Pardes, Ilana. Num. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah, a life of sexual abstinence was imposed on Moses due to his spiritual standing; this Zipporah found very difficult. A beautiful woman, she had received a special blessing that her comeliness would last her into old age. 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. 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. 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). 31 And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus. [citation needed], Moses' wife is referred to as a "Cushite woman" in Numbers 12. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Saturday, April 22, 2023 Tell us where you're. That being said I did not say Moses had sex with his Ethiopian wife in this article, they were just married. Instead, she was a married single for the rest of her life. This passage can be difficult to understand, and different thinkers and theologians have various interpretations of what happened here. Answer: Some think Moses married a woman of a different race than he was. We first meet Zipporahwho later became Moses's wifeat a well in her hometown of Midian. The Rabbis suggest that Miriam and Aaron talked about Moses having withdrawn from his wife. How did Zipporah know that Mosess life was threatened because of the circumcision? What mattered was whether the "stranger" or non-Israelite was willing to be obedient to God's laws and thus become a citizen of Israel. Gen. 17:13 states they must be circumcised [ha-yimol yimol, literally, he who is circumcised shall circumcise], from which the Rabbis deduced that only one who is circumcised may circumcise others. There is an understanding about Moses wife, which says that he was married to an Ethiopian lady. However, the stories of some of the women of the Bible continue to resonate, despite only minor appearances. As you can see above Abrahams second wife Kenturah gave birth to children and one of them was the father of the Midianites. Shalom. 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. 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. Why are you confused. It might refer to the child, for in response Zipporah cuts off her sons foreskin and thus saves his life. 11:27) that Eldad and Medad are acting the prophet in the camp! Zipporahs reaction to this report was: Woe to their wives. The most popular incident is when Moses is challenged by Aaron and Miriam, because of his marriage to an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1). Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. 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. All in all, we can't say. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. (Exodus 4:24). [4] Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in Numbers 10:29 . Dont forget to share this with someone that needs it. 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. Upon hearing her father, Zipporah immediately ran after Moses like a bird (ke-zippor, i.e., with alacrity) (Ex. Moses marries Zipporah during his time in Midian. The Bible records, "She gave birth to a son, and . 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. Jethro helped his son-in-law by encouraging him to delegate some of his responsibilities. The expression "Cushite woman" is used disparagingly against Moses because he . In the Torah, Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro, a Kenite shepherd who was a priest of Midian. After the crown was given to Moses Adoniah the former kings wife married Moses. In Gods eyes, it does not matter whether Moses' wife was a Midianite, Cushite or whatever "race" she was. Upon their return home, their father asked them, "How is it that you have come home so early today?" Some women are beautiful to others but not to their husband, and there are women who are beautiful to their husband but not to others; while Zipporah was lovely in the eyes of her husband and of everyone who beheld her (Midrash Tehillim 7:18). 1920). Zipporah did not seem to always let Moses know what she needed. Just as everyone speaks of the blackness of the Cushite, so do all proclaim the beauty of Zipporah (Tanhuma, Zav 13). Moses neglect of Zipporah is obvious, as he (not God) tells the men at Sinai not to approach any women in preparation for Gods approach in three days(Exod 19:2). It does show that both parents bore responsibility for raising their child up in alignment with Gods ordinances. Most. Ask him in to break bread (Ex. 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. Im happy you discovered something new. 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. 2:20). God hates divorce, and wants strong marriages, and communication is part of that. 2021 23 Jul The wife of Moses is named Zipporah. Zipporah found very this difficult and she Miriam, forming a bond of feminine solidarity as Miriam lent an attentive ear and tried to help. The Midianites themselves were later on depicted at times in non-Biblical sources as dark-skinned and called Kushim, a Hebrew word used for dark-skinned Africans. Moses' First Wife - Zipporah Moses was an exile. In conversations we have daily on the Word of God and the life of great men like Moses my questions are answered know. Patterson, Dorothy. 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). Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. Remember the only way to know if scripture is valid is to read it. Her right hand is to her chest. Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15. Zipporahis a Midianite woman who becomes the wife of Moses. Rabbah 2:33; Mann, Fragments from the Geniza, fragment 12, p. 95). In Hebrew, her name means "bird" or "little bird.". 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. The woman is not named. The answer is no: Moses never had more than four wives. After killing an Egyptian, Moses runs away to Midian, where he marries Zipporah, the daughter of the local priest (Exod 2:15-22). Lutzer, Erwin. This is the land that Moses dwelt in when he took refuge from Pharaoh. The two latter midrashim are based on the juxtaposition of the appointment of the seventy elders and the prophesying of Eldad and Medad (Num. in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. 