Jochebed and a Mother's Sacrifice
Another chapter in a series about strong women in the Bible
If you think it’s hard being a mother today, imagine what it was like thousands of years ago. Not only was childbirth risky, but dangers could continue once a child was born.
Jochebed (in Hebrew, Yokheved), whose name roughly translates to “God is glory,” gave birth to a son at a time when Egypt ruled ancient Israel. The Egyptian Pharaoh ordered all male Hebrew newborns to be thrown into the river and killed. Jochebed was having none of that. After safely hiding him for three months after his birth, she swaddled her baby and placed him in a basket; then, she floated the basket up the Nile River.
When Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the river to bathe, she found the baby and took pity on him. She raised him as her own, but by a stroke of luck, Jochebed was chosen to nurse him. In that way, she kept her young son, Moses, close to her while ensuring his safety.
We all know what Moses went on to do. We also know that if it weren’t for his mother’s bravery, Moses would not have survived and gone on to lead the Israelites out of captivity.
We also give a shout-out to Pharaoh’s daughter, who refused to obey her father’s command and instead saved a male Hebrew infant. It’s because of these two women that one of the greatest stories of the Bible could be told. Jochebed and Pharaoh’s daughter embody maternal strength and love. They show that no price is too high when it comes to respecting a child’s life.