Zipporah is a significant yet often understated figure in the Old Testament, known primarily as the wife of Moses. Her account is interwoven with the early narrative of Moses and the Exodus, providing insight into her character and the cultural context of the time.

Family Background and Marriage to Moses

Zipporah was the daughter of Jethro, also known as Reuel, the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:16-21). The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah, making them distant relatives of the Israelites. Zipporah's introduction in the Bible occurs when Moses, having fled from Egypt, arrives in Midian and assists her and her sisters at a well. In gratitude, Jethro invites Moses to stay with them, and eventually, Moses marries Zipporah.

Role in Moses' Life

Zipporah bore Moses two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Her role becomes particularly crucial during a mysterious and pivotal event recorded in Exodus 4:24-26. As Moses was on his way back to Egypt, the LORD confronted him, and Zipporah intervened by circumcising their son. The Berean Standard Bible recounts this incident: "But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said" (Exodus 4:25). This act appeased the LORD, and He let Moses go. This passage highlights Zipporah's quick thinking and decisive action, which were instrumental in preserving Moses' life and mission.

Cultural and Religious Significance

Zipporah's actions in the circumcision episode underscore the importance of covenantal signs in the Hebrew faith. Her understanding and execution of this rite suggest her integration into the religious life of her husband, despite her Midianite origins. This incident also reflects the broader theme of God's covenant with His people and the necessity of obedience to His commands.

Later Life and Legacy

Zipporah's later life is not extensively detailed in the Scriptures. However, she is mentioned again in Exodus 18 when Jethro brings her and her sons to reunite with Moses after the Exodus from Egypt. This reunion signifies the restoration of family unity amidst the larger narrative of Israel's deliverance.

Zipporah's legacy is one of quiet strength and decisive action. Her account, though brief, is a testament to the vital role she played in the life of one of the Bible's most prominent leaders. Her presence in the biblical narrative serves as a reminder of the diverse ways God uses individuals to fulfill His purposes.Zipporah

beauty; trumpet; mourning

Zipporah

Daughter of Jethro, wife of Moses, and mother of Eliezer and Gershom. When Moses fled from Egypt into Midian, and there stood up in defense of the daughters of Jethro, priest or prince of Midian, against shepherds who would have hindered them form watering their flocks, Jethro took him into his house, and gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage, Exodus 2:15-22; 4:25; 18:2-4.

A female bird. 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). ZIPPORAH

zi-po'-ra, zip'-o-ra (tsipporah; Sepphora): The Midianite wife of Moses, daughter of Jethro, also called Hobab, and probably grand-daughter of Reuel, a priest of Midian at the time Moses fled from Egypt, later succeeded at his death by Jethro, or Hobab (Exodus 2:21, 22; Exodus 4:25, 26; 18:2-6).

Whether or not Zipporah was the "Cushite woman" (Numbers 12:1) is a much-mooted question. There is little ground for anything more than speculation on the subject. The use of the words, "Cushite woman" in the mouth of Aaron and Miriam may have been merely a description of Zipporah and intended to be opprobrious, or they may have been ethnic in character and intended to denote another woman whom Moses had married, as suggested by Ewald (Gesch. des Volkes Israel, II, 252). The former view seems the more probable. The association of Midian and Cushan by Habakkuk (3:7) more than 700 years afterward may hardly be adduced to prove like close relationship between these peoples in the days of Moses.

M. G. Kyle

6855. Tsipporah -- "bird," Moses' wife
... 6854, 6855. Tsipporah. 6856 . "bird," Moses' wife. Transliteration: Tsipporah
Phonetic Spelling: (tsip-po-raw') Short Definition: Zipporah. ... Zipporah. ...
/hebrew/6855.htm - 6k

Of Circumcision and the Supercession of the Old Law.
... [1164] "But again," (you say) "the son of Moses would upon one occasion have been
choked by an angel, if Zipporah, [1165] had not circumcised the foreskin of ...
/.../tertullian/an answer to the jews/chapter iii of circumcision and the.htm

Appendix viii. Rabbinic Traditions About Elijah, the Forerunner of ...
... traditions, to uproot it out of the garden - indicated him to Jethro as the future
deliverer of Israel, and determined him to give to Moses Zipporah for his ...
/.../appendix viii rabbinic traditions about.htm

Child's Story of the Bible
... BISHOP JOHN H. VINCENT. [Illustration: Cover art]. [Frontispiece: Moses and Zipporah
at the well]. ILLUSTRATED. WITH NUMEROUS FULL-PAGE COLORED PLATES,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lathbury/childs story of the bible/title page.htm

The Blessing of God on Filial Piety.
... While Israel were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, that Midianitish priest,
or prince, visited Moses, bringing with him, Zipporah, the wife of Moses and ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiii the blessing of.htm

The Wonderful Estate of Matrimony.
... from Esau's face, And he meeteth Rachel fair; Joseph in a foreign place Serves,
and winneth Asnath there; Moses did with Jethro stay, And bore Zipporah away. ...
/.../gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/the wonderful estate of matrimony.htm

Illustrations
... ILLUSTRATIONS. THE OLD TESTAMENT. Moses and Zipporah at the well (color plate) . .
. . Frontispiece. Driven from Eden. The great flood. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lathbury/childs story of the bible/illustrations.htm

Moses in Midian.
... he would. So Moses stayed and Zipporah, one of the seven sisters, became
his wife. But Moses did not forget his people. God was ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter x moses in midian.htm

Come Rest, and be Still in the Bosom of Thy Mother, Son of the ...
... Zipporah though daughter of a heathen priest kept sanctity: with a calf
the daughter of Abraham [470] went a whoring. Footnotes: ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn ix come rest and.htm

Letter Lii. To Nepotian.
... girls' embraces. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, counted one hundred
and twenty years, yet sought no change from Zipporah. 3 ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lii to nepotian.htm

How Moses and Aaron Returned into Egypt to Pharaoh.
... And he took with him Zipporah, the daughter of Raguel, whom he had married, and
the children he had by her, Gersom and Eleazer, and made haste into Egypt. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how moses and.htm

Zipporah (3 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ZIPPORAH. ... MG Kyle. Multi-Version Concordance Zipporah
(3 Occurrences). Exodus 2:21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. ...
/z/zipporah.htm - 9k

Zippo'rah (3 Occurrences)
Zippo'rah. Zipporah, Zippo'rah. Zither . ... Exodus 2:21 And Moses was content to
dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. (See RSV). ...
/z/zippo'rah.htm - 7k

Ethiopian (11 Occurrences)
... Ethiopian woman. The wife of Moses (Numbers 12:1). It is supposed that Zipporah,
Moses' first wife (Exodus 2:21), was now dead. His ...
/e/ethiopian.htm - 18k

Cushite (15 Occurrences)
... (4.) Moses married a Cushite woman (Numbers 12:1). From this circumstance some have
supposed that Zipporah was meant, and hence that Midian was Cush. ...
/c/cushite.htm - 14k

Woman (4043 Occurrences)
... Views regarding this person have been of two general classes: (1) She is to be
identified with Zipporah (Exodus 2:21 and elsewhere), Moses' Midianite wife, who ...
/w/woman.htm - 45k

Jethro (10 Occurrences)
... While the Israelites were encamped at Sinai, and soon after their victory over Amalek,
Jethro came to meet Moses, bringing with him Zipporah and her two sons. ...
/j/jethro.htm - 17k

Gershom (16 Occurrences)
... way to Egypt with his family, in obedience to the command of the Lord, Moses was
attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness (4:24-26), which Zipporah his wife ...
/g/gershom.htm - 13k

Flint (12 Occurrences)
... Tsur and cela` are used oftener than challamish for great rocks and cliffs, but
tsur is used also for flint knives in Exodus 4:25, "Then Zipporah took a flint ...
/f/flint.htm - 14k

Bloody (19 Occurrences)
...Zipporah, not being an Israelite, probably objected to the circumcision of infants,
if not to the rite altogether; apprehending, however, that her husband's ...
/b/bloody.htm - 17k

Zippor (7 Occurrences)

/z/zippor.htm - 9k

Who was Zipporah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Moses' wife? Did Moses have more than one wife? | GotQuestions.org

Did Moses have children? | GotQuestions.org

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