Daughter of Jethro (Reuel), priest of Midian; wife of Moses and mother of Gershom and Eliezer; performed the enigmatic circumcision of their son to avert divine wrath against Moses during the return to Egypt; reunited with Moses in the wilderness through her father Jethro.
Her act of circumcision in Exodus 4 is one of the most debated passages in the Torah, suggesting an ancient tradition of women as ritual agents; she represents the Midianite wisdom tradition that intersected with Israelite religion; her father Jethro's counsel on judicial organization shapes Mosaic governance.
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