Messages 2009
Experience of Moses’ Mother.
May 23rd, 2009
Santa Cruz, California
Received by FAB
I am here, Jochebed.
I am the mother of Moses. I was not my husband Amram’s aunt, as the Bible says (Exodus 6:20). But the Bible is correct when it says that I was born in Egypt (Numbers 26:59). And my father was indeed Levi (Numbers 26:59).
Though I did have a dim sense when he was born that my son Moses would do great things, the events surrounding his birth and his adoption by the Egyptian court happened so fast that I could not absorb them for a very long time. And my life in bondage to Egypt did not allow the luxury of thought.
I am happy you are enjoying reading this book [Moses, Man of the Mountain, by Zora Neale Hurston]. I have spoken to her since she came over here, to tell her that she captured perfectly the mood of terror and heartbreaking desperation that greeted us when Moses was born.
According to the Torah, Jochebed was the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, and the wife of Amram. Jochebed is also described as being related to Amram prior to her marriage to him, although the exact relationship is uncertain; some Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Septuagint state that Jochebed was Amram’s father’s cousin, and others state that Jochebed was Amram’s cousin, but the masoretic text states that she was Amram’s aunt - although Jochebed’s relationship to Levi is not explicitly stated. In the Apocryphal Testament of Levi, it is stated that Jochebed was born, as a daughter of Levi, when Levi was 64 years old. (Source: Wikipedia)