Moses is noted to have had at least one wife, and possibly two, depending on the interpretation of biblical passages.
1. **Zipporah**:
Moses’ primary and most well-known wife is Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro (also called Reuel), a Midianite priest. She is first introduced in the story in **Exodus 2:16-22**, where she and her sisters meet Moses at a well. Later, Moses marries Zipporah, and they have two sons: Gershom and Eliezer (**Exodus 18:2-4**).
– **Exodus 2:21** (NIV): “Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.”
– **Exodus 18:2** (NIV): “After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons.”
Zipporah plays a significant role in an enigmatic passage in **Exodus 4:24-26**, where she circumcises their son and saves Moses’ life by appeasing God’s anger.
2. **The Cushite Woman**:
There is a separate reference to a “Cushite woman” whom Moses married in **Numbers 12:1**. This has raised questions among scholars and readers of the Bible about her identity. Some suggest the Cushite woman is another wife of Moses, separate from Zipporah. Others propose that the Cushite woman is simply another description of Zipporah herself, associating her with Cush (a region often associated with Ethiopia or Nubia).
– **Numbers 12:1** (NIV): “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.”
The text does not provide much detail about this woman, and the debate largely hinges on whether this refers to a second wife or a re-characterization of Zipporah.
### Did Moses have more than one wife?
The biblical text does not explicitly confirm that Moses had more than one wife at the same time, but the mention of the Cushite woman leaves room for interpretation. If the Cushite woman is a distinct person, this would suggest Moses had more than one marriage. However, if the Cushite woman is Zipporah, then Moses had only one wife.
### Interpretative Views:
1. **Two-Wife Theory**: Some scholars believe Moses married a second wife, the Cushite woman, possibly after Zipporah.
2. **Single-Wife Theory**: Others argue that the term “Cushite” might be metaphorical, referring to Zipporah’s non-Israelite heritage or her darker complexion, aligning her identity with that of the Cushite woman.
In summary, Moses’ wife is primarily known as Zipporah, but there is a plausible case for a second, unidentified Cushite wife mentioned in Numbers 12:1. The relationship between these references remains open to interpretation.