Obadiah’s Widow and God’s Deliverance, 36. period they may have viewed Moses’ marriage to the Ethiopian woman as Cush is generally translated as Ethiopia (probably the entire region south of Egypt – see Shemot Rabbah 10:2), a place inhabited by blacks. Attention is drawn to the … 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. The Greatest Champion Of Woman And Womanhood Is Jesus Christ – James E. Talmage. Now you know that Moses was in fact married to an Ethiopian, you can go and educate others. So Moses won the war using a clever stratagem to take the city by surprise, for he took a short cut across the narrow land between the horse shoe bend of the Nile river, clearing the snake infested ground with hungry Ibis birds, the natural enemy of snakes. Here we see God intervening in the attack. The only wife of Moses known by name is Zipporah. And how have I been your blog friend this long and never realized that you were African American! Eventually this opposition to Moses resulted in Miriam being stricken with leprosy. 49. Who was this Cushite and where did she come from? I think that this Ethiopian woman’s presence among the children of Israel tells us that she had joined them, and that she had accepted the God of Abraham as her own. “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman”. “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman”. In Moses' case, he probably married Zipporah because he thought he would never be returning to Egypt. Walking with the Women Books In  Bible times this was a powerful kingdom, sometimes rivaling Egypt in technology and power,  and one in which women often held the highest roles in government. I think you are right that sometimes it can be tempting to put our modern day perspectives on ancient scripture. then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.”  (Jer. He publishes his studies researched, in Theology, World History, and the writings of the early Church Fathers. What does this story teach us about inter-racial marriages? This page is also available in: हिन्दी (Hindi) “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman” (Numbers 12:1).. Ethiopian woman literally means a “Cushite woman” (Gen. 10:6). As I studied the story I was really impressed with the idea that Miriam's opposition to Moses had to do with Polygamy. We know that he married a girl named ‘Zipporah’ the daughter of Reuel/Jethro. I guess I've never seen a good picture of you! Moses’ s Cushite wife as well as Rahab and Ruth “were essential to the forma tion, preservation, and deliverance of I srael, ” Karen S. Winslow , “ Mixed Marriage in T orah Adam Clarke comments: Num 12:1 “Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses. Ahitophel – The Wise Man who Committed Suicide. Moses stands out as one of the greatest men ever to grace the earth. The woman is richly dressed and wears an extravagant African sun hat. So Moses was in reality married to two women, the Ethiopian Princess “Tharbis” and the Midianite Princess “Zipporah”. #2. I read a quote of a least two prophets (now dead) who stated that interracial marriages were against God's plan, and one statement concerning the "children" of these 'unions' and the confusion it would case. However these people were the descendants of Abraham and Keturah Gen.25:2. Shortly after this Moses was forced to flee Egypt, and spent the next 40 years in Midian. Moses wife was named Zipporah. 1. It was something about scripture reading…I can't remember exactly. We can recognize him by the table of the law in his left hand. “The rivers of Ethiopia” (Zeph.3:10) are the two branches of the Nile and the Astabbras (Tacazze).   New Testament Moses could have ruled all of Egypt. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We know very little about this woman except that she, at some point was married to Moses, and that there was something about her, and the circumstances of her marriage to Moses, that upset Miriam and Aaron. Hebrew: kushiyth (Koo-sheeth’) a Cushite woman (Strongs Hebrew Dictionary). There is no other answer to this story except that Moses had married an Ethiopian wife, and Zipporah was not the wife God bound him to in Holy Matrimony: Moses is shown in Scriptures to have been faithful in keeping the Law of God, so since marriage is "bound by the law", as per Romans 7 and 1 Cor.7: 39, if Moses, supposing him to be a virgin, did marry a virgin Cushite woman, with her father's approval (the … Let us know your thoughts or concerns and we’ll connect with you. Like I said, this woman’s identity is a mystery, but I think there are three different situations in which she could have become Moses’ wife (if you happen to think of any more let me know! Now the sister and brother challenge Moses about his wife. How might this story be especially meaningful to men and women of color? Numbers 12:1. We are humans after all. Miriam and Aaron against Moses' Ethiopian wife; Miriam punished by God with leprosy. 