Moses is perhaps one of the most well-known Bible characters, yet we do not know very much about his sons, Gershom and Eliezer. This article will explore who Moses’ sons were and what their presence in the Old Testament story is saying to us modern believers today. Moses’ life and his relationship with his sons will give us key insights about family, leadership, covenant, and legacy.
The Biblical Context of Moses’ Family
– The Role of Moses
Moses is a legendary Biblical character who heeds God’s call and leads the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, where they suffered great oppression, into freedom and God’s promised land. He is the one who stands at the burning bush and the one who leads God’s people through the Red Sea. The account of Moses’ life can be found in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament.
– The Significance of Family
A detail that is not often noted when we look at all the awesome things Moses did, is that he was a married man and a father of two children. When we envision him leading the wilderness people, he is often viewed in isolation. Yet, it says something about the significance of family in God’s plans when we note that Moses had a family of his own. Moses’ wife’s name was Zipporah and they had two sons together: Gershom and Eliezer.
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Family is an important golden thread that runs throughout the whole Bible. God is described as one who puts the lonely in families (Ps. 68:6). He is described as a Father, and He himself exists in relational communion by the Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The God of the Bible is a deeply relational God! Theologians and anthropologists have found that family is part of God’s design for human wellbeing and flourishing.
Gershom’s name expresses the sentiment: “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”. In other words, it means “a sojourner there”. He grew up between two cultures. He was not fully Israelite because he was not circumcised and because his mother was a foreign woman, from the land of Midian. It is in this foreign land that Moses himself feels like a sojourner and he asks questions about identity. This was before God called him to lead His people.
We read about Gershom at another time, much later. The following event in Exodus 4:22-26 is one of those Bible passages that does not translate well.
The wording of ‘bridegroom of blood’ and when it talks about Moses or Gershom confuses many, even today. What will be given here is the most likely interpretation of that text. Keep in mind though that it is not the only way it has been interpreted.
At one point, while Moses negotiates for the freedom of God’s people (Exodus 4), God tells Pharoah to let the people go or the firstborn sons will die. At this point, Gershom’s uncircumcision becomes an urgent matter, for he would also die. Remember that his mother was Midian and so he was never circumsised or brought up in God’s ways.
By circumcision, Gershom is no longer a stranger but becomes part of God’s people. “Gershom is now identified as one of the Hebrew people because of the visible blood sign of his circumcision and enjoys Yahweh’s protection.” (Howell, 2010).
– Impact of Gershom
Gershom’s circumcision matters because he was raised as a Midianite and not an Israelite, but his identity is changed in a moment and he is saved.
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Eliezer: The Younger Son of Moses
– Meaning, role and significance
We know much less about Eliezer, Moses’ younger son. Eliezer’s name expresses the sentiment: “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”. In other words, it means “the Lord is my helper“.
We do not know much about Eliezer from the Bible, and as Rabbi James Rosenberg said “Moses’ second son does have a name, Eliezer, but he does not have a story…except in the imaginations of those who wonder what happened to him…”
Did you know that Moses’ family did not accompany him for the whole exodus and they went to stay with Moses’ father-in-law Jethro for a while?
Theologians have speculated much about what it must have been like to live in the shadows of a father figure like Moses. It has been said that the sons might have experienced rejection from their father when he sent them away to go live with their father-in-law and mother. Modern readers of the Bible enjoy looking at the personalities and characters of Biblical figures like Moses (or David) and using them as prototypes of how to be a good father/leader/husband. In the same way, they often identify unwanted characteristics and try to learn from the mistakes of these Biblical figures.
– Impact of Eliezer
It is noteworthy for Biblical scholars that Moses named his first son something about himself but the second one is named something that gives God glory. Therefore, the name of Moses’ second son might indicate how his relationship with God had grown over the years.
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The bigger role of Moses’ sons – 4 Lessons for Christian believers
– Moses’ sons teach us about family
God cares about whole families. Even though Moses was the one who was called at the burning bush, God is immediately concerned with whether or not his son, Gershom, is circumcised or not… Carter (2020) writes “If you’re going to step out as a leader of God’s people then you’d better be leading your own family.” It is important to God that a leader will get his or her own house in order before they are entrusted with much. It begins at home. As we saw in the beginning of this post, God cares about family.
– Leadership of Moses
Moses’ sons in the Bible show us something about leadership and how God works with leaders. A lot had to happen before God’s strength became apparent through Moses and he could lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Moses’ father-in-law Jethrow, was a priest of Midian, and it seems like a big part of Moses’ formation as a leader was learning to submit to his father-in-law’s leadership. When he finally does so (in Exodus 18), some things seem to change.
– God’s covenant with His people
God was the one writing the story of Moses, and Moses’ life was used for the glory of God and as part of His promises towards His people. Zipporah was not an Israelite and so the sons of Moses were also not seen as pure Israelites. However, Moses’s marriage to a Gentile did not disqualify him from playing a big part in God’s story.
– Moses’ sons in the Bible teach us about legacy
Another interesting facet to consider is how Moses acted as a father to his successor, Joshua, too. Although we do not know much about what Moses’s sons relationships looked like, we see him and Joshua a lot more often. Legacy is that which a person leaves behind. It has often been said by those who study leadership that part of the reason why Moses never entered the promised land was so that Joshua could. Or, in other words, he had to make space for a new generation and new leader to arise.
Conclusion
The book of Exodus holds the beautiful story of how God brought his people into the promised land. It is in the finer details of that story that we find Moses’ sons, yet there is much we can pick up from the text to aid our own faith journeys. In this post, the role of Moses and the significance of family was described firstly. Then, each son was studied on their own. Finally, four lessons for modern Christian believers were given, namely: family, leadership, covenant, and legacy.
– Howell, A. J. 2010. The Firstborn Son of Moses as the ‘Relative of Blood’ in Exodus 4.24-26. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 35(1), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089210378962
Eljoh Hartzer is combining theology and art to nurture faith journeys across generations. She is a Masters-level Practical Theologian with the University of Stellenbosch. She is also a writer and editor in the niche of Christianity and children's content and she illustrates children's books. Eljoh resides in the Swartland area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
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