The guy (Binns -76) said probably Miriam was jealous because when Zipporah is off to Midian there’s no problem, nevertheless when she returned, Miriam’s prestige diminished
Sources to help you Moses’ wives appear just inside Exodus dos, 4, 18, and you may Wide variety twelve but never reappear in every allusion in order to Moses in the Jewish scriptures. Exodus dos:16, 21 and you may step three:twenty two discuss the priest regarding Midian, Ru’el who gave their daughter Zipporah to help you Moses since a spouse and you can Zipporah exercise your a child called Gershom. She physically spoke by herself, 'You is a groom away from blood’. Regard to Moses’ spouses has never reappeared in almost any other passing except about Greek translations of your a lot more than verses.
Like many verses where right geographical identification of one’s term Cushite wasn’t offered by the brand new Hebrew publishers, students features invested far opportunity seeking to select the latest Cushite lady Moses hitched. Of a lot scholars known the lady having Zipporah, brand new Midianite (Ex boyfriend 21:7; Bush -117; Winslow -73). Considering Demetrius, the fresh new Chronographer and Ezekiel, the Tragedian, the brand new Cushite girlfriend off Moses for the Number several:1-sixteen are Zipporah (Winslow -73). Ibnu-Ezra and you can Augustine (Bugner ) would be the early students who did so it. Owen (-119) compares the Cushite for the Wide variety several:step one having 'Cushan’ inside the Habakkuk step 3:eight which he means which have Midian and you can ended as a consequence of parallelism one the fresh Cushite woman within the Wide variety several:1 must be Zipporah. Binns in addition to makes reference to the Cushite woman which have Zipporah. That it appears to have zero basis whatsoever. Regardless of if Marsh (-201) admits the difficulty involved in brand new identity of your Cushite lady which have Zipporah, he or she is emphatic that the Cushite woman usually do not reference a keen African, however, Zipporah. Martin Noth rejects that the Cushite woman makes reference to an enthusiastic African or even the Midianite once the Egypt is actually far removed out-of Moses’ industries regarding hobby which their belongs to the confederacy out-of people parallel in order to Midian (Noth ). Yet not, what the term of tribe or confederacy try, he doesn’t say. Grams.B. Grey (-122) does not even you will need to choose this new Cushite girl once the the guy thinks that verse is an editorial insertion. What is revealed more than is the proof de–Africanisation of the Cushite woman from the really Euro-Western biblical students.
A near study of that it passing (Nm several:1-16) and other associated verses and this mention new Cushit, Miriam and you may Midian demonstrate that the fresh new Cushite woman cannot be Zipporah, but an enthusiastic African girl, for the next factors:
· There’s no proof relationship of the Cushite lady which have Zipporah otherwise a good Midianite on the passageway and other passages associated to help you Moses’ girlfriend, for this reason such as for instance shouldn’t be presumed.
· Midian and Zipporah was basically never ever known as Kush otherwise Cushite in every this new biblical facts. Midian and you will Kush otherwise Midianite and you will Cushite had been never ever used interchangeably in a choice of this new biblical, the newest Egyptian, or even the Assyrian details. Jethro is actually never ever named a great Cushite. Josephus differentiated anywhere between Midian and you can Kush (Guide II:10-1).
Jewish writers (Demetrius, Artapanus, and Ezekiel) of one’s 3rd, and next 
ages BCEremembered to refer Moses’ spouses
· It will not make sense to have Miriam to dicuss against Moses because of a spouse (Zipporah) just who Moses got hitched for around 40 years.
· The Hebrew clause ??? – ?????? ????????? ?????????? ?????? ????? : ???? – ??????? ??????? , ????? . (’because of the Cushite woman which he married’ (practically got), 'for he’d hitched a good Cushite woman’) strongly means a current wedding. Therefore, new Jewish traditions from equating the fresh new Cushite girl with Zipporah have no basis. It actually was most likely a keen apologetic device to store Moses a monogamist (Gray -122; Noth ).
