Strangers in the land were commanded to faithfully observe God's holy Sabbath Day (Exodus 20:10) and keep the annual Feast of Tabernacles in the fall (Deuteronomy 16:13 - 14). "the written Torah." Most probably, the . In a third tradition, the initiative to marry Zipporah came from Moses himself. After the exodus, her father, the priest of Midian (here called Jethro), comes to visit Moses, bringing Zipporah and her two sons. It therefore does not matter what was the ethnic heritage, lineage, etc. Heres a scripture that shows that Reuel (Jethro) Zipporahs father was a Midianite. [6][7][8] In the story, Aaron and Miriam criticize Moses' marriage to a Cushite woman. 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. Tsedaka, Benyamim, and Sharon Sullivan, eds. Meyers, Carol, General Editor. in the Bible: A Feminist Approach. Zipporah was left all but divorced. But did Moses have a second wife? 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). According to the biblical narrative, Moses lived 120 years and was 80 when he confronted Pharaoh, but there is no indication how old he was when he went to see the Hebrews. Moses fled to Midian, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. She takes a flint and cuts off her sons foreskin. Here's a scripture that shows that Reuel (Jethro) Zipporah's father was a Midianite. Moses and the latter met at the mountain of God when Moses was on his way to Egypt (Ex. In conversations we have daily on the Word of God and the life of great men like Moses my questions are answered know. Eventually they will walk their own path. Pardes, Ilana. Many of the patriarchs had multiple wives, and we dont know the details of their relationships. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. Jewish Women's Archive. 99). How did Zipporah know that Mosess life was threatened because of the circumcision? There are several interesting passages about interactions between Zipporah, her husband, and her in-laws. I bless you for the information and now i have an greater understanding of the life of Moses and his wifes. Zipporah was rejoined with Moses early on the Exodus (see Exodus 2:16-22; 18:2-6). I have an better understanding also who Josephus the historian is and also the book of Jasher. In Marcel Proust's story Swann's Way (1913), Swann is struck by the resemblance of his eventual wife Odette to Sandro Botticellis painting of Zipporah in a Sistine Chapel fresco, and this recognition is the catalyst for his obsession with her. Rabbah 5:8). Yocheved was the daughter of Levi, Jacob 's son. Daughter to a priest, wife of the emancipator of the Israelites from captivity and bondage in Egypt, her unique status invites many questions. 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 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. Zipporahs uniqueness is the subject of yet another tradition. 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. Upon their return home, their father asked them, "How is it that you have come home so early today?" Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and Aaron opposed to the marriage. 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. After the Giving of the Torah, God instructed Moses (Deut. Well, Heavenly Father has something in store for me that I cant see right now, I have faith in that. Another exegetical tradition places Miriam next to Zipporah when Moses was told (Num. Zipporah. Other shepherds arrived and drove the girls away, so that they could water their own flocks first. How can we know which is correct? 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). Who Was Zipporah and What Can We Learn from Her Life. Moses goes out to greet Jethro and takes him into his tent, but nothing is said about his greeting Zipporah. As with other major Biblical figures, the venue of the first encounter between Moses and Zipporah, his future wife, was beside a well (Ex. Zipporah was one of them. They had several rough patches in their marriage in part because of Moses devotion to his responsibilities. 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). 31 And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus. The stick was then taken by Adam (Jasher 77:43) when he was sent out of the Garden of Eden. On the road, they stayed at an inn, where God came to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 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 ). Zipporahs enigmatic statement has two possible explanations: she flings the foreskin atMosessfeet, saying, You are a bridegroom of blood to me (NRSV), or she flings it atGodsfeet, saying, You are a blood father-in-law to me.(Damimmeans blood, andhatancan mean either bridegroom or father-in-law.) Either way, her deed and words stop the attack. The latter tries to help, and is punished. Examples include the films The Ten Commandments (1956),[24] The Prince of Egypt (1998),[25] and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). More proof of Moses marriage to the Ethiopian queen Tharbis known as Adoniah in the book of Jasher can be found below: 30 So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush. The men that decided the cannon (i.e. 99). They said: Moses is haughty. Shalom! Part of why God cursed Miriam with leprosy was because Moses would not stand up to her. He knew God wanted his son circumcised, and Zipporah felt forced to take action. [4] Hobab is also the name of Jethro's son in Numbers 10:29 . The ribbons in her hat resemble a cross. 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. 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. "Zipporah: Midrash and Aggadah." 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. Detail of Jacob Jordaens' painting "Moses and his Ethiopian Wife Zipporah," c. 1650. He originally had a wife named Zipporah who was the daughter of a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:15 - 21). In thanks, Jethro--known as the Priest of Midian--invited him to stay in his camp, and gave him Zipporah to marry. God then left Moses alone (Exodus 4:2426). 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. It is an unfortunate thing that women in todays society are generally not willing to stick through the hard times. [Hence, it is no longer dangerous to have him in our home.] The Rabbis interpret the vague wording of the verse in different ways. Miriam and Aaron spoke about Moses because of the beautiful woman he had married, for he had separated from the beautiful woman he married. Zipporah was one of seven Midianite sisters that mistook Moses for an Egyptian after he saved them from the men at the well ( Exodus 2:16-19 ). The Meaning Of Maccabees, Is Purgatory A Dogma? This stick was passed down until it reached Abraham, then Jacob took it. At the time of Moses marriage to Zipporah he was no longer married to the Ethiopian Adoniah (Tharbis). 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. 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. The story is already difficult for the narrator, who adds a comment thathatan damimrefers to circumcision. Interpretations differ on whether this Cushite woman[he] was one and the same as Zipporah, or another woman, and whether he was married to them simultaneously (which would make him a polygamist) or successively. At the well, she met Moses, who was fleeing from Egypt and from Pharaoh's judgment after he . Remember the only way to know if scripture is valid is to read it. 1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 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). 1920). The Rabbis explain that Moses sent Zipporah to her fathers house in Midian only out of fear that Egyptian servitude would harm her. Does God Really Work All Things Together for Good? 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). 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). Much more likely is that Zipporah had died (although her death is not recorded in Scripture) and that Moses had remarried. Miriam learned of this after the appointment of the seventy elders (Num. What Is The True Sabbath Day? A second tradition has Jethro deciding upon Zipporahs marriage to Moses after he brought Moses into his home and came to know his qualities. of Moses' wife. Exodus 12:1-3, Exodus 12:10-15. Testamentum 43 (1993): 495518. And not for a few months as Moses may have assumed. You can see here that Tharbis is mentioned, not in the bible scriptures, but in the Josephus histories. She is later reunited with Moses when her father . 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. Kadari, Tamar. This information sheds a clear light on the question, whether Moses was married to an Ethiopian? 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. Zipporah the Midianite was a descendant of Midian, Abraham's son by his third wife Keturah. Because of the lack of context surrounding her actions, it can be easy to ignore the lessons her life provides, but there is quite a bit to be gleaned. 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. 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. First lets see whether Moses was married to Zipporah. He fled from the scene of a crimehe had murdered an Egyptian for being cruel to an Israelite slave. The details of the quality of their marriage over time are difficult to discern, as she spent time with Moses in Egypt, came into conflict with him and his family, and did eventually take their son back to Midian. All I ever wanted was to protect and provide for them. So here we see that Moses reigned over the people of Cush. 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. Moses had killed an Egyptian by accident and fled to the Midianites since the Pharaoh sought to kill Moses. 99). Article 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. Jethro helped his son-in-law by encouraging him to delegate some of his responsibilities. Both possibilities appear in the midrashic expositions. 12:1 attests that Miriam and Aaron spoke against the Cushite woman whom Moses had married. This story sounds strikingly similar to the story of Excalibur. Exodus 18:2-5. Who was she? I trust Him. There are many lessons to learn from the marriage of Moses and Zipporah about leadership, communication, and how there can be unintended consequences to zealous obedience. ", Reuel asked them. 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). After the battle, Tharbis the Ethiopian queen made an agreement to marry Moses and he accepted. New York: 2000. 18:26, when Jethro brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses in the wilderness, after she had been sent home (v. 2). Moses then left the Ethiopians after forty years of ruler-ship (Jasher 76:5-12). a female bird. InNum 12:1Miriamand Aaron speak against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he married, but they do not mention her name. The situation remains unclear to us. How To Worship God: What Is Spirit And What Is Truth? 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. dui checkpoints pittsburgh this weekend, trailas con terreno en elgin, tx,
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