Those early years, pre-school years, made an indelible impression on Moses. The midrash apparently understands builds her house in a broad sense, because Jochebeds wisdom in the raising of her own children led to the building and firm establishment of the entire people of Israel. So when Jochebed gave birth to Moses. The gay analogy must include a marriage relationship not universally accepted in scripture. Finally, when they did speak, they concluded that Job was among the worst of sinners, and that he suffered as a result of deep sin in his life (Job 4:7). "Jochebed: Midrash and Aggadah." Verbs tell us that she herself opened it and saw Moses and at that very moment he cried. 2. Several rabbinic commentaries attest to this and comment that maidenhood was restored to Jochebed at the time of her marriage 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. . 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. We can only get through that kind of disappointment by turning it over to God like Jochebed put her child in his care. One of the great hymns of the church says: God moves in a mysterious way 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. We know from history that all the kings in Pharaohs day had bath houses, such as even the wealthiest do not possess in our day. One of the most stimulating accounts in the Bible, pointing to great faith during trial, is that of Job. Hebrews11:23 they were not afraid of the kings edict. Rabbah 1:25). In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. 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. Jochebed made a decision, and she made a plan. 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. Would he forget our family? The afflictions of life are like driving through a tunnel. We face a variety of trials. She appears briefly in The Prince of Egypt under the name 'Yocheved', voiced by (and resembling) Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza. We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Rabbah 1:25; for the identification of Jochebed with Shiphrah, see above). JOCHEBED: THE MOTHER OF MOSES. THE BIRTH OF THE DELIVERER. Hebrews 11:23 and Exodus 2:1-2 and 6:20. She is identified as Shiphrah, one of the Hebrew midwives who saved the newborn baby boys from Pharaoh. Someone is always crying. She was only shown onscreen at the time that Moses was exiled and got to meet his biological mother. She had to walk away. Faith and trust in God knows that God often works behind the scenes of our lives. Exodus 2, which describes the birth of Moses, does not name her, or, for that matter, the father or sister of Moses. Amram married his fathers sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Their lives were made bitter with hard service in mortar and brick, and in many kinds of field labor. The woman conceived and bore a son, since she conceived before this second marriage? 78). Joshua 24:14 throw away gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the river and in Egypt. His possessions were all gone; his body was racked with pain; his wife added to the pain of his soul by urging him to curse God and cry out for death. Moses was a prophet during biblical times. She was the only surviving child of Thutmose I . On what was this confidence and hope based? [25] Biblical scholars suspect that the Elohist account offers both matrilinial and patrilinial descent from Levites in order to magnify the religious credentials of Moses. (NET). Certainly faith in God, that He exists, that He made a covenant with Abraham that set them apart as a chosen people, His people. " That decree applied only to the men and not to the women. Question we have to ask is: What do you do when you cant do anything more? Part of her reward was an extremely long life, living to witness the positions of leadership held by her children, and she was even one of the Israelites who entered the land of Canaan. In the midrashic account, the daughter of Pharaoh saw that Moses was hungry when she drew him from the river. According to Jewish legend, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. This exegesis teaches of Jochebeds longevity, and that she was still alive when Moses died. For others, a family member rebels against the Gospel plan of salvation. According to another interpretation, Jochebed named her son "Tov" or "Tobiah," which was what his parents called him until Pharaoh's daughter renamed him "Moses" (BT Sotah 12a). Mike Huckabee, Devorah Sklar (still trying to get her exact age) has died of COVID. Adoption is a wonderful way to unconditionally love someone but it comes with a painful price tag (as well see in our story). Deborah, the only female judge in the Bible, excelled in multiple areas. Kadari, Tamar. Here is part of the irony of the passage: What was perceived by many to be a womanly weakness compassion for a baby is a strong enough emotion to prompt the (this) woman to defy the orders of Pharaoh. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. With Thy favorloss is gain. 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. 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). We must put on the shield of faith and believe that God is sending the trials to prepare us for even greater blessings. Jochebed: Mother of Moses. Jochebed, more commonly referred to as the mom of Moses, is an important biblical character when studying mothers in the Bible. Jochebed enjoyed longevity, living to witness the positions of leadership held by her children, and was even one of the Israelites who entered the land of Canaan. Did Amram marry his aunt? 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). At that same time, Pharaoh's daughter was bathing in the river. According to the masoretic text, Jochebed's family tree is as follows: According to the Septuagint however, Jochebed would be a cousin of Amram or Kohath: Along with the parting of the Red Sea, the burning bush and the Ten Commandments: The Quran relates the story of Moses with some added details and slight differences. Life comes with the opportunity to learn the art of Releasing when we have no control, of dealing with extenuating circumstances that we can do nothing about. And she bore to him Aaron and Moses. Or would it be wise to just distance herself from this baby and let someone else throw him in the Nile? Pharaohs daughter just happened to see the basket? 31 December 1999. Learn Religions, Sep. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/jochebed-mother-of-moses-701165. She breathed air just like you and I do. She was portrayed by Martha Scott. Moses just happened to cry at the right time? 3:31) (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 29). When she placed little Moses in the Nile River that day, Jochebed could not have known that he would grow up to be one of God's greatest leaders, chosen to rescue the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Aaron, the first high priest of the nation of Israel; Moses, who led . I imagine he learned about the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the Great Covenantal promises made to the Hebrews. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. Jochebed was Amram's aunt, strangely enough; she was his father's sister. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). Why did Terah died in Haran? We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us - including overcoming our greatest fears. 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. 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. Faith and trust in God knows that even when God seems silent, He is always working for the good of His children. One such mother is Jochebed in the Bible. All Israel saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai [ed. 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 story of Moses' mother is found in chapter two of Exodus, Exodus 6:20, andNumbers26:59. Likewise, we have nothing to fear when we learn to rely on God. 2:1), and thus was Amram's paternal aunt (Ex. According to tradition, Moses' parents, Amram and Jochebed (whose other children were Aaron and Miriam), hid him for three months and then set him afloat on the Nile in a reed basket daubed with pitch. 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. Much of what we know about Jochebed is recorded in the first ten verses of Exodus 2. Act out Pharaoh's daughter finding Moses. Born into a Levite family, Moses' natural parents, Jochebed (mother) and Amram (father) reared Moses until he was about 3 months old. 26:59): The name of Amrams wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. The midrash adds that she was conceived on the way to Egypt, and was born between the walls (at the entrance to Egypt). There is great historical debate on who was Pharaohs daughter? Keep him quiet? So Jochebed got her own child back, at least for a while. Jochebed and her husband served God and all though we know not a lot about them, their son Moses saved the Israelis from the Egyptians. 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 did . The restoration of maidenhood also included the resumption of her fertility. 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. Jochebed gave birth to Moses, future Giver of the Law, and cleverly spared him from death as an infant. Can you fill in the blank _____ Lord I hear You saying Let it go and trust Me with it, Women of Influence, women who are affecting their world, their family, their workplace, their friends for good for God have open hands. How did Jochebed help Moses become a Hebrew? "the written Torah." Surely Jochebed would have told little Moses stories of the faithfulness of the God of Israel. Miriam, the baby's sister, watched to see what would happen. The child, found by the pharaoh's daughter while bathing, was reared in the Egyptian court. And so, when we have done all we can do, we must calmly trust in the Lordeven though to us there seems to be no way out. Pharaoh of ancient Egypt saw that the Hebrews were multiplying greatly and feared that they would consider a revolt. The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. Moses, Hebrew liberator, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian, lived in the thirteenth and early part of the twelfth century B.C.. NAME. Answer (1 of 15): Yes, it was forbidden in Lev. A desperate measure. At just this moment, Miriam steps forward and approaches the daughter and volunteers her service to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the child, and whom did she bring back? If you want to read the first two Bible studies check out: Zarephath Widow Bible Study - A lesson in courage and surrender. Yocheved was the daughter of Levi, Jacob 's son. She was told to do that. 26:59). I felt like cold water had been poured all over me. Moses' sister, Miriam, accompanied her younger brother when he led the Hebrew people in their escape from slavery in Egypt. Text says she went to bathe in the Nile. Although her jealously later in life led to . Ofra sang the lullaby in 18 languages for the film's dubbing (including her native Hebrew). Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. There was something supernatural and marvelous taking place here. 2:7, BT Sotah 12b). And so Jochebed did what she could. Let us know. 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. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. Jochebed: Levi's daughter and Amram's wife. Here then, we have Moses' own parents, living in a relationship clearly condemned as abomination under the Law of Moses. F. Pharaoh's daughter knew Moses was a Hebrew baby. Thats how God does things. When she no longer could keep him, she gave him away to save his life. Nile was considered emanation (em uh ney shun) THE SOURCE of the pagan god Osiris( O sigh rus) and the waters had magical properties. 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. 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. It is interesting to consider that, in Leviticus 18:12, such marriages were forbidden, but this was before that injunction. [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. He became afraid that if an enemy of Egypt waged war against them, the Israelites would side with the enemy against Egypt. Her hometown was probably Goshen, in the land of Egypt. 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. Just so, the Son of Righteousness is still shining, although in the dark tunnels of our trials and afflictions, sometimes we fail to see Him. Jochebed was aware, when she was expecting a new arrival in the family, that if the child should be a boythe decree was that the male baby would have to perish in the Nile Riverand if the parents disobeyed, they too were subject to death. Moses, in the wilderness, instructed them to put away pagan gods. Have you ever worked in the baby bed nursery at church? 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). Lesson two Handout (Click Here). The God of Israel was more real to Amram and Jochebed than was the king of Egypt. 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. 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). But that was not the case. Jochebed knew also that God had foretold the bondage in Egypt which they were now experiencing. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. The baby was discovered by Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. In Thy service pain is pleasure, Transition to our next woman of influence, JochebedMoses mother. This portrayal emphasizes the painstaking attention that Jochebed paid to every detail in the ark. Reason was Pharaohs edict. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.[3]. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. And works His sovereign will. And the princess told the little slave girl to go and get a nurse of the Hebrew womenand when she came back with their own mother, Pharaohs daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. The parents of Moses believed the simple promise of Gods Word, and the revelation that after 400 years Israel would be delivered, and that their son was a proper childand so, instead of casting baby Moses into the river, they hid him for three months, and then turned him over to God. Exegesis teaches of Jochebeds longevity, and in Egypt which they were now experiencing nothing. 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