Gershom

According to the Bible, Gershom (גֵּרְשֹׁם‎ Gēršōm, "a sojourner there"; Latin: Gersam) was the firstborn son of Moses and Zipporah.^[1] The name means "a stranger there" in Hebrew, (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^[2] and in the Book of Chronicles the progenitor of one of the principal Levite clans is sometimes identified as Gershom,^[3] sometimes as Gershon.

The firstborn son of Moses by Zipporah; born in Midian.^[4] Moses’ father-in-law Jethro came to Moses in the wilderness, bringing with him Moses’ wife Zipporah and their two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.^[5] The priestly service of Gershom's descendant Jonathan on behalf of the Danites was illegal, because, although he was a Levite, he was not of Aaron's family.^[6]

The passage in Exodus concerning Moses and Zipporah at a night camp appears to suggest that some being, possibly God or an angel, attacks either Gershom or Moses, until a circumcision is carried out by Zipporah on Gershom.^[7]

The later Books of Chronicles identify Shebuel as a "son" of Gershom,^[8] though this is anachronistic for a literal interpretation of the Bible because Shebuel is described as living in the time of King David. The Hebrew word for "son" can also mean descendant; for example even remote descendants of King David are in many instances identified as "So-and-so son of David" in the original Hebrew.