Maybe its something material, a possession you have? Their lives were made bitter with hard service in mortar and brick, and in many kinds of field labor. Answer (1 of 15): Yes, it was forbidden in Lev. 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. Have an update or correction? Jochebed the mother of Moses. Reason was Pharaohs edict. Moses's mother, a Levite, later identified as Jochebed (Numbers 26:59), had married a Levite and given birth to a son. You can never get them all quiet at the same time. The Lit. When trials come our way we must learn to be patient and trust and wait. However, when Amram married his aunt, this was before the Torah had been goven on Mount Sinai, soits laws didn't apply yet. Hebrews11:23 they were not afraid of the kings edict. This would be shallow water, away from the currents that would have carried him down the Nile. 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). But there came a day when he grew older When Jochebed had to let him go AGAINto let him go and trust God again. 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 Mother of Moses. Exodus 2:1-2. and Jochebed was a daughter of Levi ( Exodus 2:1 ), and the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam ( Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59 ). The life of Jochebed as a woman of influence teaches us that there are times in our lives when we have done all we can do, weve said all we can say, there is no more and we have to . "Jochebed: Mother of Moses." 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. She didnt just let him go, she was a woman of faith, and she let him go and trusted her God. 6:20). [22], Textual scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations, a hypothetical document originating from a similar religiopolitical group and date to the priestly source. 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. 78). 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. I imagine he learned about the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the Great Covenantal promises made to the Hebrews. Perhaps God might use him to fulfill the Promise. 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. Why to Trust? He feared they would join a foreign army against the Egyptians or start a rebellion. 2:1), and thus was Amram's paternal aunt (Ex. Keep him quiet? 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. 31 December 1999. Can you imagine what it would be like to give away your 3-month-old baby, not knowing what would happen to him? When a womans heart and a babys tears meet, something happens. The basket fell in the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing in the river. Pursuing her life passion to teach the Word of God, train leaders and connect people in community, Dianne Miller has dedicated years as a teaching leader in Bible Study Fellowship as well as directing Womens Ministries at the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia and Northwest Bible Church, More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Faith and trust in God knows that God often works behind the scenes of our lives. 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. According to the Book of Numbers, Jochebed was born to Levi when he lived in Egypt. Just rememberthis is a trial of your faith planned to bring honor in the day when Jesus reveals himself. Jochebed his father's sister. Sometimes sorrows crowd in, and troubles pile up, and it seems like God is throwing rocks. When the plan to have the midwives kill all the male newborns failed, Pharaoh gave the order to throw all baby boys into the Nile, drown them. Meet Miriam: Moses' Sister and Prophetess During the Exodus. The woman conceived and bore a son, since she conceived before this second marriage? Exodus 6: 20 - "Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she gave birth to his sons Aaron and Moses. When hiding him was no longer possible, she placed him in a waterproof basket and set him adrift among the reeds, hoping he would be saved from Pharaoh's death squads. 18:1214 (BT Sanhedrin 58b). All Israel saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai [ed. Help JWA continue to lift up Jewish womens stories, this month and every month, by. (Viewed on March 1, 2023) . [18][21], According to Josephus Flavius the birth of Moses was an extraordinary event because Jochebed was spared the pain of child-bearing due to both her and Amram's piety. 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. THE BIRTH OF THE DELIVERER. Can you imagine trying to hide a newborn baby? How did Jochebed help Moses become a Hebrew? Jochebed: Mother of Moses. ), wife of Amram and mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (Num. Surely Jochebed would have told little Moses stories of the faithfulness of the God of Israel. 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. 2 R. Alan Cole, Exodus, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. 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]. 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. for a little while. https://www.learnreligions.com/jochebed-mother-of-moses-701165 (accessed March 2, 2023). Amram married his fathers sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. My pastor often says Give up the hope of a better past, its keeping you from a better tomorrow Past hurt, past decision? She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. She was seen crying once she let the basket that held . When she no longer could keep him, she gave him away to save his life. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. It is our Christian duty to walk by faith in this world, until we come to live by sight in the eternal world. One wonders why Pharaohs daughter wanted to bathe herself in the dirty waters of the Nile River. I have called Thee Abba Father; 2:9), she unwittingly prophesied: the word helikhi concealed the truthshelikhi hu [he is yours]. Pharaohs daughter promised Jochebed (ibid. Jochebed had faith in God's protection of her baby. Faith is one of the most frequently used words in the Christians vocabulary, but it may be one of the most misunderstood words. 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). 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. Come, disaster, scorn, and pain. According to Exodus 6:20, Jochebed married her nephew; thus, she was Amram's aunt as well as his wife. 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. God returned her child to her, thus granting her a part of her reward for keeping alive the Hebrew boys (Ex. Jochebed nursed Moses for twenty-four months (Ex. Ex. She was portrayed by Martha Scott. 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. 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. In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. [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. Jochebed was married to Amram. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty seven years. The outcome of this brave action of defying the King of Egypt is now known to all. [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. A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). She brought him to all the Egyptian women, but Moses was not willing to nurse from any of them. His wonders to perform; Rabbah 1:26). For others, a family member rebels against the Gospel plan of salvation. It took faith to place the child in the river. There is great historical debate on who was Pharaohs daughter? In Ex., ii, 10, a derivation from the Hebrew Mashah (to draw) is implied. The story of his birth ( Exodus 2:1-10) is followed by an account of his killing of an Egyptian and the flight to Midian ( Exodus 2:11-16 ). Jochebed was able to use her amazing creativity and courage to solve an impossible problem. And she bore to him Aaron and Moses. Exodus 2:10 When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son. 