the wife of Moses (Nu 12:1). It is supposed that Zipporah, Moses' first wife (Ex 2:21), was now dead. His marriage of this "woman" descended from Ham gave offence to Aaron and Miriam.

According to Nu 12:1 (Jewish Encyclopedia), when the children of Israel were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron 'spake against' Moses on account of his marriage with an Ethiopian (RV 'Cushite') woman. As the 'Ethiopian woman' is mentioned nowhere else, and the death of Moses' wife Zipporah is not recorded, some of the early interpreters thought the two must be identical; and this view is favoured by the Jewish expositors. But it is more likely that a black slave-girl is meant, and that the fault found by Miriam and Aaron was with the indignity of such a union. It may perhaps be inferred from the context that the marriage was of recent occurrence.

Ethio'pian woman.

The wife of Moses is to described in

Nu 12:1

She is elsewhere said to have been the daughter of a Midianite, and in consequence of this some have supposed that the allusion is to another wife whom Moses married after the death of Zipporah.