Jochebed was thrilled to be able to raise her son. Amram and the Levite from Egypt, Jochebed were related by blood though their affinity was not that clear. Then she put the baby in it and set it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile River. Amram married Jochebed for the sake of Heaven. Bravely, she asked Pharaoh's daughter if she should get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. She was told to do that. The time of darkness is planned by our Heavenly Father to bring praise and glory to Him in the great day when Jesus returns. When Moses was born, Jochebed saw (Ex. 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. We face a variety of trials. Several rabbinic commentaries attest to this and comment that maidenhood was restored to Jochebed at the time of her marriage to Amram. And works His sovereign will. Pharaohs daughter, although a heathen princess, had a womans (a mothers) instinct, and one thing that touches a womans heart is a crying baby. The second lesson is for heartbroken people who have to turn their dreams over to God. We often think of this passage as the story of Moses, but it might be more appropriate to call it the story of Jochebeda woman who is relatively unknown to many Christians. F. Hebrew 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Accordingly, Prov. She was convinced that her son would be used for an important work. Amram was the Levite man who was Moses father. The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. 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. Jochebed showed great trust in God's faithfulness. 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. When not specified, "Talmud" refers to the Babylonian Talmud.Talmud discusses this relationship in the context of the incest prohibitions in Lev. 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. The princess adopted Moses eventually but never knew that Jochebed was the little boy's biological mother. 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. [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. [5] Jochebed is also called Amram's father's sister in the Masoretic text of Exodus 6:20, but ancient translations differ in this. This would make Jochebed the aunt of Amram, her husband. We are thinking of faith in this lesson, not as saving faith, but as sustaining faith. Josephus and the Fathers assign the Coptic mo (water) and uses (saved) as the constituent parts of the name. Moses, in the wilderness, instructed them to put away pagan gods. The God of Israel was more real to Amram and Jochebed than was the king of Egypt. After three months Jochebed was forced to obey the decree of Pharaoh. 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). God blessed Jochebed's obedience by making her Moses' nursemaid. Amram and Jochebed still enjoyed a forbidden sexual relationship which produced three famous children, Aaron, Miriam and Moses, Exodus 6:20, 15:20. (Amram lived to be 137 years old).". The Torah seemingly chose to concentrate on the birth of Israels deliverer, and therefore did not mention his two elder siblings. [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 a daughter of Levi ( Exodus 2:1 ), and the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam ( Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59 ). She didnt just let him go, she was a woman of faith, and she let him go and trusted her God. 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). Miriam, who was six years old at the time, said: Father, father, your decree is harsher than that of Pharaoh. Devorah and her husband Maurice Sklar ran Maurice Sklar Ministries, founded by Maurice Sklar, which has about 10,000 followers online. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty seven years. She felt a firm unity with her Creator and was exhilarated by this bond. Joshua 24:14 throw away gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the river and in Egypt. What does it mean that they had faith? This portrayal emphasizes the painstaking attention that Jochebed paid to every detail in the ark. Joseph had saved the country from a famine, but eventually, he was forgotten by the Egyptian rulers, the Pharaohs. Lesson two Handout (Click Here). The story of Moses' mother is found in chapter two of Exodus, Exodus 6:20, and Numbers 26:59. What would she do if he was snatched out of her arms and taken to certain death? Only because she trusted the Lord could she abandon her son rather than see him killed. PO Box 391 That Jochebed could still be bearing children at the age of forty-eight might seem unlikely by modern standards. Learn Religions, Sep. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/jochebed-mother-of-moses-701165. Perhaps there would be some shade too from the sun in the reeds. Those must have been precious years. Her name Jochebed in the Hebrew language means "YAHWEH is glory". The answer: It was based on the promises of Gods Word. To adopt a child means someone has to give up a child. Shiphrah placated him, saying: Do you pay attention to such a one as her? Sustaining faith, in simple language, is the assurance that the thing which God has said in His Word is true, and that God will act according to what He has said. 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). She named him Moses. Jochebed was Amram's aunt, strangely enough; she was his father's sister. Moses was a fortunate and blessed man. Doing nothing would have condemned Moses to death at the hands of the Egyptian death squads. 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. 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. Kadari, Tamar. The restoration of maidenhood also included the resumption of her fertility. 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. 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. 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. Born shortly after the decree to throw Hebrew newborn boys in the Nile, Moses escaped death through adoption by pharaoh's daughter. How will you be encouraged by Jochebed to boldly face your fears today? What if she kept the baby at home until eventually the authorities came? She was portrayed by Martha Scott. Surely Jochebed would have told little Moses stories of the faithfulness of the God of Israel. 2:1), and thus was Amram's paternal aunt (Ex. 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. '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. She caulked it with bitumen and pitch (Ex. She is praised for her faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 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). Jacob, his sons, and their families had gone into Egypt to live because there was a severe famine in their land, and they were able to find food in Egypt. Just so, when we get beyond our depths, and when we get in deep water, we cry out to God for help. Adoption is a wonderful way to unconditionally love someone but it comes with a painful price tag (as well see in our story). 4 Then his sister positioned herself some distance away in order to find out what would happen to him. For some, there is a lack of the assurance of the forgiveness of past sins. 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. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.[3]. The outcome of this brave action of defying the King of Egypt is now known to all. In all three explanations, Jochebed immediately comprehended that her son was meant for greatness and she discerned that he possessed unique spiritual qualities. Their lives were made bitter with hard service in mortar and brick, and in many kinds of field labor. Sometimes we need to slow down and learn to see Him and His presence in our circumstances and thank Him for His care. This exegesis teaches of Jochebeds longevity, and that she was still alive when Moses died. She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months. Further study: She committed Moses to the Lord. 31 December 1999. By merit of her good deeds, she gave birth to the three leaders of the Exodus generation: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. For others, health deteriorates, death takes a loved one, and plans for the future are shattered. 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