Moses is generally understood to have had one clearly named wife, Zipporah. Some traditions and interpretations suggest he may also have married a Cushite woman mentioned in Numbers 12, but the Bible does not explicitly confirm two simultaneous wives.

Quick answer

  • Most straightforward reading: 1 wife, Zipporah.
  • Alternative interpretation: possibly 2 wives over his lifetime, if the Cushite woman was a separate later marriage.
  • What is certain: the text clearly names Zipporah; the second-wife idea is debated and not universally accepted.

Why people disagree

  • Zipporah is introduced as Moses’ Midianite wife in Exodus.
  • Numbers 12 mentions a “Cushite woman” Moses had married, which some readers take as evidence of a second wife.
  • Others think this could refer to the same woman being described differently, or to a later marriage after Zipporah’s death.

Bottom line

If you want the simplest answer , say: Moses had one wife, Zipporah, with a debated possibility of a second wife in some traditions.