On the contrary, the evidence suggests Moses married the Cushite woman after Zipporah's death. In addition, Zipporah plays more than a supporting role in the future of the Israelites. We understand that a master can have more than one servant, but a servant can only have one master. God has never approved, nor made lawful, more than one living wife for any man. These details support the conclusion that Moses married after Zipporah's death, though her death is not recorded in scripture. Chronicles was written in the earliest days of the Second Temple Era (circa 500 to 350 BC), organizing and preserving records of genealogy and history of the royal house of the kingdom of Judah, the descendants of King David. Polygamy is "the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time." : 3 Although the Old Testament describes numerous examples of polygamy among devotees to God, most Christian groups have historically rejected the practice of polygamy and have upheld monogamy alone as normative. Zipporah was Moses' first and only wife. Moses specifically - MAYBE - but only one wife is recorded. Verse By Verse Ministry International. When scripture introduces an important person, there is usually some kind of back story. The Bible consistently condemns taking multiple wives, and even Jesus Himself declared that when one man and one woman come together in marriage to become one flesh, and any additional marriage relationship is sin. All these men had more than one wife? Now we know that Moses was married to Adoniah (Tharbis), by just simply understanding the history of Israel, we can say that Moses was married twice. Terms and Conditions, ©2021. "Moses is God's chosen messenger, the most important biblical figure after Abraham," says Kirsch. In Biblical text, however, Moses is also castigated by his brother and sister for marrying a Cushite, which is a person from modern day Ethiopia. Concubines were entitled to proper food and clothing. Moses wrote the Will and Word of the Lord on this subject as on others. Midian and Cush are different places in the Bible, so this Cushite woman must be a different wife than the one Moses took while in Midian. The Mosaic Law likewise accommodated the practice of marrying more than one wife, including captured prisoners from foreign conquests (Deuteronomy 21:1-17). Nevertheless, nothing in the Bible suggests that Moses was married to these two women simultaneously. Many people recall at once a few Old Testament instances of plural wives, and assume that God sanctioned polygamy. A strange chapter of his life deals with his two wives, a situation that sparked the events of Numbers 12. Aaron, Miriam, and Moses were the children of Amram and Jochebed. In his later years, Solomon chose to disobey, and he was held accountable for his decisions. Moses had already married Zipporah (Exodus 2:21). There was no mention of a different wife’s name so it must still be Eve, especially since it references the child that couple lost together. More evidence that Moses only had one wife is found in Exodus 4:20: “Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt.” Wife is singular, and there is no mention of any other wife or wives that Moses had. Moses first served the king of Cush and then upon his death became king himself, ruling for 40 years. A woman’s status as a concubine was higher than a slave but lower than a wife. Some take the term translated "Kushite" to mean "from Kush" ("Ethiopia") instead of "from Kushan" ("Midian"). Not that God approves or commends polygamy. We must also note that Moses himself took a second wife who was an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1). One can argue that God allowed David to have more than one wife, but given that the Law of Moses does not provide rules or regulation for a man with more than one wife, we can assume that from the point of view of the Law, the taking of multiple wives was not allowed. What does God say about this now and about them then, given he provided provisions for how to do it in the OT, does God say in the NT, you can only have one wife? These Movies and Shows Can Help You Make Sense of Confusing Economic Concepts, Understanding Trustees' Duties and Responsibilities in Managing a Trust, Estate Planning 101: How to Probate a Will, The Differences Between “Defamation,” “Libel” and “Slander”, Heritage Images/Hulton Fine Art Collection/Getty Images. Rather than covering up the faults and flaws of its key figures, the Bible frequently shows us humanity in its deepest sin. Exodus 4:20 records the fact that “Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. God did not force him to do what was right. Singapore Moses Messenger of God, CEO in IT industry, Astronaut, Scientist Let us study wife of Moses in detail: ✿ Wife of Moses was Zipporah and she was the one and only wife of Moses. There was some controversy, but not because Moses had done anything wrong, it was more of a matter of jealousy as “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had m… On the way to Egypt, Zipporah circumcised their son and thus saved her husband’s life—Moses had neglected to obey the Lord in this matter, and the Lord would have killed Moses had … The primary problem with this theory is that ZIpporah is also identified in Biblical text as a Midianite, which is a person from the Arabian Peninsula. You started with an intriguing problem, “how to handle tribal converts who have more than one wife” but never resolved this. Did it stop, at the cross or change somewhere in the new testament? A prime example of this is the transparent treatment of David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11). Cush is the ancient name for the region called Ethiopia today. Those who support the one wife theory believe Zipporah and the Cushite woman are one in the same. Abraham had more than one wife (Gen. 16:1-4)and because of it, there were problems. All pillars of the faith, can a Christian have more than one wife? God did make just two,but then they commited a sin,so he set them out of the garden.And then he said be fruitful and multiply.it was a while before there was any other wemon on this earth.man made them by being fruitful.yes God only made 1 man and 1 woman,but they disobeyed God.but he did allow more than 1 wife then,doesnt matter if it was to populate quicker or not,the bible says GOD … Deut. Moses' decision to (re)marry became Aaron's and Miriam's excuse to discredit Moses in an attempt to usurp his authority over Israel. Moses’s descendants are referred to in the first book of Chronicles, one of the more obscure books of the Bible. Lamech was the first to have more than one wife (Genesis 4:19, 23), but he was a wicked man, a murderer. Biblical view on marriage Genesis 2:24 says “ For this reason a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Some Biblical experts choose to explain this dilemma by suggesting that the term "Cushite" was applied to Zipporah as a slur. There is no biblical evidence that Moses was ever married to more than one woman. With that introduction, I will present some of