Unlike other women in the Old Testament, such as Sarah and Rebekah,it is difficult for us as readers centuries later to fully understand her motivations. Reuel was so grateful, he decided to receive Moses as a guest in his house and offered up his daughter Zipporah to Moses to marry. what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. They said: Moses is haughty. Moses siblings, Aaron and Miriam turned against their brother because he married someone who was not from the race or culture. The Great Moses Divorced and Remarried? | Hoshana Rabbah Blog He knew God wanted his son circumcised, and Zipporah felt forced to take action. Moses and Zipporah would have been married for over 40 years by this time, and it is unlikely that Moses' siblings would just then be protesting. In another midrashic account, Jethro agreed to the marriage between Moses and Zipporah on condition that their firstborn would be an idolater (see below). Many of the patriarchs had multiple wives, and we dont know the details of their relationships. And Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have d15one foolishly and have sinned. [21] This view has been used to represent an element of the special relationship between Israeli Jews and Druze.[22]. NJAB - Who was Moses' wife? A Midianite, a Cushite, or both? After the exodus, her father, the priest of Midian (here called Jethro), comes to visit Moses, bringing Zipporah and her two sons. Zipporah noticed her husband was at risk and swiftly used a stone to cut their son's foreskin. 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. Ive already told friends about what Ive read. According toU.S. News and World Report, removing the foreskin was mandatory among Hebrews, as God had told Abraham. This is powerful, No correction Abraham is a descendant of Moses, Glad you appreciate the story. Yah will give us a new heart and blissful peace (1 Corinthians 2:9). 18, before the Giving of the Torah, which is immediately presented in the following chapters (Ex. Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah. Moses had married Zipporahone of the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midianwhen he fled from Egypt after slaying an Egyptian taskmaster (see Exod. 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. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 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. I cant tell you how much this helped me. InNum 12:1Miriamand Aaron speak against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he married, but they do not mention her name. Since modesty is appropriate for the relations between a man and his wife, how did Miriam learn of Mosess abstinence? 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. 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. While she is introduced early in Exodus, very little is said about her. Yet another exegetical tradition explains that Zipporah differed from other women in her deeds (BT Moed Katan 16b). 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? 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. 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). Moses Wife: Zipporah Or Tharbis (Adoniah)? - wearehebrew.com 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). The common assumption made is that Zipporah was Ethiopian, some even say that there is some type of biblical error. That Bloody Bridegroom (Exodus 4:2426). Vetus Rabbah 5:8). 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. Tsedaka, Benyamim, and Sharon Sullivan, eds. Why Didn't Moses Enter the Promised Land. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Moses married an Ethiopian woman who was not of Shemitic lineage, she was Hamitic (this information is only found in the book of Yasher), that is why Miriam spoke against her. She then touched Moses saying, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" 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. 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. Your question refers to Numbers 12:1 that states his mate was a Cushite, a term often used to refer to African nations. She saved his life in the night encampment when she made haste to circumcise her son. 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. Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15. After the crown was given to Moses Adoniah the former kings wife married Moses. Heres a scripture that shows that Reuel (Jethro) Zipporahs father was a Midianite. Another tradition explains that the numerical value of Kushit is the same as the Hebrew yafet mareh (beautiful). Their son did. All I ever wanted was to protect and provide for them. Did Moses Have Two Wives, Tharbis and Zipporah, or Just One? She became the mother of Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' children. 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). And not for a few months as Moses may have assumed. 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. Additionally, the midrash portrays female solidarity between Zipporah and Miriam, with the latter lending an attentive ear and even trying to help her fellow woman. Your question refers to Numbers 12:1 that states his mate was a Cushite, a term often used to refer to African nations. If youre equating marriage to sex that is not a biblical understanding. Moses and his Ethiopian wife Zipporah - Wikipedia According to the Jewish Women's Archive, when Moses killed a man in Egypt, he rushed to hide among the Midianites. Examples include the films The Ten Commandments (1956),[24] The Prince of Egypt (1998),[25] and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). Nor had I heard of the book of Jasher. The underlying aim of the midrashim that recount how Zipporahs beauty was preserved in her old age is to aggrandize Moses. His name is Midian, which made him the forefather of the Midianites. So everybody naturally assumes that she was the Ethiopian. All rights reserved. 11:27) that Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp! Zipporahs reaction to this report was: Woe to their wives. 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 Rabbis explain that Moses sent Zipporah to her fathers house in Midian only out of fear that Egyptian servitude would harm her. 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. Thank you so much for your, very much needed, information. Shalom! Unlike the human tendency to want or expect perfection in religious heroes, historic Judaism simply asked that its heroes do more good than evil. Following their appointment, all Israel kindled lamps and engaged in celebrations, rejoicing at the elders having attained their exalted status. Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. Cushites were of the ancestry of either Kush (Nubia) in northeast Africa, or Arabians. 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! To get the necessary information about how many wives Moses had, we have to study the scriptures more closely. 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. Both of these assertions are inaccurate. In conversations we have daily on the Word of God and the life of great men like Moses my questions are answered know. When Jethro saw what Moses had done, he exclaimed: This one will redeem Israel from Egypt, and therefore gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer [ed. Im a Christian and I find this very informative. Miriam: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive Zipporahis a Midianite woman who becomes the wife of Moses. Rabbah 1:32). The Bible records, "She gave birth to a son, and . But did Moses have a second wife? But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. He then planted it in the ground (Jasher 77:48) waiting for a man who was worthy to pluck it from the ground. At the age of forty, Moses killed an Egyptian he saw abusing a Hebrew. What can her life and her decisions tell believers today about the human condition? Zipporah was one of them. In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. 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 ). Much more likely is that Zipporah had died (although her death is not recorded in Scripture) and that Moses had remarried. Like many other prominent biblical characters, Zipporah is depicted in several works of art. Page from the Rylands Haggadah. Touched by Greatness Women in the Life of Moses. Losing mine has been so painful, but I know that pain will be swallowed up in Christ at some point, but for now I have to suffer it. Who Was Zipporah and What Can We Learn from Her Life? - Bible Study Tools Their parting took place on the way, following the encounter with Aaron. Exodus 4:21-26. He was instrumental in getting back the Ethiopian castle after it was abducted by Balaam the Magician and his two sons. In-laws have an impact in a relationship: Moses siblings did not like Zipporah and spoke badly about their brother because of it. The Rabbis resolve this by identifying the Cushite woman with Zipporah. Exodus 18:2-5. 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. (Viewed on May 1, 2023) . In Numbers 12 why did Moses get away with intermarriage? 17K views, 519 likes, 455 loves, 3.7K comments, 232 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from EWTN: Starting at 8 a.m.
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