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 modern day Sudan now is. was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt and mighty in words and deeds.” Acts 7:22. Some argue that this woman could have been Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro whom Moses married when he was in Midian (Exodus 2: 16-22). Much more likely is that Zipporah had died (although her death is not recorded in Scripture) and that Moses had remarried. While it was not uncommon for men to have multiple wives in this time Midian was safe & sovereign territory, that the Egyptians dared not enter. It was the Capital of the very powerful Kingdom of Meroe during the time Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s Palace. In Biblical text, however, Moses is also castigated by his brother and sister for marrying a Cushite, which is a person from modern day Ethiopia. But it seems that eventually her heart was softened to it after her leprosy episode. Jasher 73:32-34 states that the marriage was not consummated because: “Moses feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he came not to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her [his wife]. I believe words have the power to change the future and heal the past. Moses, Prince of Egypt CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh. all the other passages where she is mentioned she is called by her name. Some have tried to speculate that the later reference to Moses' wife as being a Cushite was still in reference to Zipporah. It therefore seems we must look for another wife! But, Heather, I think you can predict my opinion, that just as I went through a Miriam phase, most covenant women will have to have their "Miriam moment" before they are willing to accept that the righteous/authorized practice of plural marriage is of God, and to not mock, or belittle it or we will find ourselves outside the camp of Israel. Hi HeatherThis is a great synopsis, and I had a random thought once that Moses had more than one wife. . Trophimus: Whose Praise is in the Churches. Latter-day Saints, with good reason, also appreciate the importance and work of Moses. It was customary for the daughter of the conquered King to be married into the family of the winner, and if the conquered gave trouble she was basically a hostage for their good conduct. Underneath the skin color we are all the same!!!! Numbers 12:1.   Old Testament By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. Verse 16 is a "must do", and verse 17 shows as per the Statute of Num.30, that a father can "utterly refuse to give her unto him", which was not the case with Moses according to the record of Josephus, and he had in fact "married an Ethiopian woman": Numbers says so. though the Old Testament account doesn’t make it clear that Moses had Besides that, his experiences run the gamut from prince to shepherd to servant of God, so there is a great deal to tell.A strange chapter of his life deals with his two wives, a situation that sparked the events of Numbers 12. It seems logical that he would have been "married" as an Egyptian. Another possible scenario for this Ethiopian wife is that Moses took multiple wives, and that he married this woman at the same time he was married to Zipporah. Thank you for your thoughts about inter-racial marriages, it is an important perspective. Now the sister and brother challenge Moses about his wife. We know from Exodus 2:21 that Moses married Zipporah, the daughter of the Midianite priest, Jethro (also known as Reuel). We don’t know what happened to her after Moses left Egypt. Though this Ethiopian woman’s identity is largely a mystery, there are several possibilities about who she could have been that add depth and understanding to this story. delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. The reasoning to support this idea is that Tzippora was a very dark-skinned person who was racially categorized as a Cushite but tribally as a Midianite. This is a highly plausible explanation, and if this is the case we can see that Miriam and Aaron’s problem with Moses’ marriage may have been that he married a non-Israelite. What a test for women! This possibility is supported by the scripture found in Doctrine and Covenants 132:38 in which, while speaking of those ancient prophets who had multiple wives and concubines, the Lord says, “David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants…and in nothing did they sin.”