She did . Ofra sang the lullaby in 18 languages for the film's dubbing (including her native Hebrew). 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. Her name Jochebed in the Hebrew language means "YAHWEH is glory". Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament. 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? Although her jealously later in life led to . 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. Years she had to love and influence her child for God. Lieberman], pp. God always honors such faith as theirs. After many hardships, Moses was used by God as his servant to free the Hebrew people from slavery and lead them to the edge of the promised land. T. Moses died. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. [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. She knew that God would take care of the child. The story is familiar to many, but so that we have it clearly in mind, we summarize it here. Born into a Levite family, Moses' natural parents, Jochebed (mother) and Amram (father) reared Moses until he was about 3 months old. What strong faith this woman had, but also what courage. Hebrews 11:23 and Exodus 2:1-2 and 6:20. 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. The life of Jochebed is an amazing demonstration of the walk by faith. The child, found by the pharaoh's daughter while bathing, was reared in the Egyptian court. 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. Zavada, Jack. teaches that Jochebed put the ark in a protected place, where bushes and reeds grew. Then she brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter, who raised him as her own. Also read Numbers 26:58-59. Then verse 18 shows that Kohath's sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 2:9), she unwittingly prophesied: the word helikhi concealed the truthshelikhi hu [he is yours]. Pharaohs daughter promised Jochebed (ibid. If the Pharaoh here is Rameses (RAM uh sees) II, he had over 60 daughters.3 We dont know, but whoever she was, she had enough influence to kill Moses or keep him alive. [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. [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. 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. 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. 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. But once again we see God behind the scenes! The Rabbis say that when the daughter of Pharaoh asked of Jochebed: Take [helikhi] this child and nurse it for me (Ex. Jewish Women's Archive. That Jochebed could still be bearing children at the age of forty-eight might seem unlikely by modern standards. Jochebed was the daughter of a Levi man and born in Egypt. for a little while. Can you imagine trying to hide a newborn baby? That day began a new life for my son and for our entire family and me. Lit. Jochebed just happened to put Moses in the right spot on the Nile? Go then, earthly fame and treasure, 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. 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). Devorah and her husband Maurice Sklar ran Maurice Sklar Ministries, founded by Maurice Sklar, which has about 10,000 followers online. 2 tells of the birth of Moses. PO Box 391 In the midrashic account, the daughter of Pharaoh saw that Moses was hungry when she drew him from the river. The "sister" of the child (presumed to be Miriam), who had come forward, suggested to find her a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Moses, in the wilderness, instructed them to put away pagan gods. The outcome of this brave action of defying the King of Egypt is now known to all. This is a clear example of how God gives, provides, and answers more abundantly than we can even ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Pharaohs daughter just happened to see the basket? The Apostle Peter says, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7). About 1486, the reigning Pharaoh tried to kill Moses when he sought identity with his people Israel, but Moses escaped to Midian. 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. Like Jochebed, we won't always foresee God's purpose in letting go, but we can trust that his plan is even better. The Scripture says, And, behold, the babe wept (Exodus 2:6). As she raised her children, she implanted the seeds of hope in their hearts. How do we know? I have called Thee Abba Father; The story of Moses' mother is found in chapter two of Exodus, Exodus 6:20, andNumbers26:59. It is an unquestionable fact of scripture that God blessed the forbidden marriage of Amram and Jochebed. An additional midrashic explanation of her name is that she smoothed over (shiprah) her daughter Puahs words. She did not sit down and brood about the current situation in Egypt, and say, If this child is to be Israels deliverer, God will somehow spare him and deliver him; theres nothing we can do; so well throw him in the river, and if God wants him, He can save him. She knew that God expects us to do our part, and that He will not do for us what we are able to do for ourselves. His older sister, Miriam (15 years his senior), and his brother 3-year old Aaron were safe from Pharaoh's edict since they were born before it was enacted. On what was this confidence and hope based? Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. 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. https://www.learnreligions.com/jochebed-mother-of-moses-701165 (accessed March 2, 2023). (Maybe an angel stood there and pinched the baby so that he would cry at the right time.). 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. Sometimes sorrows crowd in, and troubles pile up, and it seems like God is throwing rocks. 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. 18:1214 (BT Sanhedrin 58b). The mother of Moses is famous in the eyes of God, not because she bore the baby Moses, but because of her faitha faith that knew no defeat. Possible that he was alive during the Exodus, remember Moses was 80 years old then. 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. We can only get through that kind of disappointment by turning it over to God like Jochebed put her child in his care. 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 must put on the shield of faith and believe that God is sending the trials to prepare us for even greater blessings. To adopt a child means someone has to give up a child. For some, there is a lack of the assurance of the forgiveness of past sins. I wonder. First, some background. An Impossible Problem Solver. Text says she went to bathe in the Nile. 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). 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). 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. Conservative scholars date the "Exodus," a landmark in Israel's history, at 1446 B.C. Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. In 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings, she was portrayed by British Actress Anna Savva. Jochebed succeeded in concealing Moses for three months (Ex. By merit of her good deeds, she gave birth to the three leaders of the Exodus generation: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. With Thy favorloss is gain. Zavada, Jack. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Women of Influence Surrounding the Life of Moses. 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. Faith is one of the most frequently used words in the Christians vocabulary, but it may be one of the most misunderstood words. And this is true; consideration must be given to the years that Jochebed, Moses' mother, was upon the earth after Levi died and before Moses was born. In addition to her given name, the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Each was a prophet, and each served Israel (provided them physical succor): by merit of Moses, the Israelites were given the manna; by merit of Aaron, clouds of glory surrounded the Israelites and protected them during their journeying in the wilderness; and by merit of Miriam, the well accompanied them wherever they went. Assisted by - Quoted sourceThese are my personal research notes gleaned from over 50 plus years of being a bible student - assisted by the following information which . Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, 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). The outcome of this brave action of defying the King of Egypt is now known to all. Ex. Just like today, true faith was mixed with pagan beliefs. 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. Answer Moses' mother, Jochebed, was a Hebrew woman living in slavery in Egypt before the exodus. So she made a little miniature Nile boat for her baby.2) She put the child in the basket among the reeds near the bank of the river. 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. Job had some low points in his experience, but repeatedly he expressed his confidence in Gods faithfulness. Just rememberthis is a trial of your faith planned to bring honor in the day when Jesus reveals himself. Epstein-Melamed], p. 6; BT Sotah 12a; Pesikta Rabbati 43). 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. She was told to do that. Ex. Born shortly after the decree to throw Hebrew newborn boys in the Nile, Moses escaped death through adoption by pharaoh's daughter. The princess adopted Moses eventually but never knew that Jochebed was the little boy's biological mother. 1 Clearly one of the Bible's most outstanding figures, she served ancient Israel as a prophet, 2 judge, military leader, songwriter, and minstrel (Judges 4-5). A desperate measure. Cain the first human murderer recorded in the Bible, Jephthah the Gileadite the tenth Judge of Israel, Samuel 15th Judge of Israel and also a Prophet, Background Information: For Hebrews Chapter 11. But who is she? But in the midst of this trial, she had confidence and hope. First, many unwed mothers refuse to have an abortion, yet have no choice but to place their baby for adoption. He wanted her for his wife and was willing to . "the written Torah." From that marriage, Moses was born. In the Rabbinic exegesis, Jochebed was already pregnant with Moses before Amram divorced her, and the fetus in her womb was three months old when he remarried her. (Genesis 1:7-10) Pharaoh gave the midwives an order to kill any boy that was born of the Hebrew women . 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. No details are given concerning her life. But Exodus 2:5 says that the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. "Jochebed: Mother of Moses." 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. She was seen crying once she let the basket that held . Moses was a prophet during biblical times. The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM, the year her father died. "teaching," "study," or "learning." His mother, Jochebed (Arabic: , romanized:Ykbid), and her efforts to save the baby Moses are recounted. 1:21), which the Rabbis understand as priestly and Levitical households, or as royal households. The story of Moses' mother is found in chapter two of Exodus, Exodus 6:20, and Numbers 26:59. Answer (1 of 15): Yes, it was forbidden in Lev. Gods providence was seeing to it that Jochebed was being paid from royal funds to look after her own child. The conditions described in the first two chapters of Exodus indicate that indeed those were dark days for the Children of Israel. Joseph had revealed himself to his eleven brothers and requested that his father come to Egypt, which the family did. Answer (1 of 23): Re your query: According to Exodus 2, Moses' mother gave him back to Pharoah's daughter. [23] According to biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants, is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the Levites the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, and Aaronids;[24] Aaron the eponymous ancestor of the Aaronids couldn't be portrayed as a brother to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, as the narrative about the birth of Moses (brother of Aaron), which textual scholars attribute to the earlier Elohist source, mentions only that both his parents were Levites (without identifying their names). He became afraid that if an enemy of Egypt waged war against them, the Israelites would side with the enemy against Egypt. . She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Certainly faith in God, that He exists, that He made a covenant with Abraham that set them apart as a chosen people, His people. [24], It has been proposed by a number of Biblical scholars that Ichabod and Jacob may ultimately be linguistic corruptions of Jochebed, and possibly once have referred to the same individual.[26]. It means "the glory of Jehovah." This kind of marriage between relatives was later forbidden by the law of Moses. Why did she do this? As Moses grew up Jochebed educated Moses in the religion and history of Israel, ensuring that Moses did not lose his Hebrew identity. Jochebed placed Moses in a basket and released him in the flow of River Nile. I would have wondered if he would be safe? Jochebed had such a deep abiding faith in the trustworthiness of Gods Word that it drove her to act. Amram married Jochebed for the sake of Heaven. She committed Moses to the Lord. (Her name is first mentioned in Exodus 6:20.) JOCHEBED: THE MOTHER OF MOSES. He had two mothers who loved him, two mothers who did all they could to save him from a certain death. It took faith to place the child in the river. Perhaps God might use him to fulfill the Promise. We don't know but we hope that she too was alive to see the Exodus. 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. F. Pharaoh's daughter knew Moses was a Hebrew baby. Jochebed, shes the one, who took him to the Royal Palace. And in Ephesians 6:16, we read, Above all, (put on) the shield of faith, (by which you) shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. The shield of faith is the piece of armor which we are to use to quench the flaming arrows of the evil one! 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". They sensed that Moses was fair unto God (literal translation of Acts 7:20), implying that God had some special purpose for their child. 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. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. 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. 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