Over the years, there has been a phrase passed down through the ages, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” The first printed citation I can find of ‘Behind every great man there’s a great woman’ is from the Texas newspaper The Port Arthur News, from February 1946. This was headed – “Meryl Frost – ‘Most courageous athlete of 1945′”:
“As he received his trophy, the plucky quarterback unfolded the story of how he ‘came back’. He said ‘They say behind every great man there’s a woman. While I’m not a great man, there’s a great woman behind me.'”
This week, we begin to study the book Shemot or Names found in the Torah. And yes, we do find many names who are involved in the great story of Moses, his leadership, and the nation of Israel. I believe these names are put in place to give the reader a deeper understanding of the people involved in YHWH’s plan to rescue and restore His covenant with Jacob. This plan, of course, includes the “making” of Moses, a name mentioned 767 times in the Old Testament, second to only King David and Yeshua.
In the Scriptures, we typically notice the names of the men involved in a story. Shemot starts with the important names of Jacob’s sons. But is there more to the story? Was Moses shaped into the man he was only by his male inheritance or did women play an active role in creating this great man?
The Hebraic meaning of the name Moses includes: “Rescued from drowning in water, extracted, hidden and covered.” I’m thinking the very name itself starts to give us a clue.
Many scholars compare the works of Moses to Yeshua and refer to him as a great prophet. Moses and Yeshua were alike in that they both led God’s people out of captivity. With great power, Moses led the Israelites out of physical bondage and slavery in Egypt, and Yeshua, with even greater power, led Yah’s elect out of spiritual bondage and slavery to sin. Moses stood before Pharaoh and said, “’Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1). Jesus came “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and . . . to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). “In Yeshua Messiah, the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). What gave Moses this ability?
Like a theater set, some characters set the stage for Moses. Besides the obvious of Jacob and his sons coming to Egypt, the next critical aspect to the “timing of Moses” arriving on the scene is that Joseph dies. It’s after the death of Joseph that the nation of Egypt starts to spiritually decline, which begs the need for a great prophet. The name given to Joseph from Egypt means “The Treasury of the Glorious Rest.” And from here we see that a new Pharaoh takes the throne and can longer remember rest.
There are many ideas as to who the new Pharoah is or isn’t, but the general term or name used means a “great house” or a “great civilization.” In short, we could say, Egypt forgot the glorious rest found in the God Joseph served–YHWH. Due to this forgetfulness, we see a great nation putting righteous people into slavery and begin to slaughter the unborn due to fear. And it’s at this point that we start to see, the women who get involved in Yah’s plan in making Moses great.
Let’s take a look at some of these women and the meaning of their names:
- The midwives who stood against a great nation to rescue the sons of Israel from certain death were Shiphrah and Puah. How did they do this? I found it in the meaning of their names. Shiphrah means beauty, harmony, and composed, while Puah means splendid and to radiate. When they were allowed to speak, I believe they were able to persuade not only through Yah’s Spirit but by the very nature of their description. Who can turn down composed beauty and splendid radiation?
- Jochebed, the mother of Moses marries Amram a man who carries a name meaning “people exalted.” She also is from a Levite family and her name is an abbreviation of YHWH, meaning “Yah gives weight” and “Yah is impressive.” Her role was to not only birth a child amid slavery and death but to nurse, care and help cover Moses during his young years. Do you wonder what type of songs she sang to her son, what words she whispered in his ear, and how she embraced him? Did Jochebed do works of the Spirit?
- Miriam, Moses’s sister who took care to watch over his basket while floating in the river. Her name means, “strong, stiff, and erect.” If it wasn’t for the courage of Miriam to stand before the great daughter of Pharoah, to speak and offer a solution, Moses might not have been saved.
- Pharoah’s daughter who takes Moses into her household is not given a name, but historians who study earlier works of Rabbinical teachers found that she was given a new name. That name is Bithiah, meaning daughter of God, identifying her as a person who listened to the leading of YHWH to save Moses from uncertain death.
- Finally, we move to the daughter of Reuel (“friend of Yah”), the only daughter given a name from this family. She is Zipporah, a name that takes on rather interesting meanings of bird, goat, the crown of looming doom to shriek or leap. Though later in the story of Moses we find these active meanings taking place when an angel is ready to strike Moses due to covenant disobedience. It is through Zipporah’s bird-like shrieks that Moses is saved from doom.
So, what are we to gather from these great women who helped to make Moses great? I believe we are given a picture of how to speak, when to speak and how to regard one another. Women need to take note of the gifts given to them. The apostle Peter gives advice to women by stating, “Let it be the hidden person of the heart” that speaks or submits to her husband. Likewise, may men recognize Peter’s advice to “grant her honor as a fellow-heir of the grace of life.” (I Peter 3)
Much can be found in names. What does your name mean? Have you looked it up lately? Also, for your benefit, I have included the link below for some interesting reading.
Be blessed this Sabbath,
Rollyn
The Scandalous Case of Moses’ Parents – ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry