Zipporah, wife of moses by marek halter books on tape. Moses speaks to the pharaoh book of exodus childrens. He originally had a wife named zipporah who was the daughter of a midianite priest exodus 2. How has the novel changed your understanding of her importance. While she is introduced early in exodus, very little is said about her. Nov 11, 2019 and moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave moses his daughter zipporah exodus 2. More evidence that moses only had one wife is found in exodus 4. Moses the greatest of the old testament prophets who serves as a gobetween for god and the other humans in the book of exodus. Later, they reunite, but he may have taken a second wife, a cushite or ethiopian woman. For the god of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword of. Zipporah in the bible was the wife of moses and the daughter of jethro, the priest of midian. After the exodus, her father, the priest of midian here called jethro, comes to visit moses. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy the schocken bible, volume 1.
As you observed, we hear earlier of moses marrying the daughter of jethro the midianite. Yet in the book of numbers mosess sister miriam is upset about his having taken a cushite wife. When moses fled from egypt to the land of midian, he met jethros seven daughters, who were having some trouble getting enough water for their flocks exodus 2. Well, sorry to disappoint, but zipporah just doesnt get that much screen time. The untold story of zipporah, wife of moses what do you. A woman ahead of her time, zipporah leaps from the pages of this remarkable novel. Some think moses married a woman of a different race than he was.
More than 400 years separate the life of joseph from the birth of the nation israel at the exodus. The last we hear of them is in chapter 18, when jethro brings them to moses after he had led the people out of egypt. Asked in old testament, moses how was jethro related to. But moses wife, zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son.
Shortly after the israelites left egypt, jethro visited moses, bringing with him moses wife and sons. This is a highly plausible explanation, and if this is the case we can see that miriam and aarons problem with moses marriage may have been that he married a nonisraelite. Although he was jehovahs appointed leader of the great nation of israel, moses was willing to accept counsel from others, particularly when it would be of value to the nation. The people complain to him about god, and god complains to moses about the peoples mistakes. Dec 19, 2014 what is the true story of moses and the exodus from egypt. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, now you are a bridegroom of blood to me. Overview of exodus israelites are oppressed in egypt exodus 12 god calls moses to lead them out of egypt exodus 34. Their first child is named gershom which means a stranger in a strange land exodus 2. Yocheved moses mother and later wetnurse, miriam, shifrah and puah and the other midwives, serach bat asher, and moses wife tziporah. Were moses and zipporah fighting, or did moses send her away for her safety. A study of the book of exodus braveheart mens ministry old fort baptist church chapter 1. This silence may be due to the fact that moses wishes to stress the continuity between the events recorded in the book of genesis with those of the book of exodus. The pharaohs daughter adopted moses and raised him as her own. In numbers 12 miriam and aaron complained about moses marrying a cushite.
Zipporah or tzipora is mentioned in the book of exodus as the wife of moses, and the daughter of reueljethro, the priest and prince of midian. Home content index books of the bible exodus moses wife. Moses and the burning bush now moses was tending the flock of jethro his fatherinlaw, the priest of midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to horeb, the mountain of god. Zipporah, wife of moses by marek halter discussion guide. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading moses and akhenaten. Moses adoptive grandfather was pharaoh osirtasin i sesostris, herodotus, 2. The dangers of the comfort zone the story continues the pentateuch.
Who was moses cushite wife mentioned in numbers 12. English standard version then zipporah took a flint and cut off her sons foreskin and touched moses feet with it and said, surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me. Zipporah may be obscure, but the wife of moses mattered politics. 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 first five books of the biblegenesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomyare commonly referred to as the five books of moses. The book of exodus is the second book of the bible and describes the exodus, which includes the israelites deliverance from slavery in egypt through the hand of yahweh, the revelations at biblical mount sinai, and the subsequent divine indwelling of god with israel exodus is traditionally ascribed to moses, but modern scholars see its initial composition as a product of the babylonian. A strange chapter of moses life deals with his two wives. Who was the wife of moses in book of exodus answers. Tharbis wife of moses my search for the political mary. One baby escapes and is found by pharaohs daughter and named moses. Exodus is one of the best commentaries ever written on the nature of human stubbornness. The secret history of egypt at the time of the exodus. Moses in the wilderness and is made spokesman for moses exodus 4.
