Zipporah

the wife of Moses

Who was Zipporah?

One of the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian. She married Moses when he fled from Egypt. Exodus 2:15-16, 21
She was the mother of Moses’ two sons: Gershom and Eliezer. Exodus 18:2-4
On the way to Egypt, when the Lord sought to take Moses’ life, she circumcised her son. Exodus 4:24-26

Also called: “The Cushite woman” (in older Catholic Bibles, “the Ethiopian”), if it is she, as a NAB note suggests Numbers 12:1; NAB note on Nm 12, 1
From: From Midian Exodus 2:16, 21
Occupation: Shepherdess: with her sisters she watered her father’s flock Exodus 2:16

What the Bible says

Exodus 2:15-16, 21

¹⁵And Pharao heard of this word and sought to kill Moses: but he fled from his sight, and abode in the land of Madian, and he sat down by a well. ¹⁶And the priest of Madian had seven daughters, who came to draw water: and when the troughs were filled, desired to water their father’s flocks. ²¹And Moses swore that he would dwell with him. And he took Sephora his daughter to wife:

Exodus 18:2-4

²He took Sephora the wife of Moses whom he had sent back: ³And her two sons, of whom one was called Gersam, his father saying: I have been a stranger in a foreign country. ⁴And the other Eliezer: For the God of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword of Pharao.

Exodus 4:24-26

²⁴And when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed him. ²⁵Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the fore skin of her son, and touched his feet and said: A bloody spouse art thou to me. ²⁶And he let him go after she had said A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Zipporah

Before Jesus. She was one of the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian. They watered their father’s flock. Exodus 2:16
Before Jesus. Some shepherds drove them away from the well, and Moses, who was fleeing from Pharaoh, defended them. Exodus 2:15-17
Before Jesus. The sisters came home earlier than usual. They told their father, Reuel, that an Egyptian had defended them and drawn water for them. Reuel asked them to invite the man to eat. Exodus 2:18-20
With Jesus. Moses stayed to live with Jethro, and Jethro gave him Zipporah as his wife. Exodus 2:21
With Jesus. Zipporah had a son, Gershom. Moses gave him that name because he himself was a stranger in a foreign land. Exodus 2:22
With Jesus. Moses asked Jethro, his father-in-law, for permission to go back to Egypt. Jethro told him to go in peace. Exodus 4:18
With Jesus. She set out for Egypt with Moses and their sons, riding on a donkey. Exodus 4:20
With Jesus. Where they stopped for the night, the Lord sought to take Moses’ life. Zipporah circumcised her son, and the Lord let Moses go. Exodus 4:24-26
Afterward. Moses had sent her back to her father’s house. Jethro brought her with Moses’ two sons into the desert, where Moses was. Exodus 18:2-5
Afterward. Jethro sent word to Moses that he was coming with Moses’ wife and two sons. Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and kissed him. Exodus 18:6-7
Afterward. Her second son was named Eliezer. Moses gave him that name because God had saved him from Pharaoh’s sword. Exodus 18:4

Words of Zipporah

“A bloody spouse art thou to me.” Exodus 4:25

To Moses, after circumcising their son, on the way to Egypt.

What they were like

Hardworking: with her sisters she drew water for her father’s flock. Exodus 2:16
Decisive: in the moment of danger, she took a flint at once and circumcised her son. Exodus 4:25

The greatest thing they did

When she circumcised her son, the Lord let Moses go. Exodus 4:25-26

Not to be confused with

Older Catholic Bibles also call one of the Hebrew midwives in Egypt “Sephora.” She is a different woman. Exodus 1:15-17

What people ask

How many sons did she have with Moses?

Two: Gershom and Eliezer. Exodus 18:3-4

What happened on the way to Egypt?

The Lord sought to take Moses’ life, and Zipporah circumcised her son. A NAB note says that, it seems, Moses had not kept the command to circumcise, given to Abraham. Exodus 4:24-26; NAB note on Ex 4, 24-26; Genesis 17:10-11

Did Zipporah go with Moses to Egypt?

She set out with him, but Moses later sent her back to her father. They met again in the desert, by the mountain of God. Exodus 4:20; Exodus 18:2, 5

Is Zipporah “the Cushite woman” in the Book of Numbers?

The Bible does not say clearly. A NAB note suggests so, and that perhaps “Cushite” meant “foreign.” Numbers 12:1; NAB note on Nm 12, 1

What is circumcision?

A small cut on the body of males. It was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Genesis 17:10-11

Why did the sisters say that Moses was an Egyptian?

Moses came from Egypt, where he had fled from Pharaoh. The Bible explains nothing more. Exodus 2:15, 19

What does Midian have to do with Abraham?

The Bible tells that Abraham had a son named Midian, with his wife Keturah. Jethro, Zipporah’s father, was the priest of Midian. Genesis 25:1-2; Exodus 3:1

Daily life She drew water from the well and filled the troughs for the sheep. Exodus 2:16 Little known Her sons’ names tell a story: Gershom recalls that Moses was…

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Who Zipporah is connected to

Moses · husband and wife
Jethro · father and daughter

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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