Zapporah - Daughter of Jethro - Wife of Moses | Woman of the Bible

Zipporah was the daughter of Jethro (also called Reuel), priest of Midian (Exodus 2:16–21).

Key Scriptures: Exodus 2:15–22; Exodus 4:18–26; Exodus 18:1–6

Zipporah was the wife of Moses, the daughter of the priest of Midian, and the mother of Moses' two sons. Although only a few passages mention her, one of the most mysterious events in the life of Moses involves Zipporah directly.

Her story takes us from Midian to Moses' return to Egypt and raises important themes concerning marriage, family, covenant responsibility, obedience, and the calling of God.
Her Name

The name Zipporah comes from the Hebrew Tsipporah and means “bird.”

She first appears in Scripture during Moses' years of exile in Midian.

Moses had fled Egypt after Pharaoh sought to kill him. He arrived in Midian and sat beside a well. There he encountered the daughters of the priest of Midian, who had come to water their father's flock.

When shepherds attempted to drive the women away, Moses defended them and helped water their flock. Their father later welcomed Moses into his household.

Scripture tells us:

“And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.”
— Exodus 2:21 KJV

Zipporah Became the Wife of Moses

Before Moses became known as the great deliverer of Israel, he spent many years living in Midian.

Zipporah shared that portion of his life.

Moses had once lived in Pharaoh's household, but after fleeing Egypt he became a shepherd in Midian. It was during this quieter period that he married Zipporah.

Their first son was named Gershom.

“And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
— Exodus 2:22 KJV

Exodus 18:4 later identifies their second son as Eliezer.

Therefore, Zipporah was the mother of Gershom and Eliezer. Zipporah and the Call of Moses

Moses' life dramatically changed when God appeared to him at the burning bush.

God commanded Moses to return to Egypt and confront Pharaoh so that Israel could be delivered from bondage.

Moses eventually departed Midian.

“And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt.”
— Exodus 4:20 KJV

Zipporah was therefore present during the transition from Moses' life as a shepherd in Midian to his mission concerning Israel's deliverance.

But during this journey, something unexpected happened.
Zipporah and the Circumcision of Her Son

Exodus records one of the most difficult passages concerning Moses:

“And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.”
— Exodus 4:24 KJV

Immediately afterward:

“Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.”
— Exodus 4:25 KJV

Then Scripture says:

“So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.”
— Exodus 4:26 KJV

The passage is brief, and Scripture does not explain every detail. We should therefore be careful not to claim more than the text reveals.

What is clear is that circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

God had commanded Abraham:

“And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.”
— Genesis 17:11 KJV

Moses was being sent to Egypt as God's chosen servant, yet a covenant obligation involving his own household had not been carried out.

At this critical moment, Zipporah acted.

She circumcised her son, and the immediate danger ended.
The Seriousness of Covenant Obedience

This incident teaches a powerful lesson.

Moses was preparing to confront Pharaoh concerning God's covenant people, yet obedience to God's covenant sign mattered within Moses' own household.

Public calling does not eliminate private responsibility.

A person may be called to accomplish something significant for God, but God's work must never become an excuse for neglecting obedience in one's own life and household.

Zipporah's intervention brought this issue to the forefront.
“A Bloody Husband”

Zipporah's statement, “Surely a bloody husband art thou to me,” reveals the intensity of the moment.

Exactly what Zipporah understood, felt, or intended by every part of this expression is debated. Scripture does not provide enough information to reconstruct her thoughts with certainty.

We should therefore distinguish between what Scripture says and what interpreters infer.

What the text clearly shows is that Zipporah recognized the connection between the crisis and circumcision and took decisive action.
Zipporah Later Rejoins Moses

Zipporah appears again in Exodus 18.

At some point, she and her sons were with her father. The text refers to Moses having “sent her back,” although Scripture does not give us all the circumstances surrounding that separation.

Jethro later brought Zipporah and Moses' sons to Moses in the wilderness:

“Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, And her two sons...”
— Exodus 18:2–3 KJV

Their family was reunited.
What Women Can Learn from Zipporah

Zipporah's story reminds us that women sometimes find themselves standing beside people carrying enormous responsibilities while also carrying responsibilities of their own.

She was married to a man whose life would become inseparably connected with the deliverance of an entire nation.

Yet Scripture does not present Zipporah merely as “Moses' wife.”

In Exodus 4, Zipporah herself acts.

When a crisis arose concerning her household, she responded decisively.

Her story reminds women that being connected to someone else's calling does not erase their own responsibility to recognize what must be done and act when necessary.
Personal Application

Zipporah's story challenges us to examine whether there are areas where we know what God requires but have delayed obedience.

Moses was traveling toward a great public assignment, but before he reached Egypt, a private covenant matter demanded attention.

This gives us an important principle:

Before we become occupied with what God has called us to do publicly, we must not neglect what God has required of us personally.

Ministry does not replace obedience.

Calling does not replace obedience.

Position does not replace obedience.

Even association with a great servant of God does not replace personal responsibility before God.

Zipporah's story also teaches us not to underestimate decisive action during a family crisis. She encountered a frightening situation, recognized what needed to be done, and acted.

Sometimes faithfulness requires more than knowing the truth.

Sometimes faithfulness requires acting upon what we know.
A Woman in the Household of the Deliverer

Zipporah's story is brief, but her place in Scripture is significant.

She was the daughter of the priest of Midian.

She became the wife of Moses.

She became the mother of Gershom and Eliezer.

She traveled with Moses as he began his return toward Egypt.

And during one of the most mysterious covenant encounters in Exodus, Zipporah was the person who acted.

Her life reminds us that behind some of Scripture's most prominent men were women whose decisions, courage, and actions formed an important part of the biblical story.