[6][7][8] In the story, Aaron and Miriam criticize Moses' marriage to a Cushite woman. [26] She is the main character in Marek Halter's novel Zipporah, Wife of Moses (2005).[27]. Yocheved was the daughter of Levi, Jacob 's son. What can be understood is that Moses had not had his son circumcised eight days after his birth, neglecting his covenant responsibility as a descendent of Abraham. The next documented moment in Zipporahs life came after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Let us know. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. Expository Such heroes were and are called "the righteous." Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? Ashby, Godfrey. Most. It is unclear whether she remained with Moses or returned to Midian. God then left Moses alone (Exodus 4:2426). The story is already difficult for the narrator, who adds a comment thathatan damimrefers to circumcision. Let us know. I havent lost my family. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. I am so excited to get this information. 2:21). 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. You can see here that Tharbis is mentioned, not in the bible scriptures, but in the Josephus histories. 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. 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. Because of this pledge, Moses had to return to Midian after he had been sent to Egypt, as it is said (Ex. It does show that both parents bore responsibility for raising their child up in alignment with Gods ordinances. Jewish Women's Archive. Another exegetical tradition places Miriam next to Zipporah when Moses was told (Num. 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. Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15. Have an update or correction? She then flings the foreskin at his feet, declaring that he ishatan damimto her(Exod 4:26). New York: 2000. 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. [5] The word that makes this difficult is shelucheiha, the sendings [away] of her (Ex. But where did it come from? 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. She is also described as a practical woman capable of taking action at the right moment. With copies of The Book of Jasher in publication. There, Moses met a man named Jethro and received Jethro's daughter Zipporah in marriage. [Hence, it is no longer dangerous to have him in our home.] Mercy and compassion were to be shown to aliens. The misconception is that Zipporah was Ethiopian and she was not, she was Shemitic. Jacob was alone and wrestled with the angel all night; Moses is with his wife, who comes to his rescue. Since he himself is apparently always in preparation for meeting with God, we can infer that he never sleeps with Zipporah. "the written Torah." That was in the year 2238 after Creation. But did Moses have a second wife? It therefore does not matter what was the ethnic heritage, lineage, etc. One day while he sat by a well, Reuel's daughters came to water their father's flocks. On their way, at a night encampment, The Lord met him [Moses] and tried to kill him(Exod 4:24). This is powerful, No correction Abraham is a descendant of Moses, Glad you appreciate the story. Hi I had been reading the book of yasher over Passover and Ive been finding it very interesting! This is something that Ive always wondered about, because when I checked the background of Moses wife I never found this to be true. Behind him to his right stands his wife, a black womanpossibly Zipporah. I wouldnt call Jasher non biblical. The most popular incident is when Moses is challenged by Aaron and Miriam, because of his marriage to an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1). So the question is, who is the Ethiopian woman that Aaron and Miriam had an issue with Moses about? This article really cleared things up (so thank you ) but I was confused in regards to you saying that Adoniah and Moses consummated the marriage because in Yasher 74 :31- 38 it explains how he never had sex with her because of Exodus 34:11-16 and genesis 9:22-27. 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. I cant tell you how much this helped me. 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. Zipporah was rejoined with Moses early on the Exodus (see Exodus 2:16-22; 18:2-6). To get the necessary information about how many wives Moses had, we have to study the scriptures more closely. Well, Heavenly Father has something in store for me that I cant see right now, I have faith in that. The underlying aim of the midrashim that recount how Zipporahs beauty was preserved in her old age is to aggrandize Moses. The text does not reveal that Zipporah was the Cushite woman spoken of in Numbers 12. Are there other non-biblical Jewish texts that would cast greater light on the Old Testament (Torah)? 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). 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. [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. Have an update or correction? what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. They were also bring the commanded sacrificial offerings when they committed sins of ignorance. Moses first Marriage was to Adoniah as previously mentioned and his second marriage was to Reuel (Jethro) the Midianites daughter Zipporah. God used her to be a mother, a partner, and preserved her memory in His Word. 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. 49 And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when they endeavored to get Zipporah his daughter, but they were unsuccessful. Jewish Women's Archive. She is later reunited with Moses when her father . Some women are fit but not comely, while others are comely but not fit, while Zipporah was both beautiful and fit. Her last years and the circumstances of her death are unknown. 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. 2021 23 Jul The wife of Moses is named Zipporah. "Where is he then? Moses therefore fled from Egypt, and arrived in Midian. In the above scriptures the queen of Ethiopia took a liking to Moses because of his abilities during battle. In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. After the Giving of the Torah, God instructed Moses (Deut. 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). Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again. So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. [14][15][16][17][18] Moses was allowed to wed Zipporah after helping save Jethro's daughters and their flock from competing herdsmen. 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. Zipporah may be one of the most intriguing figures in the early books of the Bible. Zipporah, or Tzipora (/zpr, zpr/; Hebrew: , ippr, "bird"),[a] is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Reuel/Jethro, the priest and prince of Midian.[2]. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!So he let him alone. 4:2728). Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. Moses is told that his father-in-law Jethro is coming to see you, with your wife and her two sons (Exod i8:6). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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 ). And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. Thank you so much. Numbers 12:1 is the only passage in the Old Testament where Moses' wife is identified as a "Cushite.". We all become responsible for our own walk with Yah when we become adults (Philippians 2:12). Those "strangers in a strange land," the non-Israelites of another race living in the Promised Land, received the same blessings as those natural citizens who obeyed the Eternal. ", Reuel asked them. The name Tharbis can not be found in the book of Exodus, but you can find it below in other scriptures. All rights reserved. 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. 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. When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. 15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. There, Moses stood up for seven young women who were drawing water who were being driven away from the well by shepherds. Reuel's daughter, who became the wife of Moses ( Exodus 2:21).In consequence of the event recorded in Exodus 4:24-26, she and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when so far on the way with Moses toward Egypt, were sent back by him to her own kinsfolk, the Midianites, with whom they sojourned till Moses afterwards joined them ( 18:2-6). 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. 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. Ibn Ezra on Exodus 18:2 : , : ( :). 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. Its worth reading and very insightful. Also keep in mind that Jethro is also known as Reuel, you can see this in the below scriptures: 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their fathers flock. Her private life is revealed by chance when her pain bursts forth and she unfolds her feelings before Miriam. Patterson, Dorothy. 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). Like many other prominent biblical characters, Zipporah is depicted in several works of art. Many of us are familiar with Moses' wife, Zipporah. 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. in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. At the well, she met Moses, who was fleeing from Egypt and from Pharaoh's judgment after he . It is always good to study the Scriptures deeper and further. 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). Zipporah lived a fascinating life, getting to travel great distances, and being in an inter-cultural relationship. Rabbah [ed. Countertraditions Reuel then gave Moses Zipporah as his wife (Exodus 2:1121). 18:26, when Jethro brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses in the wilderness, after she had been sent home (v. 2). The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? 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). It fills some gaps in the Bible narrative. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Upon hearing her father, Zipporah immediately ran after Moses like a bird (ke-zippor, i.e., with alacrity) (Ex. Zipporah is presented as the leaders wife, who suffers from the life of abstinence decreed for her husband. Im a Christian and I find this very informative. The two latter midrashim are based on the juxtaposition of the appointment of the seventy elders and the prophesying of Eldad and Medad (Num. Lutzer, Erwin. 12)? Most people know that Moses had a staff which he carried when he performed the eleven miracles against Pharaoh in Egypt.
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