The Cu****e woman and the Nubian man

[Jayhawker Soule]

The JPS renders Numbers 12:1 as

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cu****e woman he had married: “He married a Cu****e woman!”​

Wikipedia notes

The Kingdom of Kush ... was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, located at the Sudanese and southern Egyptian Nile Valley.​

Earlier, in Exodus 6:25, we read

And Aaron’s son Eleazar took to wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phinehas.​

And the JPS commentary notes ...

Putiel's The text assumes that he was well known although he is not otherwise mentioned. The name itself is a hybrid of Egyptian and Hebrew, meaning "the onewhom God has given."
Phinehas This name is also Egyptian and means "the Nubian/dark-skinned one."​

And the great aunt of Phinehas was, of course, Phinehas. Interesting family.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Apparently the RF gods also frown on Cu****e references.

 

[Polymath257]

*** Moderation Note ***

Our spam filter is FAR from perfect. There isn't much we can do about this particular case. Sorry.

 

[exchemist]

*** Moderation Note ***

Our spam filter is FAR from perfect. There isn't much we can do about this particular case. Sorry.

On the other hand, it is at least familiar with dialect from the Northeast of England, so kudos for that.

 

[exchemist]

The JPS render Numbers 12:1 as

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cu****e woman he had married: “He married a Cu****e woman!”​

Wikipedia notes

The Kingdom of Kush ... was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, located at the Sudanese and southern Egyptian Nile Valley.​

Earlier, in Exodus 6:25, we read

And Aaron’s son Eleazar took to wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phinehas.​

And the JPS commentary notes ...

Putiel's The text assumes that he was well known although he is not otherwise mentioned. The name itself is a hybrid of Egyptian and Hebrew, meaning "the onewhom God has given."
Phinehas This name is also Egyptian and means "the Nubian/dark-skinned one."​

And the great aunt of Phinehas was, of course, Phinehas. Interesting family.

I tried to look up Moses's wife, to see what the asterisks had obscured and found she was Cush ite . However in the course of my research I also found her name was Zipporah and that she circumcised their son on the way to Egypt, which sounds both appropriate and painful.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Speaking of the mishpachah, we also find in Exodus 6:20

Amram took to wife his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; ...​

and the JPS Commentary notes:

20. his father's sister
Marriage to a paternal aunt is prohibited in the legislation of Leviticus 18:12 and 20:19. Therefore, the present notice must preserve a very ancient tradition.​

Jochebed
She is the anonymous "Levite woman" of Exodus 2:1, the first biblical personage to bear a name composed of yo-, the shortened form of the divine Name YHVH.​

That the narration presents the mother of Moses as the first person with such a theophoric name, along with the strong possibility that the name 'Moses' is Egyptian in origin, is at least interesting.

 

[Harel13]

Apparently the RF gods also frown on Cu****e references.

I humbly suggest my own tested solution which is to transliterate Hebrew כושית into English Cusheet.

the first biblical personage to bear a name composed of yo-,

Some would argue (okay, I argue ) that Yov (later changed to Yashuv), son of Yissachar, who appeared before Yocheved, has a Yo-name and is intended to be an earlier, condensed form of Yoav (I also have a commentary-based idea as to why the name was changed).

The JPS renders Numbers 12:1 as

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cu****e woman he had married: “He married a Cu****e woman!”​

Wikipedia notes

The Kingdom of Kush ... was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, located at the Sudanese and southern Egyptian Nile Valley.​

Earlier, in Exodus 6:25, we read

And Aaron’s son Eleazar took to wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phinehas.​

And the JPS commentary notes ...

Putiel's The text assumes that he was well known although he is not otherwise mentioned. The name itself is a hybrid of Egyptian and Hebrew, meaning "the onewhom God has given."
Phinehas This name is also Egyptian and means "the Nubian/dark-skinned one."​

And the great aunt of Phinehas was, of course, Phinehas. Interesting family.

Are you familiar with the midrashim about Moshe's supposed Cusheet wife? Filler-type midrashim that attempt to explain what Moshe did during those long decades away from his people. Those midrashim say that when Moshe left Egypt he went to the land of Cush, somehow (I don't quite remember how) became king of Cush and marrying the princess of Cush. In the end, however, he was chased off, landing in a Midian prison until Yitro's daughters took pity on him. Something like that.

Putiel's The text assumes that he was well known although he is not otherwise mentioned. The name itself is a hybrid of Egyptian and Hebrew, meaning "the onewhom God has given."

Don't forget that Put was the name of one of Mitzrayim (Egypt)'s siblings (sons of Cham) in Genesis.

 

[Rival]

I humbly suggest my own tested solution which is to transliterate Hebrew כושית into English Cusheet.

Could also go with a 'sch' as Cuschite, perhaps.

 

[Harel13]

Could also go with a 'sch' as Cuschite, perhaps.

Ooo, like schnitzel. Great idea!

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Could also go with a 'sch' as Cuschite, perhaps.

Or the ever-popular כֻשִׁ֖ית ...

 

[Niblo]

*** Moderation Note ***

Our spam filter is FAR from perfect. There isn't much we can do about this particular case. Sorry.

Cu****e it!

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Some would argue (okay, I argue ) that Yov (later changed to Yashuv), son of Yissachar, who appeared before Yocheved, has a Yo-name and is intended to be an earlier, condensed form of Yoav (I also have a commentary-based idea as to why the name was changed).

Others might suggest that the Genesis 46:13 reference is an error. The JPS Commentary notes:

Iob The Septuagint and Samaritan texts read here Jashub, as in Numbers 26:24 and 1 Chronicles 7:1​

That said, I do not believe the DSS has given us a possible (Hebrew) Septuagint or Samaritan vorlage that includes this verse so, for me at least, it remains an open question.

 

[Harel13]

Others might suggest that the Genesis 46:13 reference is an error. The JPS Commentary notes:

Iob The Septuagint and Samaritan texts read here Jashub, as in Numbers 26:24 and 1 Chronicles 7:1​

That said, I do not believe the DSS has given us a possible (Hebrew) Septuagint or Samaritan vorlage that includes this verse so, for me at least, it remains an open question.

I've heard of the "it's a mistake" opinion. I'm sure you know what I think of that...

Okay, here's my explanation:
Yashuv was, indeed, originally called Yov. It's not far-fetched for him to have had a name-change, considering so many Israelites sported name-changes or multiple names. Yishai, father of David, is called both ישי Yishai and אישי Ishai in Chronicles, and on one occasion, נחש Nachash as well and there are many many other examples.

But why have a name-change?
In Devek Tov, an 18th century commentary on Rashi, Rabbi Oshenburg writes that in his view, Yov was changed to Yashuv because Yov is the name of an idolatrous deity. This is isn't such a crazy idea.
I suggest that the deity was Iab or Iabet, a minor Egyptian deity. Yov was born before the sons of Jacob came to Egypt. In other words, he was born in Canaan. I think it's safe to assume that at best, his parents may have heard of some of the more major Egyptian deities - if any at all - but not of all the many minor ones. Therefore, they felt it would be okay to name him Yov. Upon arriving in Egypt, they discovered this minor deity existed with a name very similar to Yov. Subsequently, a name-change was in order, so Yov wouldn't be associated with that deity.

There are other commentaries (I don't have the sources at the moment) that hold that Yashuv's new Shin letter in his name is the reason that Yissachar, spelled Yisaschar, is pronounced Masoretically with a silent Sin - he symbolically gave his son one of his Sin/Shins.

The new name, Yashuv, appears to hold the sons of Jacob's hopes of some day returning to Canaan.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I've heard of the "it's a mistake" opinion. I'm sure you know what I think of that...

Yes, and I hope you realize that I appreciate your ability and willingness to offer cogent arguments for your position.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Some would argue (okay, I argue ) that Yov (later changed to Yashuv), son of Yissachar, who appeared before Yocheved, has a Yo-name and is intended to be an earlier, condensed form of Yoav ...

Okay, here's my explanation:
Yashuv was, indeed, originally called Yov. ...

But why have a name-change?

In Devek Tov, an 18th century commentary on Rashi, Rabbi Oshenburg writes that in his view, Yov was changed to Yashuv because Yov is the name of an idolatrous deity. This is isn't such a crazy idea.

We are only left to wonder why "a minor Egyptian deity" would possess a theophoric name referencing the tetragrammaton.

 

[Harel13]

We are only left to wonder why "a minor Egyptian deity" would possess a theophoric name referencing the tetragrammaton.

It's not exactly the same name. In English it comes out as one of several variants: Iab, Iabet, Iabtet, Abtet, Abet, Ab. So in Hebrew that would most likely come out as: איאב/יאב, איאבת/יאבת, איבתת/יאבתת, אבתת, אבת, אב. Not spelled nor pronounced exactly the same as יוב, doesn't include the theophoric tetragram bit, but still similar enough to cause confusion.
I would add that one theory holds that the pharaoh around this time was Akhenaten, inventor of the monotheistic or monolatristic Atenism. A polytheistic name would not have gone well with the king. The flip-side possibility is that an inherently polytheistic pharaoh reigned at the time, but the Israelites did not wish to become part of the Egyptian society, keeping, for the most part, their Hebrew names and living in Goshen. A third possibility is that the rulers of Egypt at the time were the Hyksos, the Semitic shepherd-kings. A more Semitic-sounding name would have been preferable to remain good in the eyes of the king.

 

[Samantha Rinne]

You mat want to use modern prefixes rather than -ite prefixes.

As in Cushian woman.

 

[Clear]

While I don't want to enter into the conversation per se. I just wanted to add a detail of history that may or may not be of interest.
Since Midian and Kush were not the same geographical area and the Ethiopian or Kushian woman
Moses had married was from Kush/Ethiopia and Zipporah was from Midian they were, in the historical annals, two different women.

For example, according to the Jewish historian, Josephus, the text does indeed represent two different Women.

Josephus tells us that the woman from Ethiopia/Kush that causes consternation in Miriam and Aaron is the princess Tharbis from Ethiopia/Kush whom Moses married as part of a treaty between Ethiopia and Egypt. (This is from the history prior to Moses relinquishing his Egyptian heritage and accepting his Jewish heritage).

However, Tharbis was not israelite and thus, this marriage served as a source of contention for those Jews wanting to find fault wih the then-prophet Moses and the prohibition that israelites should not marry non-Israelites from the surrounding countries.

Without the added history, Moses appears as a hypocrite for having married a non-israelite. WITH the added history then Moses is justified in having married the Ethiopian woman Tharbis as well as having married Zipporah of Midian.

I did not want to join the thread other than to point out that there may be some value in referring to the historical literature of the period that might provide some more context to this specific theme of "the ethiopian Woman" (or Kushian woman - whichever...).

Good luck in your discussions.

Clear
φισιειω