However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. He did not withdraw from his wife because she aged or because she was no longer desirable in his eyes; rather, his abstinence resulted from a divine command. Here where we see in the Book of Jasher the same history documented in the Josephus histories. 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). Zipporahs uniqueness is the subject of yet another tradition. Wm. 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. The story is definitely the same, although the name of the Cushite (Ethiopian) queen is different, it is clearly the same history being recorded. 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? She and Moses have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer(Exod 18:34). 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. Later Jewish and Christian tradition . Below you will see one of the sons Abraham had with his late wife Keturah. After the Giving of the Torah, God instructed Moses (Deut. : 247 Inspiration. At some point before the exodus from Egypt, Moses sends her and the children away(Exod 18:2). 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. In the above scriptures the queen of Ethiopia took a liking to Moses because of his abilities during battle. They were also bring the commanded sacrificial offerings when they committed sins of ignorance. When the daughters of Reuel, a Midianite priest, were being harassed, Moses helped them. 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. Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of the ability of women to perform circumcision. He fled from the scene of a crimehe had murdered an Egyptian for being cruel to an Israelite slave. How could I ever be as happy with a now broken family. Getting Closer to God Lessons from the Life of Moses. In conversations we have daily on the Word of God and the life of great men like Moses my questions are answered know. The Bible and Its Story, Taught By One Thousand Picture Lessons, Moses and his Ethiopian wife Zipporah (Mozes en zijn Ethiopische vrouw Sippora), relationship between Israeli Jews and Druze, "Judges 4 / Hebrew English Bible / Mechon-Mamre". Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. 2:20). 2021 23 Jul The wife of Moses is named Zipporah. Eventually they will walk their own path. 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! [21] This view has been used to represent an element of the special relationship between Israeli Jews and Druze.[22]. "Zipporah: Bible." Detail of Jacob Jordaens' painting "Moses and his Ethiopian Wife Zipporah," c. 1650. When Miriam saw the lamps, she exclaimed: Happy are these, and happy are their wives! Zipporah corrected her: Do not say, happy are their wives, rather, woe to their wives. His name is Midian, which made him the forefather of the Midianites. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her sons foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. 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. 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. If you havent read the apocrypha (It fills the gap between Malachi and Matthew), the book of Maccabees within it will shed light on the Romans conquest over Israel. God's anger led [] 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. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. 47 Also when he went down to Egypt he took it into his hand and gave it to Joseph, one portion above his brethren, for Jacob had taken it by force from his brother Esau. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? 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. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. [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"). After the battle, Tharbis the Ethiopian queen made an agreement to marry Moses and he accepted. 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. She may be Zipporah, the known wife of Moses (Exod 2:21, 18:2), or another woman. That being said I did not say Moses had sex with his Ethiopian wife in this article, they were just married. All the Women of the Bible. In the midrashic presentation, Moses took them with him because he wanted them to be with the Israelites when they received the Torah (Ex. This totally contradicts the idea that Moses wife could have been an Ethiopian. 4:18): Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether [yeter], from which the Rabbis learn that Moses went to Egypt, but returned to Midian to be released from (le-hatir) his vow (Ex. 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. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). Moses siblings, Aaron and Miriam turned against their brother because he married someone who was not from the race or culture. 18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? They had several rough patches in their marriage in part because of Moses devotion to his responsibilities. Numbers 12:1 is the only passage in the Old Testament where Moses' wife is identified as a "Cushite.". [12][bettersourceneeded], "Cushite woman" becomes in the Greek Septuagint and Aethiopissa in the Latin Vulgate Bible version (4th century). 48 And after the death of Joseph, the nobles of Egypt came into the house of Joseph, and the stick came into the hand of Reuel the Midianite, and when he went out of Egypt, he took it in his hand and planted it in his garden. After the Giving of the Torah, a life of sexual abstinence was imposed on Moses. 99). He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. 4:2728). The ones that are, are in the minority and they are a blessing. 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. Upon hearing her father, Zipporah immediately ran after Moses like a bird (ke-zippor, i.e., with alacrity) (Ex. Jethro was one of the magicians of Egypt, and when he saw Pharaohs staff with its magical symbols, he desired it and took it. The Healing of Moses Leprous Arm (above) and The Return to Egypt, and Zipporah Circumcising her Son (below).Courtesy of the John Rylands Library, Manchester. 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. The misconception is that Zipporah was Ethiopian and she was not, she was Shemitic. In regards to the next life, there is no marrying (Matthew 22:30), we will be resurrected in incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:54). Unlike the human tendency to want or expect perfection in religious heroes, historic Judaism simply asked that its heroes do more good than evil. In Gods eyes, it does not matter whether Moses' wife was a Midianite, Cushite or whatever "race" she was. In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. Some women are beautiful in their youth but are repulsive in their old age. Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of womens ability to perform circumcision. On his journey he took Zipporah and his son Gershom, who was uncircumcised. 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. 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. 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. When he was with Jethro, he saw how fine were her actions. If youre equating marriage to sex that is not a biblical understanding. After God commanded Moses to return to Egypt to free the Israelites, Moses took his wife and sons and started his journey. Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses because of the beautiful woman he had married, for he had separated from the beautiful woman he married. How To Worship God: What Is Spirit And What Is Truth? If we dont study then were only left with half the truth. Times 106 (1995): 203205. 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). Ibn Ezra on Exodus 18:2 : , : ( :). Like many other prominent biblical characters, Zipporah is depicted in several works of art. Yocheved was the youngest member of the seventy souls who made up Jacob's household. Most probably, the . My wife left me, and after 5 months of wrestling with God, and much turmoil (I know there is more grieving still to be done), and a several-hour prayer last night, I woke up this morning with that song from The Prince of Egypt in my head, all Ive ever wanted. I know its an animated film and not 100% accurate (it might not even be 10% accurate, who knows), but Ive been wrestling with the fact that I covenanted to this woman, had 4 kids with her, was happier than I ever thought possible, then bam, without warning shes gone. 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. This book is mentioned in the scriptures but many people think it doesnt exist. 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 . This passage can be difficult to understand, and different thinkers and theologians have various interpretations of what happened here. "Why did you leave the man? 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. How can we know which is correct? There, Moses stood up for seven young women who were drawing water who were being driven away from the well by shepherds. 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. 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. Salem Media Group. Your question refers to Numbers 12:1 that states his mate was a Cushite, a term often used to refer to African nations. Much of the tension in their marriage is documented only after Moses began to step into his role as the liberator of the Hebrews. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. Intercultural/interracial marriages can work and are Biblical: Zipporah and Moses came from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. This criticism displeases God, who punishes Miriam with Tzaraath (often glossed as leprosy). Zipporah found very this difficult and she Miriam, forming a bond of feminine solidarity as Miriam lent an attentive ear and tried to help. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com. At some point, God told Moses to bring his family to Egypt in order to free his people. I wouldnt call Jasher non biblical. It therefore does not matter what was the ethnic heritage, lineage, etc. Your email address will not be published. While most people would feel grateful when a person saves their lives, Moses didn't seem to appreciate it. Although any alien or Gentile (a term used for anyone of a race different that Israel) that was not circumcised could not partake of the yearly Passover ceremony, they still were required by law to do several things. Zipporah was left all but divorced. [26] She is the main character in Marek Halter's novel Zipporah, Wife of Moses (2005).[27]. One day while he sat by a well, Reuel's daughters came to water their father's flocks. When her father identified Moses as his future son-in-law, she ran to bring him from the well, and hence became his wife. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. The Torah does not specify when Zipporah left Moses, nor the reason for this parting. what is biblical or not) were not Hebrews, they slaughtered the Hebrews. a female bird. So the question is, who is the Ethiopian woman that Aaron and Miriam had an issue with Moses about? He was instrumental in getting back the Ethiopian castle after it was abducted by Balaam the Magician and his two sons. In each one, she seems to come into conflict with the culture of her husband, as well as being stuck between Moses the man, and Moses the prophet. God hates divorce, and wants strong marriages, and communication is part of that. Testamentum 36 (1986): 447461. Moses recognized this quality in her, as it is said (Num. After researching this, I have found this statement was true, but not in the way that most people think. 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. 12). Other shepherds arrived and drove the girls away, so that they could water their own flocks first. The Bloody Bridegroom: The Interpretation of Exodus 4:2426. Zipporah lived a fascinating life, getting to travel great distances, and being in an inter-cultural relationship. So everybody naturally assumes that she was the Ethiopian. In return for her good deed, God gave Moses permission to marry her (Exodus 18:13). The Bible records, "She gave birth to a son, and . 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. These scriptures should clear up any misunderstandings you may have had about these different names. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/kieferpix. Aaron goes forth to greet his brother and hugs and kisses him. Lockyer, Herbert. Moses and the latter met at the mountain of God when Moses was on his way to Egypt (Ex. Zipporah did not seem to always let Moses know what she needed. Rabbah 5:5). 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. 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. (Viewed on May 1, 2023) . : . divorced"). Thank you for this! I am so excited to get this information. In the Bible, women are often praised when they are obedient but they sometimes disappear from the text after giving birth or getting married. In the Biblical account, when Moses and Zipporah were on their way to Egypt, they stayed in a night encampment, where they were in mortal danger: the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him (Ex. 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. On their way, at a night encampment, The Lord met him [Moses] and tried to kill him(Exod 4:24). God blessed them with children. The next documented moment in Zipporahs life came after the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Above you can see that Reuel (Jethro) was Moses father in law and the priest of Midian too. 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. [13]:248,253254, In the Druze religion, Zipporah's father Jethro is revered as the spiritual founder, chief prophet, and ancestor of all Druze. It is an unfortunate thing that women in todays society are generally not willing to stick through the hard times. 99). Page from the Rylands Haggadah. Forty years passed, and God called Moses back to Egypt to deliver Israel. The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? The woman is not named. He then planted it in the ground (Jasher 77:48) waiting for a man who was worthy to pluck it from the ground. The last time the Bible mentions Zipporah is when she is at Mount Horeb with her family, according to Daily Journal. It is unclear whether she remained with Moses or returned to Midian. I cant tell you how much this helped me. During his education he learned somehow that he was a Hebrew, and his sense of concern and curiosity impelled him to visit his people. We first meet Zipporahwho later became Moses's wifeat a well in her hometown of 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. 99). 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. Moses first Marriage was to Adoniah as previously mentioned and his second marriage was to Reuel (Jethro) the Midianites daughter Zipporah. Ex. The purpose of Patriarchs having multiple wives was to produce babies, not because of lustful desires. Then at the age of sixty-six he went to the land of Midian and married Zipporah the Midianite. 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 ). 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). But no children are ever recorded for a second wife of Moses. Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation, 1967. 24:34, which speaks of a bill of divorce. Another view maintains that he separated from her orally (and therefore this was not a formal act of divorce) (Mehilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Masekhta de-Amalek, Yitro 1). Zipporah, however, was lovely both in her youth and in her old age, and therefore was called the Cushite woman also when she was old. Since modesty is appropriate for the relations between a man and his wife, how did Miriam learn of Mosess abstinence? They said: Moses is haughty. 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. Part of why God cursed Miriam with leprosy was because Moses would not stand up to her. In the Torah, Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro, a Kenite shepherd who was a priest of Midian. When Laban gave him his daughters, Jacob deceived him and fled far away. 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. Both possibilities appear in the midrashic expositions. Thank you, for this informative article. Thank you!!!!! At the age of forty, Moses killed an Egyptian he saw abusing a Hebrew. 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. It might refer to the child, for in response Zipporah cuts off her sons foreskin and thus saves his life. Answer Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian.
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