And not for a few months as Moses may have assumed. All the Women of the Bible. 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). 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. Moses marries Zipporah during his time in Midian. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, Moses and Zipporah did have two children and were married for decades before he went back to Egypt. Jewish Women's Archive. Above you can see that Reuel (Jethro) was Moses father in law and the priest of Midian too. 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). in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. 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 do trust Josephus as a historical source, but we don't know if we can corroborate everything he says. God did not agree, punishing Miriam with leprosy to make an example of their bigotry and pride. 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). Eventually Reuel the Midianite ended up with the stick after the death of Joseph. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. There, Moses met a man named Jethro and received Jethro's daughter Zipporah in marriage. 12). The name Tharbis can not be found in the book of Exodus, but you can find it below in other scriptures. Here you can see that Moses married an Ethiopian called Adoniah (Tharbis): Above Moses married his first wife the Ethiopian Adoniah (Tharbis), when he was around twenty-seven (Jasher 73:2) years old. Why are you confused. Moses defended the girls and watered their flocks. Testamentum 43 (1993): 495518. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). The Rabbis resolve this by identifying the Cushite woman with Zipporah. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Saturday, April 22, 2023 Tell us where you're. (Viewed on May 1, 2023) . Another tradition explains that the numerical value of Kushit is the same as the Hebrew yafet mareh (beautiful). Rabbah 5:5). 12:1): because of the Cushite woman he had marriedhe married her because she was a Cushite woman (Sifrei Zuta 12:1). Eventually they will walk their own path. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of the ability of women to perform circumcision. She heroically saved Moses from an attack by circumcising her son. It therefore does not matter what was the ethnic heritage, lineage, etc. He came upon the land of Midian and there he met and married one of the daughters of the local priest and stayed for 40 years. 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. Who knows, but it gives me hope to relate to Moses in this thing. 18, before the Giving of the Torah, which is immediately presented in the following chapters (Ex. In a third tradition, the initiative to marry Zipporah came from Moses himself. God then left Moses alone (Exodus 4:2426). 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. "Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah." The last time the Bible mentions Zipporah is when she is at Mount Horeb with her family, according to Daily Journal. The Rabbis interpret the vague wording of the verse in different ways. Moses then left the Ethiopians after forty years of ruler-ship (Jasher 76:5-12). Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15. The expression "Cushite woman" is used disparagingly against Moses because he . 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). [12][bettersourceneeded], "Cushite woman" becomes in the Greek Septuagint and Aethiopissa in the Latin Vulgate Bible version (4th century). Like many other prominent biblical characters, Zipporah is depicted in several works of art. Women in Scripture. 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). 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. It fills some gaps in the Bible narrative. She then touched Moses saying, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" 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. I bless you for the information and now i have an greater understanding of the life of Moses and his wifes. In Hebrew, her name means "bird" or "little bird.". [13]:248,253254, In the Druze religion, Zipporah's father Jethro is revered as the spiritual founder, chief prophet, and ancestor of all Druze. What can her life and her decisions tell believers today about the human condition? After the crown was given to Moses Adoniah the former kings wife married Moses. We would have to read it and compare, and the Spirit should lead you, Shalom. Zipporah is presented as the leaders wife, who suffers from the life of abstinence decreed for her husband. Moses marries Zipporah [ edit] Salem Media Group. The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of womens ability to perform circumcision. 2:21). Blessings to you and your family, Shalom! Zipporah was one of them. The Bible records, "She gave birth to a son, and . 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. All these were the children of Keturah. Ex. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. Below you will see one of the sons Abraham had with his late wife Keturah. Robinson, Bernard P. Zipporah to the Rescue: A Contextual Study of Exodus Are there other non-biblical Jewish texts that would cast greater light on the Old Testament (Torah)? The midrash admits that Moses abstained from intercourse with his wife from the time of the Giving of the Torah, but this was at Gods behest. 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. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/kieferpix. Moses recognized this quality in her, as it is said (Num. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). Much of the tension in their marriage is documented only after Moses began to step into his role as the liberator of the Hebrews. There are several interesting passages about interactions between Zipporah, her husband, and her in-laws. The story is definitely the same, although the name of the Cushite (Ethiopian) queen is different, it is clearly the same history being recorded. 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). 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. 39 And it was that whilst he prayed he looked opposite to him, and behold a sapphire stick was placed in the ground, which was planted in the midst of the garden. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. 46 And when Jacob had fled to Padan-aram, he took it into his hand, and when he returned to his father he had not left it behind him. Yocheved was the daughter of Levi, Jacob 's son. Behind him to his right stands his wife, a black womanpossibly Zipporah. Sorry to here about the break up. He planted the staff in the garden of his house, and no man could approach it. Therefore, one of the interpretations asserts that God was angry at Moses because his son was not circumcised, and could not be identified as a Hebrew. God hates divorce, and wants strong marriages, and communication is part of that. Its your duty to train them up in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Thank you! ", Reuel asked them. 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). 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. [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"). Following their appointment, all Israel kindled lamps and engaged in celebrations, rejoicing at the elders having attained their exalted status. When he was with Jethro, he saw how fine were her actions. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. Aaron goes forth to greet his brother and hugs and kisses him. The stick was made of Sapphire (Jasher 77:39) and not the traditional wood normally expected. When Laban gave him his daughters, Jacob deceived him and fled far away. He met her during his years away from Egypt ( Exodus 2:1 ). The last mention of Zipporah came while the Hebrews were camped in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. 45 And when Abraham had given all he had to his son Isaac, he also gave to him this stick. In a marriage, spouses should support one another and help navigate the relationship with their respective relations. No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land. Countertraditions 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. 4:24). She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com. 50 So that stick remained planted in the garden of Reuel, until he came who had a right to it and took it. Proud member Zipporah the Midianite was a descendant of Midian, Abraham's son by his third wife Keturah. what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. 4:2426. Vetus 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). Later Jewish and Christian tradition . 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. I am so excited to get this information. Thanks for the expository (article). A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly: This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 22:54. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. 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. They had several rough patches in their marriage in part because of Moses devotion to his responsibilities. There are many mysteries surrounding the episode at the end of this week's parsha when Miriam and Aaron say something to Moses with regards to the "Cushite" woman whom he had married. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 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. Her mysterious life leaves us with more questions than answers, but it does not mean her life was not worth studying. 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. The second position is that Moses was negligent regarding his sons circumcision. Now you know that Moses was in fact married to an Ethiopian, you can go and educate others. 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 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). Num. That being said I did not say Moses had sex with his Ethiopian wife in this article, they were just married. The Patriachs who had multiple wives never sought these wives out, except for Solomon and the results were negative in his case. When Jethro invited Moses into his house, the latter entered the garden and saw the staff. In return for her good deed, God gave Moses permission to marry her (Exodus 18:13).
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