Was Mose’s Wife Black?
Was Moses’ wife black? More specifically, was Zipporah, Moses’ wife, a Kushite—a dark-skinned woman—as indicated in Numbers 12:1? And why did Miriam and Aaron become upset with Moses for marrying a Kushite woman? If Zipporah was Kushite, why does the Bible say her father, Jethro, was a Midianite—a people from the Middle East generally identified with lighter skin? Or did Moses have another wife besides Zipporah?
Scriptural Clarity on Moses’ Wife
Answer: No. The Scriptures give no indication that Moses married anyone other than Zipporah.
To better understand Zipporah’s ethnicity, let’s examine the passage:
Numbers 12:1–3 (ESV):
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, ‘Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?’ And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
Who Were the Kushites?
Kush is generally identified with the ancient kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia and parts of Sudan. It was known biblically for its dark-skinned people:
Jeremiah 13:23 (ESV):
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
This rhetorical question underscores the permanence of the Kushite’s skin color, implying that Zipporah’s skin was likely dark, consistent with Kushite ethnicity.
The Puzzle: Midianite or Kushite?
Why then does the Bible say Zipporah’s father, Jethro, was a Midianite? The Midianites were a nomadic people in the Arabian Peninsula, generally considered lighter-skinned.
The key to this apparent contradiction lies in understanding ethnicity versus nationality. Jethro was Midianite by nationality but Kushite by ethnicity. This is comparable to a person born and raised in a foreign land adopting its nationality but retaining ethnic roots:
For example, a person of Chinese descent born and raised in Tanzania is Tanzanian by nationality but ethnically Chinese.
Similarly, Jethro was a Kushite who settled in Midian, making him a Midianite by residence and citizenship, but Kushite by birth.
Moses’ Identity and the Egyptian Connection
When Moses fled Egypt, he ended up in Midian and met Jethro’s daughters. They described Moses as “an Egyptian” because of his upbringing and appearance, although ethnically he was Hebrew.
Exodus 2:15–22 (ESV):
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. … The priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. … When they came to Reuel their father, he said, ‘Why have you come back so early today?’ They said, ‘An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and also drew water for us and watered the flock.’ … Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.
This passage clarifies that Moses married Zipporah in Midian and lived there before God called him to lead Israel.
Why Were Miriam and Aaron Angry?
Miriam and Aaron’s complaint in Numbers 12 was not about skin color per se but about Moses marrying a foreign woman—a woman outside Israel’s ethnic and religious community.
Jewish law and tradition strongly discouraged intermarriage with foreigners, especially pagans, because of the danger of idolatry and spiritual compromise. The opposition to Moses’ marriage reflected this concern.
Theological Insight: God’s Perspective
Interestingly, God rebuked Miriam and Aaron, affirming Moses’ unique prophetic role and indicating that their complaint was unjustified.
Numbers 12:6–8 (ESV):
Hear my words: When there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles.
This emphasizes Moses’ special relationship with God, and that personal circumstances like marriage should not detract from his divine calling.
The Law and Intermarriage
Later, the Law given through Moses forbade Israelites from marrying foreigners:
Deuteronomy 7:3–4 (ESV):
You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me to serve other gods.
However, Moses’ marriage to Zipporah predates this law. Thus, he was not violating the covenant because the law was not yet given.
What Does This Teach Us Today?
Biblical Consistency: The Bible does not contradict itself but requires careful interpretation of ethnicity, nationality, and culture.
Marriage and Faith: The New Testament teaches believers not to divorce unbelieving spouses who are willing to live with them, emphasizing the sanctifying power of a believing partner.
1 Corinthians 7:12–14 (ESV):
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. … For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband.
Marriage Within the Faith: While believers are not to abandon unbelieving spouses, the Bible also encourages believers to marry “only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39), meaning marriage between two Christians sharing faith, baptism, and spiritual unity.
Spiritual Unity:
2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV):
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
This warns believers against forming binding relationships that can lead to spiritual compromise.
Final Thoughts
Moses’ marriage to Zipporah, a Kushite woman, reflects God’s providence and grace beyond ethnic and national boundaries. It challenges believers today to look beyond superficial divisions and to prioritize faith and obedience to God.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ, no matter how much knowledge or wisdom you possess, without salvation you will perish. Salvation through Jesus is essential for eternal life.
Maranatha!
OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE
Introduction
Blessed be the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today, let us take time to reflect deeply on a foundational principle of Christian faith: obedience to God’s Word is more pleasing to Him than any external offering we can give.
In a culture where acts of generosity, religious ritual, and financial giving are often emphasized, we must not forget what God truly desires from us a heart surrendered in obedience.
1. The Heart of God: Obedience over Ritual
In 1 Samuel 15, the prophet Samuel rebukes King Saul for disobeying God’s command. Saul had been instructed to completely destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, but instead he spared King Agag and kept the best livestock intending, he claimed, to offer them as sacrifices to God.
Samuel responds:
1 Samuel 15:22–23 (NIV)
“But Samuel replied:
Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”
Theology Insight: God is not impressed with outward religious displays when they are disconnected from inward obedience. Obedience stems from faith (Romans 1:5) and reflects a transformed heart (Ezekiel 36:26–27). Sacrifices, while commanded under the Old Covenant, were always meant to be symbolic expressions of a heart aligned with God’s will (Psalm 51:16–17).
2. God Lacks Nothing So What Can We Really Give Him?
The Bible reminds us that God is the Creator and Owner of all things.
Psalm 50:10–12 (NIV)
“For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills…
If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”
Theology Insight: God does not need our material possessions. Offerings and tithes support ministry work and demonstrate our trust in His provision but they do not substitute for personal holiness or obedience.
3. God Desires a Broken and Contrite Spirit
Isaiah 66:1–2 (NIV)
“This is what the Lord says:
Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?
These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”
God’s presence doesn’t dwell in temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24), but in hearts that are surrendered to Him in reverence and repentance.
4. A Warning Against Religious Hypocrisy
Proverbs 15:8 (NIV)
“The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”
Matthew 9:13 (NIV)
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, revealing that God values mercy covenant faithfulness, repentance, and compassion above religious ritual.
Theology Insight: Jesus confronted the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy. Though they gave tithes, fasted, and prayed publicly, their hearts were far from God (Matthew 23:23–28). Faith without transformation is empty religion (James 2:17).
5. Repentance Must Precede Giving
Before offering anything to God, we must examine our lives. Are we living in sexual immorality, dishonesty, or bitterness? Then our offerings, no matter how large, are unacceptable until we repent.
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Deuteronomy 23:18 (NIV)
“You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.”
God detests offerings that come from unrepentant hearts or unrighteous gain.
6. Let God’s Word Be the Light to Your Path
Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Obedience to God’s Word is the foundation of the Christian walk. It is how we demonstrate love for Christ.
John 14:15 (NIV)
“If you love me, keep my commands.”
1 John 2:3–4 (NIV)
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”
May the Lord bless you.
