Bible Figure
Jochebed
human biblical figure
Jochebed was the mother of Miriam, Aaron, and Moses and the Levite woman who preserved the infant Moses during Pharaoh's decree.
Biography
When Pharaoh ordered Hebrew sons cast into the Nile, Jochebed hid Moses for three months. When concealment was no longer possible, she placed him in a papyrus basket among the reeds of the Nile while Miriam watched. Pharaoh's daughter discovered the child, and through Miriam's intervention Jochebed was hired to nurse her own son before he entered Pharaoh's household. Exodus 6 identifies her as the wife of Amram and mother of Aaron and Moses. Her quiet courage became the means by which the future deliverer of Israel survived infancy.
Biblical Significance
Jochebed exemplifies courageous faith under oppression. By preserving Moses and entrusting his future to providence when she could no longer hide him, she played an indispensable role in the story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt.