Exodus 2:10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son. In the film, she sings a lullaby to baby Moses as she sets the basket carrying him adrift in the river, also pleading the river to deliver Moses "somewhere he can live free". Although her jealously later in life led to . "teaching," "study," or "learning." Consequently, Miriam came and offered to the daughter of Pharaoh her mother Jochebed, who was a Hebrew (Ex. He does them in a big way if we dare to trust Him. The conditions described in the first two chapters of Exodus indicate that indeed those were dark days for the Children of Israel. Answer Moses' mother, Jochebed, was a Hebrew woman living in slavery in Egypt before the exodus. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. Answer: According to tradition, Yocheved lived long enough to enter the Holy Land with the Israelites.. Amram and Jochebed were strong in their faith during a time where many Israelites had become idolatrous. She named him Moses, saying, Because I drew him from the water.. 113:9): He sets the childless woman [akeret ha-bayit] among her household as a happy mother of children. Jochebed, who had been uprooted [nitakrah) from her home as a result of the decree of Pharaoh, would now be set happily among her household. Pursuing her life passion to teach the Word of God, train leaders and connect people in community, Dianne Miller has dedicated years as a teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship as well as directing Womens Ministries at the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia and Northwest Bible Church, More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. The "sister" of the child (presumed to be Miriam), who had come forward, suggested to find her a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. But Exodus 2:5 says that the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under the palm treeand the sons of Israel came up to her . This is a huge part of the story Jewish Study Bible, The verb could be given a more colloquial translation such as she felt sorry for him. But the verb is stronger than that; it means to have compassion, to pity, to spare. What she felt for the baby was strong enough to prompt her to spare the child from the fate decreed for Hebrew boys. Jochebed showed great trust in God's faithfulness. God, who is the great Architect of our destinies, allows nothing to come into our lives except that which is for our ultimate good and blessing (Romans 8:28). The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Moses just happened to cry at the right time? This word conveys the possibility that Jochebed sensed something was special about her new baby boy. Amram and Jochebed had no fear of the kings decree. We often think of this passage as the story of Moses, but it might be more appropriate to call it the story of Jochebeda woman who is relatively unknown to many Christians. This brings us to the influence one mother had on history - not only the history of her family, but the entire history of the children of Israel. Gods providence was seeing to it that Jochebed was being paid from royal funds to look after her own child. According to Jewish legend, Jochebed is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. Kadari, Tamar. When you let go, when you released that person or that thing, did you feel like part of you was breaking; now there was some new emptiness in your life? She also gave birth to Aaron, a high priest of Israel. The time of darkness is planned by our Heavenly Father to bring praise and glory to Him in the great day when Jesus returns. And when she could no longer hide him, she made a little basket, sealed it with pitch, and put the child in the basket, and laid it among the reeds by the rivers brink (Exodus 2:3). I imagine he learned about the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the Great Covenantal promises made to the Hebrews. We go through many trials in our life, but Jochebed, a woman who feared God, had the one of the worst nightmares of any mother. (NIV). But once again we see God behind the scenes! The mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Pharaohs daughter just happened to have enough influence to save the baby Moses. In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. When Moses, her youngest child, was born, Jochebed hid him for three months until she could hide him no longer. So when Jochebed gave birth to Moses. But in the midst of this trial, she had confidence and hope. She took leave of her baby with a heavy heart, and tried with all her might to protect him and ensure that he remain alive. She didnt just let him go, she was a woman of faith, and she let him go and trusted her God. She did . Jochebed was given the name Shiphrah because she would cleanse (meshaperet) the newborn, by washing it and cleaning it after birth; another etymological explanation is that, by merit of her deeds, the Israelites were fruitful [she-paru] and multiplied in her time (Sifrei on Numbers, para. Two lessons emerge from her story. [6] In the Apocryphal Testament of Levi, it is stated that Jochebed was born, as a daughter of Levi, when Levi was 64 years old. Someone has said mothers begin saying good-bye to their children from the moment they are born.1 And we dont want to forget there is also a pain that comes from wanting a child and yet not having one, perhaps even having to give up that possibility. [17][18] Biblical scholars have instead simply proposed that the discrepancy in the enumeration of Leah's children is due to the list not originally having included Dinah, who was added by a later editor to introduce consistency with the story of the Rape of Dinah. Her name in Hebrew means "bitterness." Miriam was the first woman in the Bible to be given the title prophetess. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). On the foundation of Gods promise not to destroy Israel, and on the basis of a four hundred year servitudethe parents of Moses believed that God would preserve him and use him for His purpose. In 2433 AM, Jochebed gave birth to . A careful reader of the Bible account can almost picture Miriam (the older sister of Moses) running to her mother and telling her what had happened. Growing up, we wanted him to have all the normal experiences of childhood, sleepovers, soccer, basketball, baseball, and football, field trips, then dates, eventually college and marriage: without me. The Egyptians believed that the waters of the Nile possessed the ability to impart fruitfulness and to prolong life.4 Dr. Thomas Constable, While her attendants were walking up and down the banks keeping undesirable people and animals away, she saw the basket. According to one opinion, she realized that he was suited to be a prophet; according to another, she saw that he was born circumcised; and according to a third exegetical suggestion, she saw that the entire house was filled with light (BT Sotah 12a). The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah also designates Jochebed as the daughter of Levi (Num. Transition to our next woman of influence, JochebedMoses mother. Again, the second time, was this time even harder for her? In the Rabbinic retelling, when Amram returned his wife, Jochebed was a hundred and thirty years of age, but signs of youth appeared on her: her body became smoother, her wrinkles were straightened out, and her former beauty was restored. She looks like and is voiced by the late Ofra Haza. Exodus 1; 2. Jesus reminds us that there will be those who are last which shall be first and first which shall be last (Luke 13:30). First, some background. Her thoughtful nature was consistent throughout the Bible story of Moses in the basket. I wonder. [Amram lived 137 years]. Or maybe the relationship has been too close, too controlling, or maybe the seasons of life have changed and its hard to let it go and move on. Her hometown was probably Goshen, in the land of Egypt. Some Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Septuagint state that Jochebed was Amram's father's cousin, and others state that she was Amram's cousin. The basket fell in the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing in the river. Exodus 2:1-2. and Yocheved was a beautiful, kind and motherly woman. The midrash portrays Jochebed as a wise woman who was righteous and God-fearing. The explanation you suggest is certainly a possibility. To adopt a child means someone has to give up a child. (Isaiah 18:2 writes that the Egyptians made their boats, skiffs out of this material. Rabbah 1:26). And rides upon the storm. (NET). How did Jochebed help Moses become a Hebrew? He said, for example, I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth (Job 19:25). 4041). What if she kept the baby at home until eventually the authorities came? " That decree applied only to the men and not to the women. The Exodus Rabbah argues that when the Pharaoh instructed midwives to throw male children into the Nile, Amram divorced Jochebed, who was three months pregnant with Moses at the time, but Miriam soon persuaded him to marry Jochebed again;[10] it goes on to argue that the Egyptians estimated the date that Moses would be due to be born by counting nine months from the start of this marriage, hence allowing Jochebed to hide him for the three months that were overestimated. This couple had great faith. Rabbah 1:25; for the identification of Jochebed with Shiphrah, see above). It was by faith that he was hidden, not by fear! Further study: Jochebed had faith in God's protection of her baby. [10] The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan identifies Jochebed as also having been wife of Elitzaphon Ben Parnach, and the mother of Eldad and Medad;[11] the text is ambiguous as to when this marriage occurred in relation to the marriage(s) to Amram. Terah coordinated the journey, intending to go to this new land, but stopped in the city of Haran along the way, where he died at the age of 205. . It is interesting to consider that, in Leviticus 18:12, such marriages were forbidden, but this was before that injunction. Those must have been precious years. Would he forget our family? Exodus 6: 20 - "Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons Aaron and Moses. The Lit. We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Have an update or correction? When the child was born, the baby was a boy, and we learn in Exodus 2:10 that he was later named Moses.. Joseph, Jacob's son, was a ruler in Egypt at that time and the children of Jacob (Israel) were treated kindly. She knew that God would take care of the child. And works His sovereign will. The children of Israel were still in Egypt, but they were no longer honoured by the Egyptians as the people of their great deliverer, Joseph. But among all the poor Hebrew slaves, there was one couple who did not despair. God had told Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance (Genesis 15:13-14). Sustaining faith, in simple language, is the assurance that the thing which God has said in His Word is true, and that God will act according to what He has said. The princess adopted Moses eventually but never knew that Jochebed was the little boy's biological mother. She was probably about the same age as Amram or maybe even younger. Marriages with aunts and nieces have been common in many countries, and are not forbidden by any natural instinct. When he saw that Pharaoh had decreed that all the boys be cast into the Nile, he proclaimed: Are we laboring in vain? (we give birth to sons who will eventually be killed), and so he divorced his wife. Maybe its something material, a possession you have? Bravely, she asked Pharaoh's daughter if she should get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. We learn that secret by reading Hebrews 11:23, which says, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a proper child, and they were not afraid of the kings commandment. Moses was hid in his home for three months, and then in the reeds by the river, not because Jochebed could not bear to see her child perish, or because she loved him too much to cast him into the river. Born shortly after the decree to throw Hebrew newborn boys in the Nile, Moses escaped death through adoption by pharaoh's daughter. Moses was tov, beautiful, fine, good, and not ordinary. Women of Influence choose to: Truth: Let it go and trust God. When Moses was born, Jochebed saw (Ex. Zavada, Jack. He had a string tied to the boat and was holding the string in his handbut the string slipped from his fingers, and a breeze carried the boat beyond his reach. About 1486, the reigning Pharaoh tried to kill Moses when he sought identity with his people Israel, but Moses escaped to Midian. However, when Amram married his aunt, this was before the Torah had been goven on Mount Sinai, soits laws didn't apply yet. Maybe youve not given a child up for adoption, but Im sure that most everyone here has some experience with giving up something precious to you. According to the Bible, Jochebed (/jkbd/; Biblical Hebrew: , romanized:Yee, lit. Here then, we have Moses' own parents, living in a relationship clearly condemned as abomination under the Law of Moses. The Haggadah extends this miraculous nature to Moses' conception by marking as 120 the age of Jochebed at conception. The Pharaoh's daughter agreed and so Miriam called her mother, who was appointed to take care of him. Lesson two study group Questions (Click Here). Trials and difficulties and obstacles come to all of us, but for the moment, we want to look at the example found in the life of Jochebed. They may have desired a happy marriage, a successful career, developing their talent, or some other worthwhile goal, yet circumstances prevented it. According to social media posts written by Gov. The Torah relates that the midwives did not fulfill Pharaohs command because they feared God, who rewarded them for their actions: He established households [battim] for them (Ex. My pastor often says Give up the hope of a better past, its keeping you from a better tomorrow Past hurt, past decision? He lived 137 years. According to another interpretation, Jochebed named her son Tov or Tobiah, which was what his parents called him until Pharaohs daughter renamed him Moses (BT Sotah 12a). His mother, Jochebed (Arabic: , romanized:Ykbid), and her efforts to save the baby Moses are recounted. T. Moses died. She committed Moses to the Lord. During the few years, Jochebed was permitted to nurse her son, she would have had a profound influence upon him. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament. She had hard problems to face just like you and I have. (NET), Exodus 6:20 Amram married his fathers sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Keep him quiet? A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the, Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab: Midrash and Aggadah, They will spit: In the tradition of Miriam, Jewish women will continue to challenge the establishment, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Another proof that "bare" in Numbers 26:59 cannot indicate an immediate father-son or father-daughter relationship is found by considering that this verse states Jochebed was a daughter of Levi. I think we can see the fond expression on the mothers face as she said with great joy, I knew that God would provide! Jochebeds faith was rewarded by being reunited to her own child. Here there would be less danger from crocodiles than if she just put him down on the beach. Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Aaron, the first high priest of the nation of Israel; Moses, who led . Deborah, the only female judge in the Bible, excelled in multiple areas. Why did she do this? Their heartbreak at giving up their baby is balanced by God's favor when they obey his command not to kill the unborn. Jochebed placed Moses in a basket and released him in the flow of River Nile. Surely Jochebed would have told little Moses stories of the faithfulness of the God of Israel. (We learn later, in Exodus 6:20, that the father and mother of Moses are named Amram and Jochebed.) 26:59; cf. Rabbah 7:3; Ex. Jochebed just happened to put Moses in the right spot on the Nile? She breathed air just like you and I do. So we know some of the Jews had compromised. She had feelings just like you and I have. The Jews had been in Egypt for 400 years. After three months Jochebed was forced to obey the decree of Pharaoh. Yet another tradition explains that she shiprah her actions before God (i.e., performed good deeds that were pleasing to the Lord). Accordingly, Prov. (Viewed on March 1, 2023)
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