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 . In Thy service pain is pleasure, Exodus 6:20 And Amram took his aunt Jochebed to him for a wife. Certainly faith in God, that He exists, that He made a covenant with Abraham that set them apart as a chosen people, His people. The expected thing for her to do was to have the little boy tilted over into the water. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the amora'im on the Mishnah. Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. In the midrashic account, the daughter of Pharaoh saw that Moses was hungry when she drew him from the river. " That decree applied only to the men and not to the women. She hid Moses for a period of time, but as the childs lungs developed it became impossible to hide him. After all she did have a husband and two other children to consider and take care of. One of the explanations of this discrepancy is that Jochebed completed the number seventy; she was not included in the list because she was still in her mothers womb (Gen. Rabbah 94:9). Jochebed is usually lost in the shadow of her famous son, Moses, and although she is many times forgotten when studying Exodus 2:1-10, surely in Heaven Jochebed is well known. Hold on to things and people with open hands, like Jochebed they know when to release and. The gay analogy must include a marriage relationship not universally accepted in scripture. "teaching," "study," or "learning." The "sister" of the child (presumed to be Miriam), who had come forward, suggested to find her a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. 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). Jochebed: Levi's daughter and Amram's wife. 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. Yocheved was the daughter of Levi, Jacob 's son. I believe she recognized that the deliverance of God was at hand. The only woman who judges, Deborah "used to sit under the palm treeand the sons of Israel came up to her . The Apocrypha calls her Tharmuth, other names suggested are Merris, or Bityah, perhaps even the well-known Hatshepsut( HAT shep shoot). 2:7, BT Sotah 12b). . In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. Answering:, "Jochebed couldn't have gone to the Holy land because God killed off the entire generation that left Egypt except for Caleb and Joshua as punishment. Thus Jochebed nursed her son until he was old enough and brought him to the Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. What are some areas of your life you need to stop holding on to and start trusting God? According to another midrash, Moses rejected the breasts of the Egyptian women because he said: God will speak with me. Would he be treated differently because he was Hebrew? During the few years, Jochebed was permitted to nurse her son, she would have had a profound influence upon him. I had to learn over and over and over again to. Lit. Jochebed was surrounded by grieving mothers. The story of Jochebed is thought to be described in the Book of Exodus (2:110) although she is not explicitly named here. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.[3]. She knew that God would take care of the child. This sequence omits a lengthy period of time, for Jochebed and Amram already had two other children (Aaron and Miriam) when Moses was born. Faith is not testing God by jumping off bridges or having oneself deliberately bitten by rattlesnakes. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament. 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. The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. 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. According to the Bible, Jochebed (/jkbd/; Biblical Hebrew: , romanized:Yee, lit. The question of Jochebeds kinship to Amram arises from the statement in Ex. Pharaoh of ancient Egypt saw that the Hebrews were multiplying greatly and feared that they would consider a revolt. 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. She is praised for her faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews. We will notice several aspects of Jochebeds faith-walk. (Her name is first mentioned in Exodus 6:20.) The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah also designates Jochebed as the daughter of Levi (Num. 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. 18. It seems that God impressed upon their hearts the conviction that their very child, Moses, should be the one whom God would use to bring about the promised deliverance. Although the Torah asserts that Jacobs household who came to Egypt numbered seventy souls, the Rabbis noted that only sixty-nine individuals are listed in Gen. 46. She had to walk away. This portrayal emphasizes the painstaking attention that Jochebed paid to every detail in the ark. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Zavada, Jack. The conditions described in the first two chapters of Exodus indicate that indeed those were dark days for the Children of Israel. The midrash describes in detail how she prepared the ark for Moses. 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 . According to Jewish legend, Jochebed is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. Jewish Women's Archive. What strong faith this woman had, but also what courage. Now if Jochebed was Levi's immediate daughter, than she would have been born sometime during Levi's lifetime. Probably about 3 years. He ordered all male Hebrew babies to be killed. T. Moses died. 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. They sensed that Moses was fair unto God (literal translation of Acts 7:20), implying that God had some special purpose for their child. The Rabbis resolve this abbreviated chronology by stating that Jochebed and Amram divorced, and Ex. Robert Lehigh, Editor
As we journey through life, all of uslike the parents of Moseswill have our faith tried. Shiphrah placated him, saying: Do you pay attention to such a one as her? She appears briefly in The Prince of Egypt under the name 'Yocheved', voiced by (and resembling) Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza. Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Jochebed was a daughter of Levi (Exodus 2:1), and the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam (Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59). The mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. 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. S paternal aunt ( Ex to all the Egyptian women, but Moses was not to. Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life.! Jochebed is thought to be killed plan of salvation material, a possession you have take of... 2385 AM ( 1620 BC ), wife of Amram were a hundred and thirty seven years was when. Childs lungs developed it became impossible to hide him Alan Cole, Exodus Tyndale! Applied only to the Bible, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son, she is for! 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