses into his house, the latter entered the garden and saw the staff. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? Following their appointment, all Israel kindled lamps and engaged in celebrations, rejoicing at the elders having attained their exalted status. The Bible records, "She gave birth to a son, and . [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"). Above you can see that Reuel (Jethro) was Moses father in law and the priest of Midian too. Ask him in to break bread (Ex. Pardes, Ilana. 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. That Bloody Bridegroom (Exodus 4:2426). Vetus Marriage takes hard work and clear communication from both sides: Zipporah and Moses did not always understand one another, and sometimes Moses got so caught up dealing with his responsibilities to the Hebrew people he forgot about his duties at home. After being taken in by the family of the Pharaoh, Moses grew up among the upper class in the culture, but he did become aware of his Hebrew lineage. Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. 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 . Just as everyone speaks of the blackness of the Cushite, so do all proclaim the beauty of Zipporah (Tanhuma, Zav 13). Alonso de Sandoval, 17th century Jesuit, reasoned that Zipporah and the Cushite woman was the same person, and that she was black. Im a Christian and I find this very informative. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. 12)? Once the Israelites were closer to his own land, he came to visit and brought Zipporah and the two boys with him. Zipporah had compassion on Moses and brought him bread and water. All these were the children of Keturah. She takes a flint and cuts off her sons foreskin. Zipporah may be one of the most intriguing figures in the early books of the Bible. This is the first time I have heard that Moses had an Ethiopian wife! According to the Jewish Women's Archive, when Moses killed a man in Egypt, he rushed to hide among the Midianites. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 11) with the conversation between Miriam and Aaron (chap. He then planted it in the ground (Jasher 77:48) waiting for a man who was worthy to pluck it from the ground. All in all, we can't say. When YHWH commissions Moses to return to Egypt and free the Israelites from bondage, Moses takes Zipporah with him, at least part of the way (Exod 4:20, 24-26). In the Torah, Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro, a Kenite shepherd who was a priest of Midian. All rights reserved. Later Jewish and Christian tradition . They said: Moses is haughty. The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? With the words to break bread" (implying marriage), Jethro hinted that Moses might marry one of them. Even if he got to keep his first wife concurrently with his second (from these records its a little unclear, maybe Miriam and Moses were telling Moses he should put away his Ethiopian wife who wasnt given to him in a spiritual way, and only have one wife, Zippporah, who was acquired in a spiritual manner). Im happy you discovered something new. The two latter midrashim are based on the juxtaposition of the appointment of the seventy elders and the prophesying of Eldad and Medad (Num. Jewish Women's Archive. 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. Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. 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. Moses fled to Midian, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. 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. Since he himself is apparently always in preparation for meeting with God, we can infer that he never sleeps with Zipporah. Does the Bible Condemn Using Tarot Cards? There are women who are poor, the children of the poor, who do not know how to conduct themselves when they come in contact with royalty. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. When we research the lineage of Zipporah Moses wife we see that it goes back to the Midianites. The girls answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." In the midrashic presentation, Moses took them with him because he wanted them to be with the Israelites when they received the Torah (Ex. Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of the ability of women to perform circumcision. in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. Moses was aware of Zipporahs qualities and therefore took her for a wife; she adjusted to her role as wife of the leader of the people of Israel, successfully making the transition to royalty. 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. This is something that Ive always wondered about, because when I checked the background of Moses wife I never found this to be true. God did not agree, punishing Miriam with leprosy to make an example of their bigotry and pride. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). 31 December 1999. Tsedaka, Benyamim, and Sharon Sullivan, eds. Moses defended the girls and watered their flocks. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. However, the stories of some of the women of the Bible continue to resonate, despite only minor appearances. 99). Zipporah first appeared in the Book of Exodus after Moses fled Egypt. Invite him for supper to break bread." of The ribbons in her hat resemble a cross. The story is already difficult for the narrator, who adds a comment thathatan damimrefers to circumcision. New York: 2000. The Rabbis interpret the vague wording of the verse in different ways. The situation remains unclear to us. 39). He spends several decades there before he returns to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Thank you for an extremely interesting read. With copies of The Book of Jasher in publication. The Lord has already spoken with many prophets, and with us as well, but we did not abstain from our spouses as Moses has done (Sifrei Zuta 12:1). The Torah does not specify when Zipporah left Moses, nor the reason for this parting. 18: . Its your duty to train them up in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6). This stick was passed down until it reached Abraham, then Jacob took it. The Rabbis explain that Moses never wanted to part from Zipporah and sent her to her fathers house in Midian only for fear that the Egyptian servitude would harm her. He went to Jethro and asked: "Give me your daughter Zipporah in marriage." Jethro replied: "Do you want to do to me what your ancestor Jacob did? In a third tradition, the initiative to marry Zipporah came from Moses himself. In the book of Jasher Moses was made king after the death of the Ethiopian King Kikianus death: 34 And they wished to choose on that day a man for king from the army of Kikianus, and they found no object of their choice like Moses to reign over them. He meets the seven daughters of Reuel, priest of Midian, at a well; rescues them from shepherds who are harassing them; and fills their jugs with water. Citizens born into the land were forbidden by God's law to "vex" (oppress or otherwise mistreat) those aliens around them as they, too, were at one time strangers in Egypt (Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:33). Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Moses and Zipporah did have two children and were married for decades before he went back to Egypt. But no children are ever recorded for a second wife of Moses. 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). : . I havent lost my family. Exodus 4:21-26. She saved his life in the night encampment when she made haste to circumcise her son. Now we know that Moses was married to Adoniah (Tharbis), by just simply understanding the history of Israel, we can say that Moses was married twice. 2021 23 Jul The wife of Moses is named Zipporah. Who was Moses' wife? The woman is not named. A beautiful woman, she had received a special blessing that her comeliness would last her into old age. Have an update or correction? 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. 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. There is an understanding about Moses wife, which says that he was married to an Ethiopian lady. Dont forget to share this with someone that needs it. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Saturday Or Sunday? Reuel then gave Moses Zipporah as his wife (Exodus 2:1121). 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. While the Israelites/Hebrews were captives in Egypt, Moses killed an Egyptian who was striking a Hebrew, for which offense Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. [4] Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in Numbers 10:29. [23], Zipporah is often included in Exodus-related drama. 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. Most people know that Moses had a staff which he carried when he performed the eleven miracles against Pharaoh in Egypt. There are many lessons to learn from the marriage of Moses and Zipporah about leadership, communication, and how there can be unintended consequences to zealous obedience. Like many other prominent biblical characters, Zipporah is depicted in several works of art. While most people would feel grateful when a person saves their lives, Moses didn't seem to appreciate it. [citation needed], Moses' wife is referred to as a "Cushite woman" in Numbers 12. Her words stopped the attack against Moses. Thank you!!!!! Mosess hope that his family would be present at the Giving of the Torah would nonetheless be realized, because the Torah tells of their reunion in Ex. 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. Propp, William. Zipporah was called a Cushite, meaning at least part if not all of her heritage was from Africa. To get the necessary information about how many wives Moses had, we have to study the scriptures more closely. Your children are a gift from Yah (Psalms 127:3). 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 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. So the question is, who is the Ethiopian woman that Aaron and Miriam had an issue with Moses about? 31 And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus. 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. 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. Because of the lack of context surrounding her actions, it can be easy to ignore the lessons her life provides, but there is quite a bit to be gleaned. Thank you, for this informative article. God then left Moses alone (Exodus 4:2426). (Viewed on May 1, 2023)
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