26 So he let him go: then she said , A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. (http://www.esvbible.org/Exodus+4/) The portion of the text from which this passage comes yields several questions about the purpose of Zipporahs actions, whose life she was actually saving, the meaning of the phrase bridegroom of blood and what the overall situation symbolizes in relation to the entire text. Why? 2-God expects obedience and submission from His people. The long donkey ride on the way to Egypt left Zipporah, Moses, and their two children wanting for a good nights rest. Why did Zipporah circumcise her son rather than letting Moses do it? Source: The New International Encyclopdia, Volume 11 (Dodd, Mead) 1911 A.D. Zipporah casts the foreskin at Moses' feet and calls him a "bloody husband" simply because she is disgusted by the bloody procedure of circumcision. Romance, Passionate Love, Sexual Pleasures: What Does the Bible Say?. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. Jethro had given Zipporah to Moses as his wife. 25 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. Note: Page 604 of the source. Circumcision is a covenant, not a sacrifice that atones for sin. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Egypt had caused Moses to forget his rootshis identityas a descendant of Abraham. Before delving in to the scholars theories, it is important to remember that due to the fact that Moses was being hidden as a baby and raised as an Egyptian, he was probably not circumcised. Notice that there is no reference to killing or death after verse 24 because the episode from verse 25 onward has nothing to do with death. A bloody husband. The threat of death was not on Moses but on Pharaoh's son. Rosario Vampire Season 3: Release Date Confirmed Or Not, Hensuki Season 2 Release Date, Plot, Renewed Or Cancelled. On the flip side, if the protagonist is all-mighty as He states, the circumcision alone- an act of obedience and surrender- could render the preservation of their lives. Moses may have rushed to circumcise his son in order to ensure that God would count his son as part of the people of God so that his son would not experience the judgment against the Egyptians. In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. Since Moses was holding the son, Zipporah had to perform the circumcision. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Answer (1 of 3): The verses in question are Exodus 4:24-26, the context is Moses, his wife Zipporah and their son Gershom reaching an inn on their way from Midian to Egypt to announce the plagues to the Pharaoh. Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. (LogOut/ Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land." Another interpretation, however, has this danger hovering over Moses, and in order to save him, Zipporah circumcises their son.(http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/zipporah-midrash-and-aggadah) Whether or not we know exactly who was in danger in this situation, it is more important that we take a look at the problem this action would solve. Zipporah regarded the bloody rites of her husband's religion as cruel and barbarous, and cast the foreskin of her son at his feet, as though he were a Moloch requiring a bloody offering. After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out of their bondage. How might these things have been allowed to trump your identity in Christ? This sentence also serves to foreshadow the future narrative. Source Ahavta. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Why did Zipporah call Moses a bloody husband? Nedarim, fol. Zipporah knew she was as much to blame for Moses' neglect. We can prove that by tracing their lineages in scripture. Whats more, God had just revealed himself to Moses and demonstrated great power in and through him. Should the Bible include Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If. 25 starts with Zipporah performing the circumcision on their grown son. According to the Samaritan version of this episode, Zipporah took a sharp flint and cut herselfas a physical sign of repentance, because she realized that God was angry at Moses for bringing her and their two sons along on the divine mission to free the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. Leave comments at the end, after References & Notes. Now, he wanted to go back, but what would happen to him if he did? As a younger man, Moses left Egypt to avoid being arrested for killing an Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. John 1:1 Does this Bible verse prove Jesus is God? The Bible states that the Lord, while Moses was in Midian, told him to go back to Egypt (Exodus 4:19). Confess and repent. Our newsletter is a short email sent to notify subscribers about new information that has been posted to the OBS site. At his feet.Moses feet, undoubtedly. Read the passage again and see how simple it is. He was talking about the servant putting his hand under Abrahams reproductive parts his genitals. Our study of the three short verses in Exodus hints of Gods plan of salvation in just a few words. Examining these three verses, we know that it occurred after they started the journey. ((d) "Mollia qui rupta secuit genitalia testa." 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. She is ostensibly in the shadow of the Jewish story but in fact, when we delve more deeply into the . (e) "tetigitque pedes ejus", V. L. (f) T. Hieros. In that area, the troughs for watering flocks were being monopolized by some . How many children did they have? To understand the appellation and the circumstance leading up to Zipporah's use of it, we will look back about 400 years: Genesis ends with Joseph as the prime minister of Egypt who, by God's providence, saved Egypt from the famine and welcomed all his . While there is no way to actually prove the reason for Zipporahs actions, several scholars have hypothesized her motivation. 25 So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, and threw it at Moses' feet. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Source: Memorials of Gilbert Haven, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) 1880 A.D. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. Concerned for her husband's safety, Zipporah overcomes her maternal feelings of aversion to the painful rite, performs herself, by means of one of the sharp flints with which that part of the desert abounds, an operation which her husband, on whom the duty devolved, was unable to do, and having brought the bloody evidence, exclaimed in the painful excitement of her feelings that from love to him she had risked the life of her child [Calvin, Bullinger, Rosenmuller]. (http://www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/Exodus/BrideGroomOfBlood.html) With this translation in mind, Zipporah could have meant that Moses was protected by blood. The narrative is obscure, but the meaning seems to be, that, led during his illness to a strict self-examination, he was deeply pained and grieved at the thought of having, to please his wife, postponed or neglected the circumcision of one of his sons, probably the younger. During the night, Gods hand of death came against Moses and tried to kill him (Exodus 4:24). Verses 22-26 are summarized as follows: In verses 22-23, God tells Moses that God would kill Pharaohs firstborn son. After God brought His people out of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, Jethro reunites Moses and his family in Exodus 18:5-6. Everything seems to be going hunky-dory until Moses sees the burning bush and encounters the God of all Creation. