The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash portrays Jochebed as a wise woman who was righteous and God-fearing. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. Much of what we know about Jochebed is recorded in the first ten verses of Exodus 2. Jochebed nursed Moses for twenty-four months (Ex. She found herself in a terrible. He became afraid that if an enemy of Egypt waged war against them, the Israelites would side with the enemy against Egypt. She is a witless baby. Still another notion bases its understanding of the name on Job 26:13: By his wind the heavens were calmed [shifrah]. The verse describes the heavens that were created by God for Israel, and it was Shiphrah who returned Israel to their Father in heaven (Eccl. She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. Beginning at verse 4 in Exodus 2, we see how God, in response to the faith of this mother who dared to trust in His Wordsets in motion a whole chain of wonderful events to accomplish His purposes and to honor her faith. 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. "teaching," "study," or "learning." Jesus says to us, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32). Would he forget me? The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. Gods providence was seeing to it that Jochebed was being paid from royal funds to look after her own child. When Moses was about to die, he addressed God and begged for his life. Exodus 6: 20 - "Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons Aaron and Moses. = Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Marriages with aunts and nieces have been common in many countries, and are not forbidden by any natural instinct. Jochebed, wife of Amram and mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, is mentioned by name only in Exod 6:20 and Num 26:59, both genealogical listings. Their heartbreak at giving up their baby is balanced by God's favor when they obey his command not to kill the unborn. Since Jochebed was the daughter of Levi, and Moses was her son (as shown above), then to complete the 430 years, Jochebed had to be 48 years or older when she gave birth to Moses. She was only shown onscreen at the time that Moses was exiled and got to meet his biological mother. The Pharaoh had decreed that all their baby boys were to be thrown into the Nile, because he feared that they might become too powerful. She also gave birth to Aaron, a high priest of Israel. The mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Jochebed, more commonly referred to as the mom of Moses, is an important biblical character when studying mothers in the Bible. She committed Moses to the Lord. Or would it be wise to just distance herself from this baby and let someone else throw him in the Nile? The ruler had thought sparing women was safe, but the midwives, the Hebrew mother, the daughter of Pharaoh, and Miriam, all work together to spare one child5. 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. After three months Jochebed was forced to obey the decree of Pharaoh. That Jochebed could still be bearing children at the age of forty-eight might seem unlikely by modern standards. What if she kept the baby at home until eventually the authorities came? Answer Moses' mother, Jochebed, was a Hebrew woman living in slavery in Egypt before the exodus. Jochebed just happened to be available and able to nurse? The Birth of Moses Bible Story Study Guide, Biography of Moses, Leader of the Abrahamic Religions, Meet Miriam: Moses' Sister and Prophetess During the Exodus, Gain a Christian Perspective on the Passover Feast, Scripture Readings for Ash Wednesday Through the First Week of Lent, 8 Mothers in the Bible Who Served God Well, Enjoy the Complete Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus, Meet Eve: The First Woman, Wife, and Mother of All the Living, Moses and the Burning Bush Bible Story Study Guide, Bible Story of a Brave Trio: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Parting the Red Sea Bible Story Study Guide, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. There arc three arks mentioned in Scripture. Everything looked hopeless for the Hebrew slaves. He said: Master of the Universe! And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty seven years. I wonder. He wanted her for his wife and was willing to . [Amram lived 137 years]. 2:12 state that he married a Levite woman. Born shortly after the decree to throw Hebrew newborn boys in the Nile, Moses escaped death through adoption by pharaoh's daughter. His mother, Jochebed (Arabic: , romanized:Ykbid), and her efforts to save the baby Moses are recounted. And after Jochebed did all that she could, she went back homeundoubtedly with a great sense of trust that God would work things out according to His plan. Her appearance is short and we are not told much about her, but one trait stands out: trust in God. According to the Book of Numbers, Jochebed was born to Levi when he lived in Egypt. Jochebed had faith in God's protection of her baby. The basket fell in the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing in the river. Jochebed was paid to nurse and care for the boy, her own son until he grew. (NET). Jochebed knew also that God had foretold the bondage in Egypt which they were now experiencing. Not only was Moses spared, but his older sister (later identified as Miriam in Exodus 15:20), who was standing somewhere within sight, offered the Egyptian princess her services. Did Amram marry his aunt? Another midrash has Jochebed building a little canopy for Moses inside the ark, for she said to herself: Perhaps I will not see him under his wedding canopy (BT Sotah 12ab). Who was the mother of kohath? It is our Christian duty to walk by faith in this world, until we come to live by sight in the eternal world. Can you imagine what it would be like to give away your 3-month-old baby, not knowing what would happen to him? 14:1: The wisest of women builds her house is applied to Miriam (Midrash Proverbs 14:1). 