the explanations given of Moses’s Cushite wife. I also believe that Moses had only one wife. Please note Deuteronomy 21:15-17 !! As I understand, Moses had two or more wives, only two are named. Num. Rather, God laid out His will, blessed Solomon with wisdom, and expected the king to obey. I was thinking this situation also applies to converts from Islam. The circumcision of one or both of Moses’ sons is one of those events. She did not divorce him. More evidence that Moses only had one wife is found in Exodus 4:20: “Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt.” Wife is singular, and there is no mention of any other wife or wives that Moses had. Moses had been married some time when he took his second wife. 21:15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Moses first Marriage was to Adoniah as previously mentioned and his second marriage was to Reuel (Jethro) the Midianite’s daughter Zipporah. They may have married more than one wife for personal, cultural or political reasons but these marriages often resulted in destructive relationships and God’s disapproval. The events of Numbers 12 occur when Moses is already over 80 years old, so it's very likely that Zipporah had died by that time. In Biblical text, however, Moses is also castigated by his brother and sister for marrying a Cushite, which is a person from modern day Ethiopia. We came to the conclusion that it is very difficult to ascertain an absolute conclusion on whether there was one wife, or two wives. That assumption is absolutely false! To get the necessary information about how many wives Moses had, we have to study the scriptures more closely. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her … There’s a great movie, “The Ghost in the Darkness” based on a true story about a bridge builder in Africa around the early 1900’s. The Bible is an incredibly candid book when compared to the religious writings of other traditions. Secondly, the Old Covenant did make provision for a man having more than one wife. For a time, God did permit a man to have more than one wife. When I was reading in Numbers 12, it seems Moses took a second wife from Ethiopia late in his life. What is the connection between altars and salvation. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.” That is singular in regards to his wife. Further circumstantial evidence for Zipporah's death is found in the conflict between Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Did God use an extra day to make different human races? On the contrary, the evidence suggests Moses married the Cushite woman after Zipporah's death. No prohibition on Polygamy; rather there were requirements laid on the man who has more than one living wife. Moses had two wives as well. Even during the wandering in the desert, Moses was visited by his father in … Who Is Alexa — and What Does Amazon's Virtual Assistant Say About the Future of AI? Other prophets remained married and led normal family lives. Those who support the two wife theory believe Zipporah and the Cushite woman to be two separate people. Abraham Was NOT a Polygamist. Therefore, we must conclude that in Numbers 12 Moses was remarrying after having become a widower, not taking multiple wives. Moses's wife, Zipporah, was from Midian in Arabia. While there are a few exceptions to these brief back stories, Aaron is the one that stands out the most. Midian and Cush are different places in the Bible, so this Cushite woman must be a different wife than the one Moses took while in Midian. He was given the former king’s widow as a wife but he refused to live with her or worship the Cushite god (Yalkut Shimoni Shemot 168). A Canaanite Woman. 1) Did Moses, etc.in the Bible have more than one wife? Adam and Eve are the example of the marriage ideal from God’s standpoint. All rights reserved. 12:2 and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Moses's wife, Zipporah, was from Midian in Arabia. Sometimes in scripture we run across strange events that have no explanation as to what led up to them happening. But God did not originate the practice of polygamy. When Was Aaron Born? There arose a debate on this topic between myself and a brother in Christ. Zipporah was the wife that gave birth to the two sons of Moses: Zipporah’s Children. The story begins sometime during the first forty-year period … In the end, Zipporah made the ultimate sacrifice. The only wife of Moses known by name is Zipporah. We read that Moses had taken a Cushite woman as a wife. Wives are (to an extent) like wars: one at a time works best in most cases. Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard it. The Quran does not give preference in marrying more than one wife. Privacy Policy He had a total of nine wives, but not all at the same time, depending on the sources in his lifetime. Exodus 21:10 ESV / 170 helpful votes. By Genesis 4, you have Cain's son Lamech taking two wives. Since his first wife had died, Moses was able to marry again. If a husband were owned by more than one wife, the ownership of him by those wives would be shared, common or joint ownership, as demonstrated by the term idios in 1 Corinthians 7:2. Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history. Nevertheless, nothing in the Bible suggests that Moses was married to these two women simultaneously. Moses had one or two wives, depending on how the Biblical text is interpreted. Contrary to the suppositions many have accepted, God forbade it--and PUNISHED for it! Moses had one or two wives, depending on how the Biblical text is interpreted. Copyright Restrictions Promotional Images & Ministry Logos Gershom (Exodus 2:22) Eliezer (Exodus 18:3) An Emergency Circumcision. In truth, however, it was only Moses who was required to separate from his wife in order to be constantly “on call,” ready to speak to G‑d at any moment. Designed and developed by VBVMI in partnership with Giles-Parscale. We know that his first mentioned wife was living with her herder-father in Midian, and that Midian bordered Kushan. The only wife of Moses known by name is Zipporah. Yet in Numbers 12 we read God coming to Moses' defense, which strongly suggests that Moses had done nothing wrong in God's eyes by marrying the Cushite. Yet it never forbids a man from having more than one wife, and even tells men how to have a successful marriage if he does have multiple wives! Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 … A number of powerful men in the OT had more than one wife (for example, Abraham, David, and Solomon). Is it true Moses had multiple wives? In Deuteronomy 7:3-4, God warned Hebrews not to intermarry with people from Canaan at all because they worshipped false gods, which often included human sacrifice and sexual religious practices.. Rights of Concubines in the Bible. One reason cited for polygyny is that it allows a man to give financial protection to multiple women, who might otherwise not … Humanity in its deepest sin important biblical figure after Abraham, David, and that Midian Kushan! 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