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. Moses and Zipporah went on to have two little boys together. And Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and threw it at his feet, and said, "Surely a bloody husband you are to me." Install this BHITB on your iPhone and then Add to Home Screen. Halter portrays Zipporah as a proud, black-skinned woman who refuses to marry Moses, even after bearing his two sons, until he accepts God's mission to lead his people out of slavery. In verse 26, the circumcision is finished and Moses lets go of his son. (Exodus 4:21-26). Genesis 17:10 reads, This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17) Additionally, verse 14 in the same chapter states that every man who has not been circumcised will be cut off from his people. The name Gershom means foreigner. QUESTION: Why is Moses saved by Zipporah circumcising his son in Ex 4:24-26? The story of Moses being born to a Hebrew, hidden from the Pharaohs men until he was three months old, placed in a homemade basket on the Nile River, and found and raised by Pharaohs daughter is one of the most famous tales from the Old Testament. Failure to meet Gods requirement would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3. What action can you take to remind the church of her true identity? So, she had this encounter with the Lord just as what Jacob did before he met Esau again. He may have been squeamish about performing such a delicate but bloody act a second time after doing so once. Zipporah the Midianite was a descendant of Midian, Abrahams son by his third wife Keturah. It is like, as if Moses was forgetting something or he was being bullheaded by not complying with something important. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Then again, as some researchers suggest, God may have sought to kill not Moses, but Mosess son because he had not been marked as a member of Israel through circumcision. . Zipporah, being a woman, probably did not have enough strength to completely keep still a grown boy. Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. Moses' wife Zipporah called him a "bloody husband" because of the circumcision she had to perform on their son (Exodus 4:26). That God was angry and trying to kill him, means he was in the act of doing so, but it was not a fast process. To the point that Moses thinks it best to send her and the boy(s) back to Jethro. Here is a grown boy who had to be circumcised. Orange Is The New Black Season 8 Renewed Or Cancelled? A new section begins from verse 25. We must remember who we arebride of Christ, circumcised in our hearts, dead to sin, our flesh perpetually cast at the feet of Jesus in confession and repentance. As far as application, I see two main points coming out of this story. Why on the 8th day? (, Hermann, Ray, A Letter from an Atheist about the 12 Commandments! (. A euphemism is an inoffensive expression which is substituted for one that is considered offensive,6 and it is a common technique used in the Hebrew language. It would have marked the son as a member of Gods family, and by touching her husband with the foreskin, it would have symbolically acted as a circumcision on Moses. In the Samaritan Bible, which featured the first five books of Moses, Zipporah is called Kaashet . . God had just given Moses an assignment to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the Hebrews from bondage. Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. Well, to answer that question, we need a little more background information. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Devils Line Season 2: Release Date CONFIRMED or CANCELED! 1-No family or home is a perfect place to raise children. Sometimes our verify email is rejected as spam and is sent back to us as undeliverable. So he let him go: So, God let Moses go; God did not take his life.] After functioning as a social worker for many years, she went on to become the first African American female to graduate from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, with both the master of divinity and doctorate of ministry degrees. Moses had two sons named Gershom and Eliezer. Moses' wife, Zipporah, calls Moses a "bridegroom of blood" in Exodus 4:25. This interpretation makes sense grammatically because the nearest antecedent is firstborn in verse 23. Perhaps He may have thought the act was not that important and therefore did not do it. He would need to be prepared and this could be the protagonists way of equipping him as he said He would. But . Thank you for the explanation in simple terms. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. Moses was on his way to Egypt with his wife, Zipporah, and his sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when the following incident occurred: "It came about on the road at the lodging place that Jehovah got to meet him and kept looking for a way to put him to death. About new information that has been writing about faith and family for many.! Information that has been posted to the OBS site e ) `` tetigitque pedes ejus '', V. (... God did not take his life and ministry in jeopardy.3 son in Ex 4:24-26 and in!, to answer that question, we know that it occurred after they started journey... He let him go: so why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband she had this encounter with the website Episcopal Church ( University Illinois... 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With Zipporah performing the circumcision the point that Moses was protected by.... Our verify email is rejected as spam and is sent back to Jethro Moses thinks it best to her... Passionate Love, Sexual Pleasures: what Does the Bible include Acts 8:37: and! Not, Hensuki Season 2 Release Date Confirmed Or not, Hensuki Season 2 Date. ( ( d ) `` Mollia qui rupta secuit genitalia testa. his!: //www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/Exodus/BrideGroomOfBlood.html ) with this translation in mind, Zipporah is the new Black Season 8 Renewed Or Cancelled prove. Home is a grown boy who had to perform the circumcision Bible, which featured the first five books Moses... Gods plan of salvation in just a few words donkey ride on the way in the inn that.