The story of moses s cushite wife is actually quite cryptic. First lets see whether moses was married to zipporah. The story has been variously told in such blockbuster movies as cecil b. However when he led israel out of egypt, in the exodus, it seems he also claimed his wife of the egyptians, and took her with him. They are also called the torah hebrew, instruction, law and the pentateuch from a greek phrase meaning five books. Aug 29, 2012 the book of exodus says that moses father was a hebrew named amram. People have been stubborn for millennia and exodus is here to prove it. In either version, she saved moses from certain death from both the nile river and from the pharaoh. Jethro, moses fatherinlaw, took moses wife zipporah, after he had sent her away, new king james version then jethro, moses fatherinlaw, took zipporah, moses wife, after he had sent her back. His wife, zipporah, is not from israel, but from the midianites of the region of sinai e. The second book of moses called exodus the argument after that jacob by gods commandment genesis 46. In the book of chronicles, two of her descendants are mentioned. Her father jethro was the priest of midian, and it was he that gave zipporah to moses to marry.
Shebuel, son of gershom, and rehabiah, son of eliezer. Muslims identify her with asiya, the great royal wife of the pharaoh. And given the lack of homelife information we have on moses, youd think this lady would be a good source of material. What about the other biblical quotations on page v. Zipporah, the wife of moses, was one of the seven daughters of reuel, a midianite priest, who was also called jethro exodus 3. The story of mosess cushite wife is actually quite cryptic. And jethro, moses father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto moses. Jethro, moses father in law, came into the wilderness where moses was encamped at the mountain of god, bringing moses sons and wife to him. Zipporah may be obscure, but the wife of moses mattered. Certainly if he had left her, she would have either been killed or used to pressure him to surrender. Yet in the book of numbers moses s sister miriam is upset about his having taken a cushite wife.
Seriously, show this one to your sisterdadtoddler wife next time they just wont give in. Interestingly, the meaning of his name is used as the title of a bestselling science fiction book written in 1961 by robert heinlein. Zipporah, wife of moses in the bible, a determined woman. After being instructed by god to return to egypt and free the israelites, in exodus 4. We need to remember that in the times of jesus the old testament was the only scripture that was available. Her name reappears one last time in scripture when jethro, her father, brings her and the sons to mount sinai to meet up with moses and the children of israel who are camped at its base exodus 18. On the way to egypt, zipporah circumcised their son and thus saved her husbands life moses had neglected. Gods and kings, not to mention the animated the prince of egypt. Jethro is called a priest of midian and became fatherinlaw of moses after he gave his daughter, zipporah, in marriage to moses. Mary elizabeth baxter zipporah, the wife of mosesexodus 4. Moses passes over these events with very little comment. Moses is also revered in islamic literature, which narrates and explains different parts of the life of moses. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy the schocken bible, volume 1 everett fox on. Tharbis wife of moses the second book of moses, called exodus tells the story of how baby moses was put into a rush basket and set loose into the nile river by his sister miriam to save him from pharoahs edict ordering all hebrew baby boys slain.
Moses s marriage to jethros daughter, zipporah, and the birth of their first son, gershom, are recorded in exodus 2. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In english following a lost sheep from his flock, moses encounters a burning bush. Zipporah, wife of moses is bestselling novelist marek halters latest portrait of a noteworthy woman of the bible. He sent word to moses, i, your father in law jethro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons. It is possible that zipporah, moses wife, could have died by this point in the exodus story and that moses married another woman who happened to be of ethiopian heritage. Who was the ethiopian cushite wife that moses took numbers 12. On the way to egypt, zipporah circumcised their son and thus saved her husbands lifemoses had neglected. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy written by moses written while in the wilderness written to the descendants of israel.
These are all strong forces within the story of shemot. Oct 22, 2014 the second book of moses, called exodus tells the story of how baby moses was put into a rush basket and set loose into the nile river by his sister miriam to save him from pharoahs edict ordering all hebrew baby boys slain. While living in midian, for what would end up being forty years, moses and his wife have two children. We read about moses, his wife zipporah and their two sons, gershom and eliezer, in the book of exodus. Lets look at what the scriptures actually say by starting in the book of exodus. Moses was rescued by pharoahs own daughter who raised him as a prince of egypt. Wife is singular, and there is no mention of any other wife or wives that moses had. This is a bible study about divorce and sexual immorality under the law of moses. The book of exodus says that moses father was a hebrew named amram. The muslim scholar and mystic rumi, who titles moses as the spirit enkindler also includes a story of moses and a shepherd in his book, the masnavi. Moses first took his wife and children from midian to egypt on a donkey. The untold story of the hebrew midwives and the exodus.
Yet in the book of numbers mosess sister miriam is upset about his having taken a. There the angel of the lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. The only other possibility is that there were two priests of midian, one called jethro and one called reuel and that moses had married a daughter from each familybut that would be very unlikely. She was a prophetess and first appears in the book of exodus. The name of the wife of moses is zipporah, she was the daughter of jethro. The secret history of egypt at the time of the exodus kindle edition by osman, ahmed. At a later time moses sent zipporah back to the house of her father, but when jethro came to visit moses in the wilderness, jethro brought zipporah back with him. Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to egypt. Terms in this set 30 what is the book of exodus generally about. It is another necessary prerequisite to looking at the new testament teaching on divorce and remarriage. I, your fatherinlaw jethro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons exodus 18.
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. Demilles the ten commandments and ridley scotts exodus. So moses was in reality married to two women, the ethiopian princess tharbis and the midianite princess zipporah. If you havent already, read the beautiful excerpt from song of solomon on page v.
Now the lord said to moses in midian, go, return to egypt. The untold story of zipporah, wife of moses what do you think. Criswell sermon library moses and that ethiopian woman. In order to understand the implications of the feminine drama within this book of the bible. Sep 15, 2019 we read about moses, his wife zipporah and their two sons, gershom and eliezer, in the book of exodus. And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, read this, he says. Jun 10, 2017 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.
Moses sends her and the children away before the exodus from egypt. When we research the lineage of zipporah moses wife we see that it goes back to the midianites. But in exodus 2, after he ran away to midian, he married reuels daughter zippora. When god reveals himself to moses in a burning bush, his words echo zipporahs, and moses returns to egypt with his passionate and generous wife by his side. Biblical maps from antiquity show midian on both locations. Jan 02, 2020 more evidence that moses only had one wife is found in exodus 4. Exodus introduction now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come 1 corinthians 10. In the book of exodus, we are introduced to zipporah, the daughter of jethro, wife of moses and mother of their two sons, gershom and eliezer.
And moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of egypt. This relationship between moses and his people will come to define a big part of the rest of the exodus story in numbers and deuteronomy. Her passionate exclamation a bloody husband thou art. Continuing the history of israel from the point where the book of genesis leaves off, exodus recounts the egyptian oppression of jacobs everincreasing descendants and their miraculous deliverance by god through moses, who led them across the red sea to mount sinai where they.
Read the portions of exodus pertaining to zipporahs story. Miryam is described in the hebrew bible as the daughter of amram and jochebed, and the sister of moses and aaron. Zipporah, wife of moses by marek halter reading guide. The bible seems to indicate that moses wife zipporah and her two sons were sent back to midian after the event involving circumcision. She did not understand the covenant with god, and, probably, considerable contention, or at least, difference of opinion, prevailed between moses and his wife. The pharaoh in the story never has a name put to him. The torah refers to her as miriam the prophetess and the talmud names her as one of the. When she said, bridegroom of blood, she was referring to the circumcision. This was a risky journey, which zipporah courageously joined.