Did Moses write the first five books of the Old Testament? You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. So Moses had to keep the boy still. In fact, he most likely dreamt in the language of Pharaoh. 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. This is actually a topic that is debated often, but scripture is clear that Moses married two different women from two different lineages. The long donkey ride on the way to Egypt left Zipporah, Moses, and their two children wanting for a good nights rest. She received Moses back from the dead, as it were, and remarried him again. This is symbolic of humankind being dead to God, but then he provides redemption through a blood sacrifice and brings humankind back to himself. This interpretation also makes sense narratologically because the previous verse speaks of God promising to kill Pharaohs firstborn son. --Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. It does not seem to me that she was opposed to the circumcision. Takedown request | View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org. Finally Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and caused it to touch his feet and said: 'It is because you are a . Zipporah calls Moses a bridegroom because she had been compelled to acquire and purchase him anew as a husband by shedding the blood of her son, hence a bridegroom of blood. Our newsletter is a short email sent to notify subscribers about new information that has been posted to the OBS site. 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. And Jethro, Moses father-in-law came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness. Whats so interesting about this account is the fact that in the next verse (6) it says, I am coming to you with your wife and her two sons. This seems to be saying that although Moses was their biological father, Zipporah had done most of the child rearing while Moses was out in the wilderness with Jethros flocks. Look for the lock in the address bar. Answer: Zipporah, the name of Moses' wife, is only referenced three times in the Bible (Exodus 2:21, 4:25, 18:2). This article is part of the She Is Called Women of the Bible Study Series. Jesus Knew Where to Find the Lost Tribes of Israel, An aftermath of Sodom and Gomorrah: the Rape of Lot, Wake Up, Folks: Its time to get right with God, Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is taken from, Heiser, Michael, Thoughts on the Bridegroom of Blood, (, Petersen, Nate, Moses and the Bridegroom of Blood (Exodus 4:24-26), (, Hermann, Ray, Put your hand under my thigh What is that all about? (, Hermann, Ray Circumcision in the Bible: What was it really all about? Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. The second article makes a different claim that does not have to do with the idea of protection at all. There is no scriptural basis for taking the life of a father who does not circumcise a son. If you have any suggestions and queries you can contact us on the below details. Then she said, "You are a bloody husband," because of the circumcision (Exodus 4:25 - 26). 2023 KJV Today - King James Version Bible. In what ways do you see the church dying, as Moses was dying on that road to Egypt? 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. 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. He fled from Egypt because of it. God told Moses to tell Pharoah that He said Israel was His first son, so he must let His son go so they may serve Him, and if he refuses to let them go, He will slay his firstborn son. In this. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. What was that all about? So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. Zipporah, having circumcised her son, corrected the mistake and saved her husband, whose life was in danger due to non-observance of the commandment. It is easy to print, download, and email articles. Why do that? Zipporah referred to Moses as a "bridegroom of blood", which seems to fit Yeshua's position: the Bridegroom of the Covenant. Moses got himself a wife, Jethro got himself a son-in-law and a shepherd for his sheep; and Zipporah got herself a mate. . The first son of Moses and Zipporah was called Gershom, which means stranger. Moses told God that he wasnt eloquent with his speech, which aggravated God. Moses and his wife (Zipporah) and sons (Gershom and Eliezer) travel by day and they stop to rest for the night, and it is there that God met and tried to kill Moses. If God sought to kill Moses for his sin of murder, as some scholars speculate, there is nothing about circumcision that atones for sin. God said to Abraham, As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. These supplied names seem to make it easier for the reader to follow the narrative. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. His first wife was his Kushite half-sister. Zipporah, daughter of Jethro Reuel of Midian, was the wife of Moses. The original Hebrew only has pronouns such as he and him in those places. God told Moses that those who sought his life in Egypt, meaning especially Pharoah, had died. When local shepherds drove the sisters away from the well in an act of gender-based violence, Moses rose to their defense and he watered their fathers flocks. HaShem found Zipporah most acceptable as Moses wife, she was a loving woman that chose to save her husband's life to include the lives of the masses when Moses failed to circumcise one of his sons. Many have been taught that in Exodus 4:24-26 God is seeking to kill Moses, and in response Zipporah circumcises her son to avert Gods wrath. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. (Exodus 4:21-26, KJV). He belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather, Jethro (Yetro) the priest of Midian. From the material I have read, it looks like Zipporah put some pressure on her hubby not to circumcise the boy. Copyright 2017-2023 Ray Hermann, The Outlaw Bible Student. Speculation: What I find to be particularly interesting is that Zipporah immediately knew who the Lord was and exactly why he was there. Interestingly, the modern English terms testify and testimony originated from this use. The writer asserts that perhaps the reference to blood-bridegroom reflects the custom of circumcision before marriage. Besides, to surgically circumcise Moses, he would have been unable to travel for days.5. Chapter 4 verses 24 through 26 states, At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. We keep your email address private we do not give, trade, share, or sell it to others. Scripture References Exodus 2:21, 22; 4:24, 25; 18:1-6. Jesus changed the law with a single word: love.12, To wrap up this article and end with a bit of humor, we have a 40-second video clip from an old Seinfeld television program from the 1990s, concerning the subject of circumcision. Orange Is The New Black Season 8 Renewed Or Cancelled? and said, surely a bloody husband art thou to me; those who think it was at the feet of the child the foreskin was cast, take these words to be spoken of that, and observe that it is usual for women, at the circumcision of a child, to call it a bridegroom or husband, because it is then espoused unto, and reckoned among the people of God; but this is not well supported; it is a custom of too late a date to give any countenance to such a sense of the words, which seem plain enough to be spoken to and of Moses; but not in an angry upbraiding way, as if he was a bloody cruel man to oblige her to do such an action, but rather in a congratulatory way, as being thankful and rejoicing, that by this means, through the blood of the circumcision, she had saved her husband's life; and as it were in that way had bought him, and afresh espoused him to herself as her husband; or otherwise it would have been all over with him, but now to her great joy he was delivered from the threatened destruction, and restored to her; and so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase the next verse,"then Zipporah gave praise, and said, how amiable is the blood of circumcision, which hath delivered my husband from the hand of the destroying angel.''. Him in verse 24 refers to Pharaohs firstborn son. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This act eventually became part of the agreement between God and Israel. God asked Moses what was in his hand, and Moses said a rod. Source: The New International Encyclopdia, Volume 11 (Dodd, Mead) 1911 A.D. ', 24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. One scholar believes that the surrounding verses highlight Moses as fearful or ill-equipped and Zipporah counteracts his timid behavior by stepping up to circumcise her son in order to save Moses and the Hebrews lives. Then she said, "You are a bloody husband," because of the circumcision (Exodus 4:25 - 26). 1-No family or home is a perfect place to raise children. The first concerns the meaning of the phrase bridegroom of blood which is mentioned twice in the excerpt. Why did Zipporah circumcise her son rather than letting Moses do it? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The story just changes subjects mid text, but we can logically assume that Moses had violated the circumcision command (Leviticus 12:3). By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. (LogOut/ A bloody husband - Literally, "a husband of blood," or "bloods." Install this BHITB on your iPhone and then Add to Home Screen. God can take our humble attempts and use them for His honor and glory. But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her sons foreskin, and touched Moses feet with it, and said, Truly you are a bridegroom of blood to me! So he let him alone. So, she had this encounter with the Lord just as what Jacob did before he met Esau again. In order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die. He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." Her story reminds us that flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders of Gods covenant promises. Brother of Goliath or Goliath in 2 Samuel 21:19? In fact, shes only mentioned three times in scripture. Ask Anything. Christmas warns us that flesh and blood matter to God. Of her three appearances in the text, she only speaks one time, in Exodus 4. The custom in Egypt was associated with coming into manhood at about fourteen years of age and the entire foreskin was not removed. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her sons foreskin and touched Moses feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! So he let him alone. Zipporah immediately takes a sharp stone cuts the foreskin off of her son and throws it at the feet of Moses and declares he is a bloody husband. 2. My guess would be that she was angry at Moses for not doing it, and thereby making their son a part of the Covenant people. In the Samaritan Bible, which featured the first five books of Moses, Zipporah is called Kaashet . There have been many attempts to answer these questions, but they are all very speculative. Moses was content to dwell with Jethro in the land of Midian and Jethro gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. Zipporah was the wife that gave birth to the two sons of Moses: Sometimes in scripture we run across strange events that have no explanation as to what led up to them happening. Gershom is now identified as one of the Hebrew people because of the visible blood sign of his circumcision and enjoys Yahweh's protection. See References & Notes for the link.14, Copyright 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann Let us go through this passage, explaining each difficult section separately. I still wonder who warned Zipporah. Circumcision was not the same medical practice it is today, but circumcision was a sign of the covenant God had made with Abraham and his descendants. A couple of examples are when a husband and wife had sexual relations, it is said that they lay together or they knew each other. Which of you convinceth me of sin? What is the significance of being left-handed as Ehud was inJudges. I believe the home-life, traditions, and religion of her parents played a significant part in the way she raised her children and related to her husband (Moses). We do not send any commercial advertising, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. This passage has perplexed many students of the word over the years. Told God that he wasnt eloquent with his speech, which aggravated God. a good nights rest is scriptural..., 22 ; 4:24, 25 ; 18:1-6 maternal grandfather, Jethro ( Yetro the. 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