When Moses was about to die, he addressed God and begged for his life. One of the great hymns of the church says: God moves in a mysterious way The explanation you suggest is certainly a possibility. By faith, Jochebed and her husband Amram hid their son Moses even against the king of Egypt's edict that all Hebrew boys should be put to death at birth. 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. (Amram lived to be 137 years old).". 3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus container, coated it with asphalt and pitch, placed the child in it, and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. She is noted among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. 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. 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? My mother Jochebeds teeth were blunted by [the death of] two of her children in her lifetime; will more of her teeth be blunted by my death? But this argument, too, was of no avail (Deut. And so Jochebed did what she could. First, many unwed mothers refuse to have an abortion, yet have no choice but to place their baby for adoption. The Apocrypha calls her Tharmuth, other names suggested are Merris, or Bityah, perhaps even the well-known Hatshepsut( HAT shep shoot). That same day God swore that the Ark and the Torah would be entrusted to the arms of his descendants (the Kohathites are the only ones who bore the Ark during the journeying in the wilderness, as is attested in Num. Some of you have lost children to divorce, some have run-away, and some have even died. First, some background. God could grow a crop of wheat on the concrete pavements of our cities if He wanted to, but He normally expects the farmer to use the means at his disposal to grow a crop of wheat. Jochebed was married to Amram. Numbers 26:58-59 These are the families of the Levitesand Kohath begot Amram. We face a variety of trials. Jochebed is most known as the mother of Moses. Clearly Jochebed and Amram married before the prohibition was given, but it is a bit of a shocker that for all those Israelites who knew the law looking back on it with hindsight. The princess adopted Moses eventually but never knew that Jochebed was the little boy's biological mother. Moses, in the wilderness, instructed them to put away pagan gods. Marriages with aunts and nieces have been common in many countries, and are not forbidden by any natural instinct. Soon, Moses got word that Pharaoh knew what he had done and was going to kill him, so he fled from Egypt to the land of Midian to avoid prosecution. The gay analogy must include a marriage relationship not universally accepted in scripture. The parents of Moses knew that the Children of Israel could never perish, for that would be denying the very promise that God had given to their father Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Moses's mother, a Levite, later identified as Jochebed (Numbers 26:59), had married a Levite and given birth to a son. According to this tradition, Amram was the leading scholar of the generation. When Moses, her youngest child, was born, Jochebed hid him for three months until she could hide him no longer. Their heartbreak at giving up their baby is balanced by God's favor when they obey his command not to kill the unborn. Rabbah 1:26). The basket fell in the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing in the river. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under the palm treeand the sons of Israel came up to her . She is only mentioned twice by name in Scripture, but she is the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Did Amram marry his aunt? Amram was the Levite man who was Moses father. The mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible - Jochebed. Exodus 6: 20 THE BIRTH OF THE DELIVERER. Those early years, pre-school years, made an indelible impression on Moses. Faith is one of the most frequently used words in the Christians vocabulary, but it may be one of the most misunderstood words. 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. 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 Haggadah extends this miraculous nature to Moses' conception by marking as 120 the age of Jochebed at conception. One such mother is Jochebed in the Bible. She named him Moses, saying, Because I drew him from the water.. A little boy spent many hours making a small boat and then he took it to the lake. In 2433 AM, Jochebed gave birth to . Pharaohs daughter just happened to have enough influence to save the baby Moses. The Apostle Paul exhorts in Ephesians 6 that the Christian should have on the belt of truth and the coat of righteousness; our feet should be shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace. We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Rabbis deduced from this that righteous women are not subject to the decree passed on Eve (that is, the curse of in pain shall you bear children [Gen. 3:16] does not apply to them) (BT Sotah 12a). 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. Yocheved is the major character birth mother of Moses, Miriam, & Aaron in The Prince of Egypt. We have seen now the trial of Jochebeds faith, the foundation of her faith, the exercise of her faith, and the response to her faith. First, we need to estimate the population that went down to Egypt with Jacob, the amount of time and generations that elapsed between then and the Exodus, and any relevant data points that . Again, the second time, was this time even harder for her? He wanted her for his wife and was willing to . Act out Pharaoh's daughter finding Moses. When she could hide him no longer She either purchased or made a basket out of papyrus and covered it with an asphalt type material that made it watertight. One of the arguments advanced by Moses was his mothers suffering. D. J. Wiseman (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1973) 57. Jochebed hid Moses because he was in danger of being killed since he was a Hebrew boy. Exodus 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 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 . Go then, earthly fame and treasure, First of all, God began to move upon the heart of the pagan daughter of a pagan king, so that at the exact time the baby Moses lay by the rivers edge, Pharaohs daughter came to this very place to take a swim. In the midrashic account, the daughter of Pharaoh saw that Moses was hungry when she drew him from the river. The life of Jochebed is an amazing demonstration of the walk by faith. [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. Jochebed was surrounded by grieving mothers. In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. Why to Trust? [4] The story continues with Moses, who grew up to become the leader of the Exodus, leading his people out of the land of Egypt. = Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 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). His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. According to Exodus 6:20, Jochebed married her nephew; thus, she was Amram's aunt as well as his wife. When trials come our way we must learn to be patient and trust and wait. Lieberman], pp. In addition to her given name, the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. " That decree applied only to the men and not to the women. Hebrews 11:23 and Exodus 2:1-2 and 6:20. She had to walk away. Miriam, who was six years old at the time, said: Father, father, your decree is harsher than that of Pharaoh. Perhaps there would be some shade too from the sun in the reeds. (NET). Jochebed which in Hebrew means: Jehovah is glory both she and her husband were from the tribe of Levi the priestly tribe. Exodus 2:10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son. Yes, Miriam is watching from a distant place on the shore, but she, his mother had to let him go. As she raised her children, she implanted the seeds of hope in their hearts. 