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Jochebed

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Biblical Character

The Resume

    Wife of Amram; daughter of Levi
    Mother of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron
    Hid her youngest son from Egyptian authorities, acting on orders from the Pharaoh that all Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile
    Famously sent her son down the Nile in a special chest made of bulrushes, dispatching her daughter to follow the basket
    Was appointed to be the child's nursemaid by the Pharaoh's daughter, who had discovered the basket and adopted him as her son (Exodus 2 : 1-10)
    Portrayed by Martha Scott in Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments' (1956); Role was sang by Israeli pop icon Ofra Haza in the musical based on the original - 'The Prince of Egypt' (1998)

Why she might be annoying:

    She is sometimes identified as 'Yoshebel' (largely thanks to the De Mille film).
    She married Amram despite not only being much older than him, but also his aunt.
    Ironically, this type of incestuous union would be forbidden in the laws unveiled by her son following the exodus.
    She put her own kid at risk by literally sending him up the river, as he could very easily have drowned (well at least she had his sister follow it to make sure it didn't capsize).
    Because The Bible is so wonderfully clear on all points, it is never known if she lived to see her children lead the enslaved Jewish population to freedom.
    Its generally taken for granted that she was dead by the time her son killed the Egyptian - since he was forty at the time (but then her son also lived to 120, who the heck knows?)

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her name roughly translates to 'glory of Jehovah.'
    She somehow managed to conceal her infant for nearly three months before finally surrendering him to the Nile to hopefully be found/taken in.
    She was crafty, making a wooden chest with bulrushes, even using slime and pitch to make it watertight so he would be safer.
    Her daughter successfully got her a job serving as the baby's wet-nurse in his infancy.
    She took care of the baby until he was old enough to be raised by the Pharaoh's daughter. Presumably they never saw each other again.
    She is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias, alongside the wives of Moses, Aaron, and (one of the wives of) King David.
    She gave Ofra Haza the opportunity to sing 'Deliver Us' in seventeen different languages for 'Prince of Egypt' (interestingly her character design was also based on the late Haza).
    By risking her own life to save her child, she inadvertently insured that the Israelites from slavery and lead them to the edge of Canaan.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 20 Votes: 55.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 30.77% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying