Zipporah

Moses settled in the land of Midian and married Zipporah, daughter of the Midianite priest. No mention is made of love on the part of either husband or wife.

Moses needed a place to hide out after killing the Egyptian. Zipporah needed a husband. It was a marriage of convenience. The couple had two sons, first Gershom, which means “foreigner”, for Moses was a stranger finding refuge in a foreign land, then Eliezer, which means, “the Lord was my help.”

Moses settled into life in the country, tending to the flock of his father-in-law, but God had bigger plans for Moses. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, calling him to go back to Egypt to rescue the Hebrew nation.

Moses went to his father-in-law, asking permission to return to Egypt to check on his brethren. Jethro, his father-in-law, also known as Reuel, gave his blessing.

Moses took his wife and sons with him on the journey back to his homeland. On their way, Moses had an unusual encounter with God, where God sought to kill him. Both Moses and Zipporah seemed to understand this was in response to their failure to circumcise their newborn son. It is believed that Zipporah delivered Eliezer right before they left, but they failed to circumcise him on the eighth day as was God’s command.

Angry at Moses and God, Zipporah grabbed a sharp stone and performed the surgery, calling Moses a husband of blood. We can assume from later chapters that Zipporah took her two sons and returned home while Moses continued on his way to Egypt.

Zipporah was married to one of the most godly men in history, yet she had no respect for him. As a result, she missed out on being an active witness of God’s miraculous power.

Zipporah in Scripture: Exodus 2:10-22, 4:24-25

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