31 December 1999. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah also designates Jochebed as the daughter of Levi (Num. 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). Rabbah 1:16). Jochebed placed Moses in a basket and released him in the flow of River Nile. At the time when the account opens in Exodus 2, the condition of the Children of Israel was very pitiful. V. 1 begins with the marriage of Jochebed and Amram, and then the reader is immediately told of Mosess birth, concealment and rescue. Amram and Jochebed still enjoyed a forbidden sexual relationship which produced three famous children, Aaron, Miriam and Moses, Exodus 6:20, 15:20. Amram and Jochebed committed Moses to the ark, and the ark would come between Moses and death. Jochebed was paid to nurse and care for the boy, her own son until he grew. This is corroborated by another early midrash, that states that Jochebed was one of the offspring of Jacob who went down to Egypt and was also among those who entered the land of Canaan (Seder Olam Rabbah 9). 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. Conservative scholars date the "Exodus," a landmark in Israel's history, at 1446 B.C. For those who have become followers of Jesus Christ, the final note of this message is a call to persevere in the faith no matter how many obstacles have appeared along the way. By faith, Jochebed placed her son, Moses, in a papyrus basket and placed it in the Nile River where the Pharaohs daughter found the basket and child. According to social media posts written by Gov. It was at this time that Moses was born to Amram and Jochebed. In 1571 BC, Pharaoh Ramesses I ordered the extermination of all of the Israelites ' newborn babies to avert a prophecy that one of them would lead the Israelites out of slavery. She did . There is great historical debate on who was Pharaohs daughter? She brought him to all the Egyptian women, but Moses was not willing to nurse from any of them. 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 had feelings just like you and I have. Several rabbinic commentaries attest to this and comment that maidenhood was restored to Jochebed at the time of her marriage to Amram. "Jochebed: Midrash and Aggadah." Jochebed gave birth to Moses, future Giver of the Law, and cleverly spared him from death as an infant. But once again we see God behind the scenes! Life comes with the pain of losses, of giving up and letting go and we are rarely ready to let go. I took him to the pediatrician and I knew it was a urinary tract infection, wed get the pink bubble gum antibiotic and hed be fine. She was told to do that. JOCHEBED. There was something supernatural and marvelous taking place here. 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. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Women of Influence Surrounding the Life of Moses. That was in the year 2238 after Creation. She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months. Has He brought something to your mind that youve been holding on to and need to let go? Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. "Jochebed: Mother of Moses." I would have wondered if he would be safe? They had faith that God had made promises to them through Abraham that they would be a nation, a people with land, their land. Just rememberthis is a trial of your faith planned to bring honor in the day when Jesus reveals himself. God always honors such faith as theirs. The Rabbis say that when the daughter of Pharaoh asked of Jochebed: Take [helikhi] this child and nurse it for me (Ex. And if all the male children were murdered, it would of course only be a generation or two until as a nation they would be wiped out completely. [19], According to traditional rabbinic biblical chronology, Moses was 80 years old when the Exodus occurred, the Israelites had been in Egypt for 210 years in total, and thus in combination with the rabbinical claim that Jochebed was born on the border of Egypt, as her parents had entered it, this would require Jochebed to have been 130 years old when she gave birth to Moses;[20] Rabbinical literature regards this to have been alluded to be the biblical description of the dedication of the Israelite altar, at which 130 shekel weight of silver was offered. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. Amram Remarries Jochebed His Name Bringing Heaven Down to Earth Sinless Amram Marries Jochebed Amram married his aunt Jochebed in Egypt. It was Jochebed's love and devotion to Moses that preserved his life and allowed him to lead the greatest salvation event in Old Testament history. All Israel saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai [ed. 'YHWH is glory') was a daughter of Levi[1] and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. A number of miracles were performed for Jochebed in connection with the birth of Moses: she bore him at the age of one hundred and thirty, and God restored her youth and her beauty. She was only shown onscreen at the time that Moses was exiled and got to meet his biological mother. Moved with compassion when she discovered the child, she decided to adopt him. She is identified as Shiphrah, one of the Hebrew midwives who saved the newborn baby boys from Pharaoh. [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. Where it didnt matter which decision you made, they all seemed risky? 'YHWH is glory') was a daughter of Levi and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses.She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. But soon he noticed that the stones were going beyond the boat and forming huge circular waves in the waterand those waves were bringing his boat toward the shore. Jochebed had such a deep abiding faith in the trustworthiness of Gods Word that it drove her to act. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament. His three friends sat for seven days and simply shook their heads in despair without saying a word (Job 2:13). 1:21), which the Rabbis understand as priestly and Levitical households, or as royal households. 14:1: The wisest of women builds her house is applied to Miriam (Midrash Proverbs 14:1). At that same time, Pharaoh's daughter was bathing in the river. When she no longer could keep him, she gave him away to save his life. Answer: According to tradition, Yocheved lived long enough to enter the Holy Land with the Israelites.. 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. Our background is not our destiny 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. 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