Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, = Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Moses, Hebrew liberator, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian, lived in the thirteenth and early part of the twelfth century B.C.. NAME. The Rabbis identify Jochebed with Shiphrah, one of the two Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) who delivered the children of the Israelites during the Egyptian servitude. Lesson two Handout (Click Here). Jochebed the mother of Moses. Tellings of the birth of Moses story often overlook Jochebed's role in the story from beginning to end. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/jochebed-mother-of-moses-701165. ): 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. For unknown reasons, Terah never made it to their destination but stopped and settled in Harran instead. 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 appearance is short and we are not told much about her, but one trait stands out: trust in God. Resources Lockyer's All the Women of the Bible Chapter 2. 2:2) how good [tov] he was. The Rabbis ask what Jochebed saw that was special in her son, on account of which she sought to save him from Pharaohs death decree. God blessed Jochebed's obedience by making her Moses' nursemaid. According to Jewish legend, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. His three friends sat for seven days and simply shook their heads in despair without saying a word (Job 2:13). By merit of her good deeds, she gave birth to the three leaders of the Exodus generation: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Yocheved was a beautiful, kind and motherly woman. She didnt just let him go, she was a woman of faith, and she let him go and trusted her God. One of her maidservants saw the basket and brought it to her. 78). This portrayal emphasizes the painstaking attention that Jochebed paid to every detail in the ark. 2 Later, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. [7] In making this identification, the rabbis interpret the houses, with which the Book of Exodus describes God as having compensated the midwives,[8] as having been those of priesthood and of royalty; these houses are interpreted by the Talmudic rabbis as allegorical references to Jochebed's sons Moses and Aaron respectively.[9]. About 1486, the reigning Pharaoh tried to kill Moses when he sought identity with his people Israel, but Moses escaped to Midian. Verbs tell us that she herself opened it and saw Moses and at that very moment he cried. It means "the glory of Jehovah." All must work for good to me. [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. And rides upon the storm. An additional midrashic explanation of her name is that she smoothed over (shiprah) her daughter Puahs words. A desperate measure. 26:59). The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. Answer: According to tradition, Yocheved lived long enough to enter the Holy Land with the Israelites.. She had hard problems to face just like you and I have. 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. Have an update or correction? Rabbah 1:16). Thus it was easy for Amram and Jochebed to add up the years of Israels stay in Egypt, and see that the time of deliverance which God had promised had almost come. He had two mothers who loved him, two mothers who did all they could to save him from a certain death. Question we have to ask is: What do you do when you cant do anything more? Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. The new Pharaoh reduced the Hebrews to slavery, he robbed them of their liberties, and he put them to work in the brick yards under cruel taskmasters. When not specified, "Talmud" refers to the Babylonian Talmud.Talmud discusses this relationship in the context of the incest prohibitions in Lev. Hebrews 11:23 and Exodus 2:1-2 and 6:20. 2:1), and thus was Amram's paternal aunt (Ex. Their lives were made bitter with hard service in mortar and brick, and in many kinds of field labor. Exodus 2:10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son. "Jochebed: Midrash and Aggadah." Is it your past? Here there would be less danger from crocodiles than if she just put him down on the beach. Born shortly after the decree to throw Hebrew newborn boys in the Nile, Moses escaped death through adoption by pharaoh's daughter. 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). Miriam, who was six years old at the time, said: Father, father, your decree is harsher than that of Pharaoh. She named him Moses, saying, Because I drew him from the water.. I would have wondered if he would be safe? Has anything just happened to you recently that you know really was God working for you? "Jochebed: Mother of Moses." Exodus 2, which describes the birth of Moses, does not name her, or, for that matter, the father or sister of Moses. The God of Israel was more real to Amram and Jochebed than was the king of Egypt. "the written Torah." Jochebed was able to use her amazing creativity and courage to solve an impossible problem. Jochebed lived in a critical time. 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. Like Jochebed, we won't always foresee God's purpose in letting go, but we can trust that his plan is even better. [27], Stories of unusual events during the pregnancy of Aminah, mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad,[28] are compared with the similar experiences of Jochebed when she was carrying Moses. Every genuine believer in Christ has already demonstrated saving faith, but sustaining faith speaks of the simple trust in God that one needs to exercise daily, in order to live a victorious Christian life and to serve God acceptably. 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. By merit of her good deeds, she gave birth to the three leaders of the Exodus generation: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Amram and Jochebed had no fear of the kings decree. They took the urine sample and when the doctor came back he coldly said I think your son has diabetes and I want you to go immediately to the Juvenile Diabetes clinic, Ive already called them to tell them youre on your way. The gay analogy must include a marriage relationship not universally accepted in scripture. She was Levi 's daughter, and Kehot, Amram's father, was Levi 's son. What some call fate or luck or it just happened is really Gods providential care. Thats how God does things. Happy Womens History Month! He went from her arms to the arms of Pharaohs daughter. In addition to her given name, the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. 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. Truthfully, there is a certain amount of pain, a loneliness pain, when they leave home to go to college, when they get married, when they start their own life. What are some areas of your life you need to stop holding on to and start trusting God? Life comes with the pain of losses, of giving up and letting go and we are rarely ready to let go. Trials are of many kinds and they change from day to dayand vary from person to person. Moses was a fortunate and blessed man. God returned her child to her, thus granting her a part of her reward for keeping alive the Hebrew boys (Ex. The basket fell in the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing in the river. 1:21), which the Rabbis understand as priestly and Levitical households, or as royal households. (NET). The baby was discovered by Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter. I have called Thee Abba Father; She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months. Jochebed's name is given various allegorical interpretations;[12][13] the Leviticus Rabbah identifies her as the person named in the Book of Chronicles as Jehudijah,[14] by arguing that the name should be interpreted as meaning the Jewess, in reference to her founding the Jewish nation by disobeying the Pharaoh's order to dispose of the firstborn males. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. She felt a firm unity with her Creator and was exhilarated by this bond. Jochebed bore Amram three righteous offspring. She was the only surviving child of Thutmose I . It is an unquestionable fact of scripture that God blessed the forbidden marriage of Amram and Jochebed. (We learn later, in Exodus 6:20, that the father and mother of Moses are named Amram and Jochebed.) The Nile was home to alligators, snakes and all other manner of dangerous animals. She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. Conservative scholars date the "Exodus," a landmark in Israel's history, at 1446 B.C. She had feelings just like you and I have. This exegesis teaches of Jochebeds longevity, and that she was still alive when Moses died. He ordered all male Hebrew babies to be killed. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under the palm treeand the sons of Israel came up to her . 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. Her hometown was probably Goshen, in the land of Egypt. For others, health deteriorates, death takes a loved one, and plans for the future are shattered. Shiphrah placated him, saying: Do you pay attention to such a one as her? Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Jochebed is most known as the mother of Moses. for a little while. Rabbah 1:25). 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. Jochebed, more commonly referred to as the mom of Moses, is an important biblical character when studying mothers in the Bible. 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 . 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. Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. This sequence omits a lengthy period of time, for Jochebed and Amram already had two other children (Aaron and Miriam) when Moses was born. This kind of marriage between relatives was later forbidden by the law of Moses. 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. (Genesis 1:7-10) Pharaoh gave the midwives an order to kill any boy that was born of the Hebrew women . not an ordinary child Hebrew for fine is tov(TOE v)= means good, beautiful Its the same word that used in the Creation account in Genesis 1:4(light), 10(land and sea), 18(sun, moon, stars), 25(animals), 31(mankind, looked and said=very good). Yet in the Book of Exodus, it is explicitly mentioned that Jochebed was the sister of Kohath thus making her the aunt of Amram. When Jacob went to stay with his uncle Laban, he met one of his daughters, Rachel, and loved her. The latter had spoken impudently to Pharaoh, who sought to kill her in his anger. Jesus reminds us that there will be those who are last which shall be first and first which shall be last (Luke 13:30). The outcome of this brave action of defying the King of Egypt is now known to all. 2:12 state that he married a Levite woman. We are thinking of faith in this lesson, not as saving faith, but as sustaining faith. Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. Lit. In Ex., ii, 10, a derivation from the Hebrew Mashah (to draw) is implied. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. 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. 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. Exodus 2:1-2 A man from the household of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi. Moses said: The mouth that will speak with God will not nurse something impure [the milk of non-Jews].