. There is an understanding about Moses’ wife, which says that he was married to an Ethiopian lady. Some scholars speculate that if Zipporah’s people, the Midianites and Kenites, had migrated from Northern Africa ( or a place that also happened to be called Kush) that she might be referred to as  Ethiopian (Kushite). (Journal of Discourses 6:354)In another discourse (JD 17:214) Orson Pratt discusses how widespread the practice of plural marriage was in Moses' day and refers to scriptures such as Exodus 21 that tell of laws governing its practice. N12-2: Who Exactly Was Moses’ Ethiopian Wife? And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of However, the source for Josephus’s information about Moses’ action in Ethiopia and his marriage to an Ethiopian woman is unknown. They follow this up, with a challenge to his leadership. Jim trained at the South African Bible Institute. them to question Moses’ prophetic role and ability to receive Let us know about your decision. Given this view of things, I can see how this whole situation would have rubbed Miriam and Aaron the wrong way and could have promoted them to question Moses and his authority. We’re here to help you find ways to make sense of tough life issues, discover insights from God’s Word, the Bible and connect with others who are experiencing life’s journey. Possibility #3: Moses had multiple wives. Some scholars even argue that Miriam and Aaron were sticking up for Zipporah because they felt that Moses was neglecting her because of his role as prophet. It was this situation that caused There is no word of any kind against Moses or his Ethiopian wife. My husband is white and I am black or "African American". Moses had two sons. They were not the children of Ham, Cushites (i.e. Stephen, at his martyrdom, said of Moses that he “. I can't think of any other reason Miriam would be bothered by it. The idea that Moses and Aaron struggled with the concept of Moses's polygamy and the situations of his marriages seems to be an appropriate foil for current day struggles with Joseph Smith and his polygamy. With her right hand she points to her heart. Thanks for sharing this with me . In this painting Moses is depicted with his Nubian or Ethiopian wife.   Matthew - John The Greek LXX translates Kush this way here: And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on account of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses had taken, because he had taken an Ethiopian woman. In He was reverenced by ancient Hebrews as among the mightiest of their prophets and seers. Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. 13:23). In fact, given the scripture in D&C 132:38 I am inclined to believe that Josephus’s account of Moses marrying an Ethiopian woman while he was an Egyptian prince (before his marriage to Zipporah) is true. I have issued a standing challenge for all my readers… The Women in the Scripture Challenge… are you super brave and daring enough to take the challenge? multiple wives I think that this Ethiopian woman’s presence is a good one wife. Verse 22 tells us that Zipporah bore Moses a son, whose name was Gershom. It appears that jealousy of the power and influence of Moses was the real cause of their complaint; though his having married an Ethiopian woman-האשה הכשית haishshah haccushith = ‘That Woman, the Cushite’, – was the ostensible cause.”, Numbers 12:4 “And the LORD spoke suddenly…”. Cushites were descendants from the line of Ham through his son Cush. You can discover a new path for living. I could see how Moses after fleeing Egypt, and knowing he could never return, might marry Zipporah and have children. indicator of what D&C 132:38 teaches us is true–that Moses had more than I also read that historically Egyptians normally had at least 1 wife which was the norm, but royalty and wealth dictated a possibility of more.On the subject of race, it is unfortunate that we in this society (21st century) seem to want to impose our "norms" on ancient societies.Was Moses a "white man", were Egyptians "white". Rashi makes this comment on verse 1, From Keil and Delitzsch's Commentaryof the same passage, What's more, when the Lord summoned the 3 of them (Moses, Aaron, and Miriam) to the door of the Tabernacle (vs 3) He called Aaron and Miriam and said, Miriam was identified as a "prophetess" (Ex. Pardon me – that is Deuteronomy 21:15, not Exodus 21. 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. Personally, it makes me The Messianic Generations of Joseph and Mary, 33. When he lived in those circumstances, he also lived in the culture. 2 Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zippo’rah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her away, 3 and her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Elie’zer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). We are told plainly she was an Ethiopian! However, for Miriam, who struggled with Moses' upbringing and calling anyway, having two wives was a very difficult thing for her to swallow. We've updated our privacy policy to include the most recent GDPR updates. We know historically that around this time period that. Apollos: Integrity Tested in a Godly Man, 37. 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