11). The members of Mosess family are not mentioned in the narrative of the ten plagues and the Exodus from Egypt and reappear only in the family reunion in Ex. When Moses asked Jethro to marry his daughter Zipporah, Jethro had told him: If you accept the thing that I will tell you, then I will give her in marriage to you. Moses asked: What is this thing? To which Jethro replied: The first son born to you shall be for idolatry, and your following sons will be for Heaven. Moses accepted Jethros condition (Mehilta de-Rabbi Ishmael Masekhta de-Amalek, Yitro 1). Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. The girls answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock." Exodus 4:21-26. She then touched Moses saying, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" 18:26, when Jethro brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses in the wilderness, after she had been sent home (v. 2). 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session divorced"). in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. Have an update or correction? Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2011. Yocheved was the youngest member of the seventy souls who made up Jacob's household. What can her life and her decisions tell believers today about the human condition? The prevalent idea among the Rabbis is that a woman is qualified to perform circumcision; the fact that she herself does not require circumcision teaches that she is regarded as if she were already circumcised. This passage reveals that sometime after the exit from Egypt, Zipporah gave birth to another son named Eliezer, and was either sent back, or returned to Midian to be with her father. How did she fit in with Moses life after God called him to lead the Hebrew people? When we read the bible we see mention of the book of Jasher quoted above, which gives credence to its authority (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18). He fled from the scene of a crimehe had murdered an Egyptian for being cruel to an Israelite slave. 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). Sorry to here about the break up. God's anger led [] In a third tradition, the initiative to marry Zipporah came from Moses himself. The Rabbis raise an objection to the latter view, based on the story of Zipporah, who circumcised her own son, as is related in v. 25: she took [va-tikah] [] and she cut [va-tikhrot] []. The opponents of circumcision by women respond by vocalizing these words differently: va-takah (she caused to be taken), va-takhrat (she caused it to be cut off), implying that Zipporah did not herself circumcise the boy, but told someone else to do this for her. Well, Heavenly Father has something in store for me that I cant see right now, I have faith in that. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 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. 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!" Let us know. 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. Times 106 (1995): 203205. 5:2627): Go, say to them, Return to your tents. But you remain here with MeIsrael shall return to their wives, but you shall not return to marital relations (Tanhuma, Zav 13). Numbers 12:1 is the only passage in the Old Testament where Moses' wife is identified as a "Cushite.". An important history book to read is called The works of Josephus I, inside the book we are given more clarity. 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). 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. 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. In the midrashic presentation, Moses took them with him because he wanted them to be with the Israelites when they received the Torah (Ex. Another interpretation, however, has this danger hovering over Moses, and in order to save him, Zipporah circumcises their son. This stick was passed down until it reached Abraham, then Jacob took it. of 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. of Moses' wife. God blessed them with children. A second tradition has Jethro deciding upon Zipporahs marriage to Moses after he brought Moses into his home and came to know his qualities. 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. This passage mostly focuses on Jethro aiding Moses in getting help judging the conflicts among the tribes. "Where is he then? If we dont study then were only left with half the truth. Article 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. She became the mother of Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' children. This is problematic, since the Torah does not relate that Moses took an additional wife, nor is there any mention of children whom she borenot to mention the distastefulness of Mosess marrying a second wife while Zipporah was in her fathers house, waiting to rejoin him. After Zipporah performed the circumcision, she took the foreskin and touched his legs (v. 25). 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). Book of Numbers 12:1 states that Moses was criticized by his older siblings for having married a "Cushite woman", Aethiopissa in the Latin Vulgate Bible version. We all become responsible for our own walk with Yah when we become adults (Philippians 2:12). Thank you so much. She saved his life in the night encampment when she made haste to circumcise her son. God then left Moses alone (Exodus 4:2426). 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. God did not agree, punishing Miriam with leprosy to make an example of their bigotry and pride. Many of the patriarchs had multiple wives, and we dont know the details of their relationships. The underlying aim of the midrashim that recount how Zipporahs beauty was preserved in her old age is to aggrandize Moses. When she saw that they swallowed him until the place of circumcision, she understood the danger, took a piece of flint and cut off her sons foreskin, whereupon the destructive angels relinquished their hold on Moses (BT Nedarim 32a; Ex. After Moses kills an Egyptian, he flees from the pharaoh and settles among the Midianites, an Arab people who occupied desert areas in southern Transjordan, northern Arabia, and the Sinai. : . [19] It has been expressed by prominent Druze such as Amal Nasser el-Din[20] and Salman Tarif, who was a prominent Druze shaykh, that this makes the Druze related to the Jews through marriage. 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. Then at the age of sixty-six he went to the land of Midian and married Zipporah the Midianite. 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). 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). Some women are fit but not comely, while others are comely but not fit, while Zipporah was both beautiful and fit.
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