Did Moses Have Children?

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Has been a while since I’ve read the first part of the OT, and need a quick answer to how many children did Moses have?
 
Only two are mentioned in the Bible. Gershom and Eliezer.
We know that Moses had at least one other wife:
Num 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
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Yep Polygamy raises its ugly head again.

They could have had children, but the Holy Writ is silent on this.
 
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From an answer by Father Echert in EWTN:

"While polygamy fell short of the original order of creation, we should not regard it as something intrinsically evil such that it could never be allowed. As with divorce and remarriage in Mosaic times, which was a concession allowed by God because of the people were “stiff-necked,” so it would seem with polygamy in more ancient times. And frankly, there were some practical advantages to polygamy in the ancient nomadic world. For larger family units allowed for a safer and more stable existence in a world without walls and gates, at least for nomadic types. But as civilization became more developed and cities were more common and most especially once Jerusalem was established, there was less need or allowance for multiple wives and concubines. The Patriarch Jacob had two wives and two concubines (handmaidens of his wives) and from these four were fathered the Twelve Tribes of Israel. So while not the ideal we must not be too quick to judge the ancient world by the standard of the modern world and the requirements of the New Covenant, which restores man and even elevates him above the original natural order of creation.
 
thistle said:
But as civilization became more developed and cities were more common and most especially once Jerusalem was established, there was less need or allowance for multiple wives and concubines.
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Today we have serial polygamy. Multiple wives are almost the norm, but only one at a time is considered acceptable. (Sorry if off topic)
 
thistle said:
And frankly, there were some practical advantages to polygamy in the ancient nomadic world.
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I think they were almost practical necessities rather than advantages. People died much younger and infant mortality and maternal peripartum mortality were high so I’m not sure a monogamy would be sustainable. Even if it is it would be severely disadvantaged compared to polygamous families.
I’m only 70% certain of what I just said.
 
thistle said:
While polygamy fell short of the original order of creation, we should not regard it as something intrinsically evil such that it could never be allowed. As with divorce and remarriage in Mosaic times, which was a concession allowed by God because of the people were “stiff-necked,” so it would seem with polygamy in more ancient times.
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Matthew 19:8 " He said to them “Because, Moses, by reason of the hardness of your heart, permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the beginning. And I say to you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for immorality, and marries another, commits adultery”

The permission to put away their wives was given by Moses to prevent the worse crime of murdering their wives . by reason of the hardness of their hearts. Divorce and remarriage was never part of God’s plan.
 
It’s also possible that Zipporah and the Cushite woman are one and the same.
 
Agathon said:
It’s also possible that Zipporah and the Cushite woman are one and the same.
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Not Biblically possible.
Zipporah was given over to Moses in Marriage before the exodus.
The Marriage to the Cushite woman happened after the exodus.
 
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There’s nothing in the text to indicate when the marriage happened; it simply says that Miriam and Aaron were vexed because of the marriage.
 
People can speculate all they want but all we know for sure is that he had two sons - Gershom and Eliezer. These are the only children mentioned in Scripture. Anything else is just conjecture which personally I find a waste of time.
 
This is true only for the verse itself.

Taking a look at the Book of Numbers itself, there is a series of events which occurred at some point in time after the events noted in the Book of Exodus.

Chapter 1 :
A Census of Israel’s Warriors

Chapter 2:
Arrangement of the Camp

Chapters 3 thru 8
More Laws…

Chapter 9
The Passover Celebrated ( in the second year of their going out of the land of Egypt )

Chapter 10
Israel Leaves Sinai

Chapter 11
The People Complain
Elders Appointed to Aid Moses
Quail and a Plague

Chapter 12
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

You would have to argue that Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are not in Chronological Order and also argue that the contents of each book are not in Chronological Order.
 
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Agathon said:
There’s nothing in the text to indicate when the marriage happened; it simply says that Miriam and Aaron were vexed because of the marriage.
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Respectfully opinion only
Exodus 2:22 " Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. She bore a son and he named him Gershom: for he said, " I have been an alien residing in a foreign land".

Exodus 18:1-9 " Jerthro the priest of Midian, Moses father-in law heardof all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Afeter Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in law Jethro too her back, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom ( for he said “I have been a alien in a foregin land) and the name of the other, Eliezer ( for he said, : The God of my father was my help and delievered me from the sword of Pharoah) Jethro Moses father in law, came into the wilderness where Moses was encamped at the mountain of God, bringing Moses sons and wife and her two sons. Moses went out to meet his father in law, he bowed down and kissed him: each asked after the other’s welfare and they went into the tent. Then Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done to Pahraoh and to the Egyptians for Israel sake …”
Peace 🙂
 
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