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. They had faith that God had made promises to them through Abraham that they would be a nation, a people with land, their land. Some of you have lost children to divorce, some have run-away, and some have even died. She appears briefly in The Prince of Egypt under the name 'Yocheved', voiced by (and resembling) Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza. According to one midrashic view, Shiphrah and Puah were mother and daughter Jochebed and Miriam, while another states that they were daughter-in-law and mother-in-lawJochebed and Elisheba daughter of Amminadab. When Moses was born, Jochebed saw (Ex. [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. 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 latter had spoken impudently to Pharaoh, who sought to kill her in his anger. All her choices were difficult. When she no longer could keep him, she gave him away to save his life. Amram married Jochebed who was also from the tribe of Levi, one of Jacobs 12 sons. However, when Amram married his aunt, this was before the Torah had been goven on Mount Sinai, soits laws didn't apply yet. She was so scared of losing her son that she placed him in a basket in one of the most dangerous places imaginable. 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. So what happens when you trust God, eyewitness account: Miriam is near by, watching and.. Exodus 2:5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river, and she saw the basket among the reeds. Jochebed is most known as the mother of Moses. When the child was born, the baby was a boy, and we learn in Exodus 2:10 that he was later named Moses.. Trials are of many kinds and they change from day to dayand vary from person to person. Pharaoh only decreed against the males, but you have decreed against both the males and the females [since all the Israelites withdrew from their wives, neither sons nor daughters would come into the world]. It means "the glory of Jehovah." 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. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament. The afflictions of life are like driving through a tunnel. Hebrews 11:23 and Exodus 2:1-2 and 6:20. God returned her child to her, thus granting her a part of her reward for keeping alive the Hebrew boys (Ex. I felt like cold water had been poured all over me. Nile was considered emanation (em uh ney shun) THE SOURCE of the pagan god Osiris( O sigh rus) and the waters had magical properties. Jochebed's name means, "Honor of God" or "God is glory". According to Exodus 6:20, Jochebed married her nephew; thus, she was Amram's aunt as well as his wife. We are thinking of faith in this lesson, not as saving faith, but as sustaining faith. By letting go and trusting God, an even greater dream was fulfilled. Amram married Jochebed for the sake of Heaven. And when the little crib was brought to Pharaohs daughter, she saw that it was a little Hebrew baby. THE BIRTH OF THE DELIVERER. Rabbah 1:25). By faith, Jochebed and her husband Amram hid their son Moses even against the king of Egypts edict that all Hebrew boys should be put to death at birth. 328. Years she had to love and influence her child for God. Under her influence and teaching, she . Adoption is a wonderful way to unconditionally love someone but it comes with a painful price tag (as well see in our story). She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months. She loved all of her children dearly and proved this when she risked her life to save her youngest child, Moses, from Pharaoh Seti I's soldiers. Jochebed his father's sister. She did . And the woman took the child, and nursed it (Exodus 2:9). 2 Later, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. What does it mean that they had faith? Amram Remarries Jochebed His Name Bringing Heaven Down to Earth Sinless Amram Marries Jochebed Amram married his aunt Jochebed in Egypt. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Yocheved is the major character birth mother of Moses, Miriam, & Aaron in The Prince of Egypt. Lit. There, Moses stood up for seven young women who were drawing water who were being driven away from the well by shepherds. The Haggadah extends this miraculous nature to Moses' conception by marking as 120 the age of Jochebed at conception. Genuine faith also has rewards. Some, its likely all of us, know the pain of giving up, letting go of someone, or something precious to you: A relationship, a job, a dream. Hold on to things and people with open hands, like Jochebed they know when to release and. Maybe you need to let go of a dream that is not going to come true; yet, the idea of letting it go seems too painful. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Jochebed Mother of Moses. You can never get them all quiet at the same time. F. Pharaoh's daughter knew Moses was a Hebrew baby. Then she put the baby in it and set it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile River. Also read Numbers 26:58-59. God saw to it that the baby should weep at this very moment. Jochebed was the daughter of Levi, and she married Amram, with whom she gave birth to Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. His wonders to perform; So when Jochebed gave birth to Moses. [29] The significance of this comparison is understood to spring from the affinity of Arabic folklore for Hebrew traditions.[29]. Jochebed made a decision, and she made a plan. 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. This was God responding to the faith of a mother who dared to trust in Him. Exodus 2:1-2. and Print copies of this booklet may be obtained from: BIBLE HELPS
JOCHEBED: THE MOTHER OF MOSES. 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. In addition to her given name, the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. The narrative in Exodus 2 about Moses' birth introduces her, without providing her name, as a member of the priestly tribe Levi; she marries a Levitical man, also unnamed here.The mother, in defiance of the Pharaoh's order that every male Hebrew . Conservative scholars date the "Exodus," a landmark in Israel's history, at 1446 B.C. So Jochebed got her own child back, at least for a while. I believe she recognized that the deliverance of God was at hand. JOCHEBED. Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. The Rabbis resolve this abbreviated chronology by stating that Jochebed and Amram divorced, and Ex. Hebrews 11:23 BY FAITH they hid MosesThey saw life through the eyes of faith. The story of Moses' mother is found in chapter two of Exodus, Exodus 6:20, andNumbers26:59. Jochebed placed Moses in a basket and released him in the flow of River Nile. Reply Paul Irvine, CA April 5, 2009 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. The sage, who wanted to awaken them, said: A single woman in Egypt gave birth to sixty myriads from a single stomach. There was a pupil there named R. Ishmael son of R. Yose, who asked him: Was this really so? He [Rabbi] replied: This is Jochebed, who bore Moses, who is deemed the equivalent of sixty myriads of Israel (Song of Songs Rabbah 1:15:3). She looks like and is voiced by the late Ofra Haza. All Israel saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai [ed. She therefore was called daughter [bat, which also means young girl] of Levi, because she was once again as a young girl (BT Bava Batra 120a). 6:20: Amram took to wife his fathers sister Jochebed. Amram was the son of Kohath and the grandson of Levi, while Jochebed was the daughter of Levi, and therefore his aunt. Those must have been precious years. Jochebed is identified by some rabbis in the Talmud with Shiphrah, one of the midwives described by the book of Exodus as being ordered by Pharaoh to kill the new-born male children. If you want to read the first two Bible studies check out: Zarephath Widow Bible Study - A lesson in courage and surrender. Several rabbinic commentaries attest to this and comment that maidenhood was restored to Jochebed at the time of her marriage to Amram. It is interesting to consider that, in Leviticus 18:12, such marriages were forbidden, but this was before that injunction. We don't know but we hope that she too was alive to see the Exodus. What to do? The expected thing for her to do was to have the little boy tilted over into the water. How do we know? I would have wondered if he would be safe? Jochebed: Levi's daughter and Amram's wife. He turned to his three friends, and said in essence, Although I dont know why I am called upon to face this trial, I do know the joy of fellowship with God, and though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him (Job 13:15). Moses said: The mouth that will speak with God will not nurse something impure [the milk of non-Jews]. To protect Moses from Pharaoh's command that every male Hebrew child be killed, she placed him in an ark of bulrushes on the river. Scripture does not tell us when Jochebed died but it is possible she was still living when the Law of Moses was given. But once again we see God behind the scenes! When a womans heart and a babys tears meet, something happens. Numbers 26:58-59 These are the families of the Levitesand Kohath begot Amram. Yocheved was a beautiful, kind and motherly woman. We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). 1:17 relates that the midwives, fearing God, let the boys live; their reward for fearing God, according to the midrash, is Torah: because Jochebed feared the Lord, she gave birth to Moses, through whom the Torah was given (Ex. 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). Although her jealously later in life led to . First, many unwed mothers refuse to have an abortion, yet have no choice but to place their baby for adoption. The smaller lad began to cry even more, because he thought his brother was trying to sink the boat. 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. . One of the great hymns of the church says: God moves in a mysterious way In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.[3]. And works His sovereign will. Zavada, Jack. 31 December 1999. Why did Terah died in Haran? [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. The proving of our faith is planned by God to bring praise and honor and glory to Him in the day when Jesus Christ reveals himself at His Second Coming. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under the palm treeand the sons of Israel came up to her . She was the daughter of a Levite, and she married Amram, another Levite ( Exodus 2:1 ). Faith and trust in God knows that God often works behind the scenes of our lives. The conditions described in the first two chapters of Exodus indicate that indeed those were dark days for the Children of Israel. Resources Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible Chapter 2. ): I will pay your wages, from which the Rabbis learned of Jochebeds righteousness: like the righteous, she merited the return of what she had lost (her son), and in addition received reward for it (for having nursed him) (Ex. teaches that Jochebed put the ark in a protected place, where bushes and reeds grew. She breathed air just like you and I do. Moses was a fortunate and blessed man. In his gracious way, God gives us himself, the most desirable dream we could ever imagine. For others, health deteriorates, death takes a loved one, and plans for the future are shattered. Family tree. What if she had been found out, they would take the baby and kill him, perhaps she would lose her life, potentially the whole family, husband, 2 other children= Miriam=young little girl and Aaron=3 years old. 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