Bible Questions and Answers

How many times was Moses married and to whom? Was he married more than once?

Moses was unmarried when he left Egypt aged 40. He had killed an Egyptian who was maltreating a Hebrew.

Exodus 2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

He goes to live with a Priest of Midian who has daughters.

Exodus 2:16-21 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that you have come so soon today?" 19 And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock." 20 So he said to his daughters, "And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread." 21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.

From this we see that he married Zipporah, a Midianitess. When God sent Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt, he was 80 years old.

Exodus 7:7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Zipporah was still alive and joined Moses at Sinai.

Exodus 18:2-5 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, 3 with her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gershom (for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land") 4 and the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh");5 and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God.

They stayed at Sinai for a year, built the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle and then set off towards Canaan.

Numbers 10:11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.12 And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.

Numbers 10:33 So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.

They travelled to Kibroth Hattaavah and then to Hazeroth.

Numbers 12:35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.

It was here that Miriam and Aaron took issue with Moses for marrying an Ethiopian.

Numbers 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman...

Clearly the Ethiopian woman was not Zipporah for she was a Midianite. Midian was a descendant of Abraham through Keturah.

Genesis 25:1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian….

The Ethiopian woman was a Cushite descended from Ham.

Genesis 10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

We must conclude that Moses married twice – it is very likely that Zipporah had died before he married the Ethiopian.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn