Daughter of Jethro and wife of Moses. According to the
Bible,Moses met the daughters of Jethro when they were being
driven away from a well by shepherds; he assisted them, and was
invited into the house of Jethro, who gave him Zipporah to be
his wife (Ex. ii. 21). On his return to Egypt, Moses was
accompanied by his wife, who saved him from great danger during
their journey (ib. iv. 24-26). She appears to have returned with
her children to her father's house; for after the exodus from
Egypt, Jethro brought Zipporah and her children out to Moses in
the wilderness (ib. xviii. 2-5). Zipporah is mentioned only once
more in the Bible; namely, in Numbers xii. 1, where she is
referred to as "the Ethiopian woman," for having married whom
Moses is upbraided by Miriam and Aaron.—In Rabbinical
Literature: Zipporah is mentioned by the Rabbis alternately with
praise and with blame. Her name (= "bird") is explained as
having been given her because, when questioned by her father as
to the man who had rescued her, she flew o