Gershom
Encyclopedia
According to the Bible
, Gershom was the firstborn son
of Moses
and Zipporah
. The name appears to mean a sojourner there (גר שם ger sham), which the text argues was a reference to Moses' flight from Egypt; biblical scholars
regard the name as being essentially the same as Gershon
, and it is Gershom rather than Gershon who is sometimes listed by the Book of Chronicles, as a founder of one of the principal Levite
factions. Textual scholars
attribute the description of Gershom to a different source text to the genealogy involving Gershon.
The passage in Exodus concerning Moses and Zipporah reaching an inn
, contain four of the most ambiguous and awkward sentences in Biblical text; the text appears to suggest that something, possibly God
or an angel
, attacks either Gershom or Moses, until a circumcision
is carried out by Zipporah on whichever of the two men it was that was being attacked.
The later Books of Chronicles
identify Shebuel as being one of Gershom's "son"s, though this is anachronistic
for a literal interpretation of the bible, since Shebuel is described as living in the time of King David
. The Hebrew word son, can also mean a descendant, for example descendants of King David, are called sons of David in the original Hebrew, in many instances.
, assert that it is only the Aaronim who were legitimate priests, biblical scholars believe that the priesthood was originally open to members of any tribe, and that the restriction to Aaronim was purely an Aaronim invention, opposed by authors such as the Deuteronomist
. Aaronim claimed descent from Aaron
- Moses' brother, and hence any immediate descendant of Moses would not be an Aaronim; the hence the possibility that the story of Micah's Idol
refers to immediate descendants of Moses being priests is thus taken by biblical scholars
as a demonstration that the Aaronim-only restriction was originally not present in the Israelite priesthood.
One of the accounts of Micah's idol refers to a priest as being a sojourner there (גר שם), which could alternatively be taken as stating that the priest was Gershom (גרשם). The accounts of Micah's idol also include reference to a Jonathon son of Gershom as being a priest, and although the masoretic text seems to avoid the implication that non-Aaronim could be priests by describing this particular Gershom as a son of Manasseh (מנשה), this appears to have been distorted; the letter nun (נ) appears here in superscript, suggesting that the text originally described this Gershom as the one that was a son of Moses (משה).
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Gershom was the firstborn son
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and Zipporah
Zipporah
Zipporah or Tzipora is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Reuel/Jethro, the priest or prince of Midian...
. The name appears to mean a sojourner there (גר שם ger sham), which the text argues was a reference to Moses' flight from Egypt; biblical scholars
Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
regard the name as being essentially the same as Gershon
Gershon
According to the Torah, Gershon was the eldest of the sons of Levi, and the patriarchal founder of the Gershonites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in biblical times. The Gershonites were charged with the care of the outer tabernacle including components such as the tent and its...
, and it is Gershom rather than Gershon who is sometimes listed by the Book of Chronicles, as a founder of one of the principal Levite
Levite
In Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...
factions. Textual scholars
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
attribute the description of Gershom to a different source text to the genealogy involving Gershon.
The passage in Exodus concerning Moses and Zipporah reaching an inn
Zipporah at the inn
Zipporah at the inn is the name given to an episode alluded to in three verses of Exodus. It is one of the more unusual, curious, and much-debated passages of the Pentateuch....
, contain four of the most ambiguous and awkward sentences in Biblical text; the text appears to suggest that something, possibly God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
or an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
, attacks either Gershom or Moses, until a circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
is carried out by Zipporah on whichever of the two men it was that was being attacked.
The later Books of Chronicles
Books of Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
identify Shebuel as being one of Gershom's "son"s, though this is anachronistic
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
for a literal interpretation of the bible, since Shebuel is described as living in the time of King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
. The Hebrew word son, can also mean a descendant, for example descendants of King David, are called sons of David in the original Hebrew, in many instances.
Priestly connections
Although certain passages of the Bible, which textual scholars ascribe to the Priestly SourcePriestly source
The Priestly Source is one of the sources of the Torah/Pentateuch in the bible. Primarily a product of the post-Exilic period when Judah was a province of the Persian empire , P was written to show that even when all seemed lost, God remained present with Israel...
, assert that it is only the Aaronim who were legitimate priests, biblical scholars believe that the priesthood was originally open to members of any tribe, and that the restriction to Aaronim was purely an Aaronim invention, opposed by authors such as the Deuteronomist
Deuteronomist
The Deuteronomist, or simply D, is one of the sources underlying the Hebrew bible . It is found in the book of Deuteronomy, in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings and also in the book of Jeremiah...
. Aaronim claimed descent from Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
- Moses' brother, and hence any immediate descendant of Moses would not be an Aaronim; the hence the possibility that the story of Micah's Idol
Micah's Idol
The narrative of Micah's Idol, recounted in the Book of Judges, concerns the Tribe of Dan, their conquest of Laish, and the sanctuary that was subsequently created there.-Biblical narrative:...
refers to immediate descendants of Moses being priests is thus taken by biblical scholars
Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
as a demonstration that the Aaronim-only restriction was originally not present in the Israelite priesthood.
One of the accounts of Micah's idol refers to a priest as being a sojourner there (גר שם), which could alternatively be taken as stating that the priest was Gershom (גרשם). The accounts of Micah's idol also include reference to a Jonathon son of Gershom as being a priest, and although the masoretic text seems to avoid the implication that non-Aaronim could be priests by describing this particular Gershom as a son of Manasseh (מנשה), this appears to have been distorted; the letter nun (נ) appears here in superscript, suggesting that the text originally described this Gershom as the one that was a son of Moses (משה).