The Women of Exodus: Zipporah
This painting by Flemish painter Jordaens presents a different perspective on Zipporah's racial background, in an effort to make a statement. What is interesting is the scholarly conversation about Moses's wife. Exodus informs us that Zipporah is a Midianite, located somewhere in the Arabian peninsula. Later, in Numbers 12, the text narrates a story about Miriam and Aaron confronting Moses "because of his Kushite wife" (Num. 12:1). Did Moses take another wife, or is this text also referring to Zipporah? There are places in Scripture that speak of Kush being in several places: the area of south of Egypt (Ezek 29:10), an area in Mesopotamia (Gen. 10:8), and referring to a bedoin tribe on the Arabian peninsula (Gen. 10:7; Hab 3:7). Some extrabiblical Jewish sources from the 3-2nd centuries BC also make the connection. Rabbinic Midrash has taught the Kushite reference in Numbers is to be interpreted metaphorically, as Kushite people were distinctive of appearance and beautiful, and that Moses only had one wife.