Valiant Women of the Bible đŸ§ș Day 6: Jochebed and Miriam

Mar 07, 2023 3:32 am

JOCHEBED & MIRIAM: BRAVE SLAVESimage

When we first meet Jochebed, don't know her name. She is an unnamed woman married to an unnamed man. At this point, the only thing we know about them is that they both come from “the house of Levi.” [Levi was one of the 12 sons of Jacob, and his descendants will form the priestly tribe of Israel.] The unnamed couple is currently living in bondage in Egypt, and like many Hebrews in their situation, they are fruitful and multiply.


Many of the details we’ve come to expect from the Biblical narrative are shockingly absent from the narrative in Exodus 2. It’s only in later genealogies (Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59) that we learn husband’s name is Amram, and the wife’s name is Jochebed. At the time of this birth narrative, they already have two children: Aaron and Miriam.


Sidenote: The Jewish Women’s Archive (online) points out that Jochebed is “the first person in the Bible to have a name with the divine element yah, a shortened form of YHWH” (Meyers).


In Scripture, Jochebed's story immediately follows that of Shiphrah and Puah which we explored yesterday. She gives birth to a baby boy who lives and then hides him prevent him from being murdered by the Egyptians.


Is it possible that the Egyptian midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, helped deliver and protect the man who would later become the Deliverer of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt? Absolutely.

 

Jochebed and her family figure out a way to hide the baby for three months—this alone is astounding when you consider the fact that (1) she no longer has her baby bump; (2) newborns are not the quietest creatures on earth; and (3) she has two other children who had to keep the secret.


But. Somehow. They. Do. It.


Sidenote: Exodus 7:7 describes Aaron as three years older than Moses. Because of his age, his life was not in jeopardy due to the pharaoh’s evil command to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. Miriam is the oldest of the three children—old enough to follow the basket and speak with the pharaoh’s daughter. Some Jewish scholars hold that Miriam was 16 years old when Moses was born, but there is no consensus. Others record her as young as 5 years old when Moses is born.


THREE MONTHS LATER...

After three months, the family can no longer hide the little guy, and a decision about what to do with him must be made. Jochebed determines to place her baby boy into a water-tight basket and carefully sets him afloat on the Nile River. She then instructs her daughter Miriam to stay hidden and keep an eye on her little brother from the shore.


It isn’t long until the baby's cries are loud enough to be heard by a group of women—including one of the pharaoh’s daughters—who just so happen to be walking by the water at that very moment. When the princess perceives a baby in the basket, she is overcome with pity and pulls him out of the water. In an instant, the baby wins her heart, and she decides  to raise him as her own.


Ancient Historical Sidenote: There is a notable parallel to Moses’ birth narrative in the Ancient Near East: the Birth Legend of Sargon. Sargon was the founder of the Akkadian Empire. His birth narrative includes his mother’s placing him in a basket made of reeds sealed with pitch and then placed in the Euphrates River where he floats until he is rescued by someone who raises him as their own.


Since Sargon lives 1000+ years before Moses, some scholars argue the Exodus account of his birth is merely a plagiarized version of the Birth Legend of Sargon. Others point out that an earlier setting doesn’t mean the account of Moses’ birth was a mere copy. These scholars are quick to point out that the most ancient version of the Sargon legend only dates to 700 BC which means it was written hundreds of years AFTER Moses' story which means the Sargon writers could easily have borrowed from Exodus.


(Trivia: The Birth Legend of Sargon was discovered in the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, the ancient capital of Assyria.)


🎬 Now back to our regularly scheduled programming


Bravely emerging from behind the bushes, Miriam approaches the princess and, without revealing her identity, offers to find her a wet nurse. And just like that, the princess pays Jochebed to nurse her own son.


The overarching theme in Exodus continues to unfold: Pharaoh cannot compete with the God of the Hebrews. Even his own daughter contributes to his undoing as she intentionally defies his orders by saving the baby and raising the child as her own in the palace right under his nose.


Moses grows into the man who eventually delivers the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. You can read about Moses' life in Exodus.


Fast-forward 80+ years:

Right after the Hebrews' walk through the Red Sea on dry land to escape the Egyptians in hot pursuit, Miriam leads the people in a celebration. Now in her 90s and a respected prophet, she grabs her handy-dandy tambourine and leads a procession of dancing, tambourine-toting women in song:


"Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Exodus 15:20-21


Miriam's Ambition

Miriam doesn’t always support Moses’ decisions. At one point, she undermines his authority by going behind his back and complaining to their brother Aaron. During this exchange, it is clear she is trying to set herself (and Aaron) up as the new leaders of their people.


She is so confident in her own abilities and self-righteous in her attitude, she neglects to seek the Lord's counsel. She has it all figured out. She knows exactly what she’s going to do. As prophet, she is ready to take charge.


There’s just one problem: By standing against God's chosen leader, she is standing against God.


Miriam is suddenly stricken with a temporary skin condition: leprosy. How do we know it’s temporary? Had it been permanent, she would have been permanently removed from the community. Instead, she is cast out for only one week, and the people do not move again until she is brought back in.


You can learn more about Jochebed, Miriam, and Pharaoh's daughter in Exodus 2-15 and Numbers 12.

             

image

Additional Resources:




Photo Credits:

Photo licensed to Laura L. Zielke from Envato.com.


Disclosure of Material Connection:

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



WAS THIS EMAIL FORWARDED TO YOU? GREAT!


Click Here to Subscribe


Comments