Girl Old Testament Rare
Zipporah
beauty; trumpet; mourning
צִפֹּרָה tsip.po.rah
Zipporah (Hebrew: צִפֹּרָה, tsip.po.rah) means “beauty; trumpet; mourning”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 3 verses across 1 book of the Bible. In 2025 it was given to 83 children in the United States. Use is rising. Around 2,632 Americans have been given it since 1880. Appears in the same passages as Aaron.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
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Zipporah
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 3 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Exodus
Using it today
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 83 | Rising |
| All-time total | 2,632 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 86 in 2018 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | TX | Highest share relative to births |
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Exodus 2:21 |
| Last appears | Exodus 18:2 |
| Cross-references | 30 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Jethro co-occurrence Appears with Jethro in Exodus 18.
- Reuel co-occurrence Appears with Reuel in Exodus 18.
- Gershom co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Gershom.
- Eliezer co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Eliezer.
- Isaac co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Isaac.
- Abraham co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Abraham.
- Levi co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Levi.
- Aaron co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Aaron.
Origin & meaning
A woman living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.21;
daughter of: Jethro (H3503);
sister of: Eliasaph (H0460) and Hobab (H2246); married to Moses (H4872);
mother of: Gershom (H1647) and Eliezer (H0461H)
§ Zipporah = "bird"
daughter of Reuel or Jethro, wife of Moses, and mother of Gershom and Eliezer
Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, was Moses' wife and the mother of his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.
The biblical story
Zipporah was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro (also known as Reuel), the priest of Midian. She first appears in the biblical narrative when Moses fled from Egypt and settled in Midian (Exo.2.21). Zipporah and Moses were married and had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. In Exo.4.24-26, during Moses' return to Egypt, Zipporah circumcised their son and cast the foreskin at Moses' feet, saying, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" This enigmatic event seems to have resolved a divine threat against Moses' life. Later, when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Zipporah and her sons were sent back to Jethro (Exo.18.2). They were reunited with Moses when Jethro brought them to him in the wilderness (Exo.18.5-6). As the wife of Moses, Zipporah played a significant role in his personal life and, by extension, in the history of Israel.
Key verses
Zipporah appears in 3 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
Exodus 2:21 -
Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Exodus 4:25 -
Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,
Exodus 18:2
Show all 3 references
Exodus (3)
- Exodus 2:21
- Exodus 4:25
- Exodus 18:2