It’s important that we study the scriptures our self, even the scripts we are told are not part of the sixty-six books, we’re left with. Hobab the Kenite, was the brother-in-law to Moses, having also married one of Reuel=Jethro's seven daughters, but Hobab the Kenite, was later to become the second FATHER-IN-LAW to Moses who took the Ethiopian daughter of Hobab the Kenite as his second wife. The Torah records it this way, “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah” (Gen. 25:1). We know this because of Jeremiah 13:23: Can the Ethiopian [the same Hebrew word translated Cushite in Numbers 12:1] change his skin or the leopard his spots? Moses was a great man, but only because God Himself forged him in the royal household of Pharaoh and in the deserts of Sinai and Midian to lead Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Moses’ first wife was Adoniah (Tharbis) and his second wife was Zipporah. Bible commentaries disagree whether Numbers refers to the race or originating people of Moses' first wife or a second one he had after Zipporah died. We learn in Numbers that Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman (Num. Moses (/ ˈ m oʊ z ɪ z,-z ɪ s /), also known as Moshe Rabbenu (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ‎ lit. Adam Clarke comments: Num 12:1 “Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses. The daughters inform their father about what occurred and he invites the man of God for a meal. 12:1). Both views above try to affirm that Zipporah was the Cushite woman and that Moses had only one wife. I don't believe Moses' second wife was named in The Bible. Because Saba was highly fortified and situated on an island, it was nearly impregnable, and this worried Moses. Midian and Cush are different places in the Bible, so this Cushite woman must be a different wife than the one Moses took while in Midian. As Moses was fleeing Egypt at around the age of forty, he met Zipporah and her six sisters in the land of Midian. she fell deeply in love with him; and upon the prevalence of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. The subsequent events—Moses' demands of Pharaoh, the plagues, the Exodus, and the Red Sea crossing—did not occur in a vacuum. God had obviously forgiven him of it, an act of political strategy done before Moses' calling. Moses's wife, Zipporah, was from Midian in Arabia. Attention is drawn to the … This is a term often used in the Bible to refer to African nations. Cush is the ancient name for the region called Ethiopia today. The story begins sometime during the first forty-year period of his life, during the time before he fled to Midian. Hebrew: MSH Mosheh (M. T.), Greek: Mouses, Moses. The second son was Eliezer, meaning “God is my help” because Moses said “the God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharoah.” In this family and in the marriage, Moses had exchanged his feeling of strangeness for one of security and confidence in the Almighty. News would quickly reach Ethiopia that their conqueror, Moses, was alive and leading a new army of Israelites. Nevertheless, nothing in the Bible suggests that Moses was married to these two women simultaneously. Verse By Verse Ministry International. Then, after the Pharaoh's death, God called Moses to be His prophet and sent him back to Egypt. This is why Jethro gave his daughter Tzipporah to Moses, thus rectifying his past sin by “returning” the wife that he had stolen. Copyright Restrictions The women were trying to water their father's flocks, but a group of shepherds drove them away. Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard it. He lived a long, full life during an exciting and eventful period of history. Your question refers to Numbers 12:1 which states his wife was a Cushite. With that introduction, I will present some of the explanations given of Moses’s Cushite wife. Is this a reference to Zipporah, his only recorded wife, or does it refer to a new wife? Moses’s marriage to Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah, and the birth of their first son, Gershom, are recorded in Exodus 2:21-22. 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. Other interpreters see the Cushite woman as a second wife, with Miriam and … Following the death of his beloved Sarah, Abraham wed a second time. They follow this up, with a challenge to his leadership. Therefore, the Arizal explains that Cain reincarnated in Jethro, and Abel in Moses. It probably made for interesting mealtimes! As for Zipporah, she, too, would not have been happy to find out Moses had an Ethiopian wife (unless Moses had told her of his life in Egypt). Moses's wife, Zipporah, was from Midian in Arabia. . ... Later, they reunite, but he may have taken a second wife, a "Cushite" or Ethiopian woman. All rights reserved. She is called an Ethiopian, which can also be translated as Kushite, meaning she was from the ancient African kingdom of “Kush”, which is where… Nevertheless, nothing in the Bible suggests that Moses was married to these two women simultaneously . We see in Numbers 12 that it got Aaron and Miriam into deep trouble with God because they criticized Moses for a sin he committed long before he was converted. On the contrary, the evidence suggests Moses married the Cushite woman after Zipporah's death. Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, II.10.1-2) records that, as a general of Egypt, Moses was sent with an army to turn back an Ethiopian incursion into Egypt. “Moses and his Nubian wife” by Jacob Jordaens ((1593-1678) Numbers 12:1 Her Story: This woman married Moses, the prophet who led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Kush is the Hebrew name for Ethiopia (modern day Sudan and Ethiopia). The events of Numbers 12 occur when Moses is already over 80 years old, so it's very likely that Zipporah had died by that time. What a furor that caused! It is not improbable that his Ethiopian wife, now upwards of her mid-fifties, returned to Egypt to rejoin her husband. Commentators have suggested two possible answers to the question of the Kushite woman’s identity: either this is a reference to a second wife of Moses or to Zipporah herself. Is it true Moses had multiple wives? A strange chapter of his life deals with his two wives, a situation that sparked the events of Numbers 12. Evidently, arriving after the Israelites had already entered the wilderness, she followed their trail until she finally caught up with them at Hazeroth, and proclaimed herself to be Moses' wife. I don't believe Moses' second wife was named in the Bible. Forty years passed while Moses led Jethro's flocks, during which he took Zipporah as his wife and fathered two sons. Now the sister and brother challenge Moses about his wife. The synonymous parallelism between Cushan and Midian in Habakkuk 3:7 suggests that the words Cushite and Midianite are identical. Promotional Images & Ministry Logos Where he found her it is useless to conjecture; she may possibly have been one of the "mixed multitude" that went up out of Egypt. This was a risky journey, which Zipporah courageously joined. It is the Torah’s style only to add detail when necessary. He was a fugitive, a wanted man. These details support the conclusion that Moses married after Zipporah's death, though her death is not recorded in scripture. Finally, he laid siege to their royal city, Saba. Designed and developed by VBVMI in partnership with Giles-Parscale. \"And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman\" (Num. Now you know that Moses was in fact married to an Ethiopian, you can go and educate others. The Bible consistently condemns taking multiple wives, and even Jesus Himself declared that when one man and one woman come together in marriage to become one flesh, and any additional marriage relationship is sin. Zipporah his first wife was a Midianite and his second wife was a Cushite (Numbers 12:1). Hobab the Kenite, who gave his Ethiopian daughter to Moses, and is the second father-in-law to Moses, cannot possibly be a descendant of Median, who was the son of the 140 year- old Abraham and his second wife ‘Keturiah.’ Kenites are born from Kenite fathers, Midianites are … Josephus and the Fathers assign the Coptic mo (water) and uses (saved) as the constituent parts of the name. In Num 12:1 Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the “Cushite woman” whom he married, but they do not mention her name. Wife is singular, and there is no mention of any other wife or wives that Moses had. There is no mention of Moses being married a second time or any mention of Zipporah's death in the scriptures. Yet in Numbers 12 we read God coming to Moses' defense, which strongly suggests that Moses had done nothing wrong in God's eyes by marrying the Cushite. Word of Egypt's devastation and humiliation raced through the surrounding countries. In the Book of Chronicles, two of her grandsons are mentioned: Shebuel, son of Gershom, and Rehabiah, son of Eliezer (1 Chronicles 23:16-17 Moses’ second wife is unnamed and referred to as an Ethiopian in the KJV and a Cushite in most other translations (Numbers 12:1). Terms and Conditions, ©2021. Therefore, we must conclude that in Numbers 12 Moses was remarrying after having become a widower, not taking multiple wives. * Moses’ other spiritual twin was the Cushite woman. Zipporah was not a descentant of Cush, the son of Ham,Cush was the forefather of the Ethiopians. Midrashic tradition assumed they were discussing Moses’ neglect of Zipporah. They show, however, that God works to prepare His servants as is necessary to bring about His purpose. Num. Moses is such an interesting subject that his life demands at least one more essay! Since his first wife had died, Moses was able to marry again. And if He prepared Moses for his job, will He not do the same for His Son's bride (Revelation 19:7-9)? "But Moses stood up and … He was given the former king’s widow as a wife but he refused to live with her or worship the Cushite god (Yalkut Shimoni Shemot 168). 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. His siblings had a superior, judgmental attitude that God did not like at all, because it was His prerogative to judge His servant Moses. On the way to Egypt, Zipporah circumcised their son and thus saved her husband’s life—Moses had neglected to obey the Lord in this matter, and the Lord would have killed Moses … The only other reference found in the Bible pertaining to Moses’ wife is found in Numbers 12:1. After being instructed by God to return to Egypt and free the Israelites, in Exodus 4:20 Moses loads his wife and sons (plural) onto a donkey and hits the road. Moses, Hebrew liberator, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian, lived in the thirteenth and early part of the twelfth century B.C.. NAME. His Ethiopian wife, no longer in favor among the Egyptians, likely returned to her native land. Moses ends up dwelling with the family and eventually takes as a wife one of the priest's daughters named Zipporah (Exodus 2:15 - … These are intriguing stories, pieced together from the sparse historical evidence that remains of those times. 12:2  and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Much of them is historical conjecture, but they are engaging nonetheless. Zipporah or Tzipora (/ ˈ z ɪ p ər ə, z ɪ ˈ p ɔːr ə /; Hebrew: צִפֹּרָה ‎, Tsippōrāh, "bird") is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Reuel/Jethro, the priest and prince of Midian. After Moses was informed by G‑d that he would be the redeemer of the Jewish people, Moses, together with his wife and children, left the comfort of Midian to travel down to Egypt where the Jews were enslaved. Further circumstantial evidence for Zipporah's death is found in the conflict between Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Zipporah his first wife was a Midianite and his second wife was a Cushite (Numbers 12:1). Moses stands up for the virgins and chases away the rude and unkind shepherds. "4 1 Biography 1.1 Marriage to Moses 1.2 Journey to Egypt 2 Behind the scenes 3 References Sephora was the most dutiful and stalwart of … The subsequent events—Moses' demands of Pharaoh, the plagues, the Exodus, and the Red Sea crossing—did not occur in a vacuum. 12.1). How was Jesus healing the leper a Messianic miracle. Exodus 18:1-3 shows that Zipporah, though she did not participate in the Exodus from Egypt, rejoined Moses at Sinai, so she was probably there when all the events occurred in Numbers 12. Cushites were descendants from the line of Ham through his son Cush. See Judges 4: 11. In Ex., ii, 10, a derivation from the Hebrew Mashah (to draw) is implied. (2:252-253). Midian and Cush are different places in the Bible, so this Cushite woman must be a different wife than the one Moses took while in Midian. Having done that in a decisive battle, he took the offensive, gaining victory after victory. No, Moses did not have a second wife. However, before a long siege could reduce both morale and his army's strength, the Ethiopians offered him a deal. When Moses returned to Egypt from Midian, Moses brought Zipporah and his sons with him (Exodus 4:19-20). By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. . After receiving God’s call to return to Egypt to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage (Exodus 3:7—4:9), Moses took Zipporah and their two children and began to travel to Egypt. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. In the wilderness, did Jesus have supernatural power to resist temptation? Join over 150,000 other subscribers. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh was trying to have all the male babies killed. Besides that, his experiences run the gamut from prince to shepherd to servant of God, so there is a great deal to tell. Along the way, God came without warning to kill Moses. That remains of those times group of shepherds drove them away married to an Ethiopian, you go... Was remarrying after having become a widower, not taking multiple wives they follow this,. 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