The circumcision of one or both of Moses sons is one of those events. It was a Monday morning Editors note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinels Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) Each year Christians embark on spiritual journeys that culminate with Easter celebrations. After doing the needful for her son like that, she owned Moses. See References & Notes for the link.14, Copyright 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann As a result, the Lord decides not to kill Moses. She knew he would have been killed by God if their son, who may have been several months old or older, remained uncircumcised. Therefore, Zipporah circumcises her son and exclaims that he is a chatan damim, a relative to Yahweh by means of the blood of circumcision. . (Genesis 24:2-3). Zipporah, the wife of Moses, receives very little exposure in the Bible. What did the Egyptians make the children of Israel serve with? A little bit of kindness and compassion on the part of Moses turns a casual meeting into a close relationship. It might refer to the child, for in response Zipporah cuts off her sons foreskin and thus saves his life. Our study will be but three verses in chapter four of the Book of Exodus. It is evident that Zipporah regarded this rite as both barbarous and unnecessary. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Moses' wife Zipporah called him a "bloody husband" because of the circumcision she had to perform on their son (Exodus 4:26). So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. Exodus 4:24-26. What were the names of the two Hebrew midwives? Here is a grown boy who had to be circumcised. In verse 26, the circumcision is finished and Moses lets go of his son. Cast it at his feet - Showing at once her abhorrence of the rite, and her feeling that by it she had saved her husband's life. And it came to pass. (verse 24)), but there is no thematic break. Moses heard the words and the instruction from the Lord, but said that the Israelites will not believe him when he tells them that he saw the Lord. We can prove that by tracing their lineages in scripture. Most people read over it and dont understand what it all means. 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. Every Israelite wife and mother would have, thus, been reminded of the covenant between God and Israel, through the circumcision of her sons.4, Because Moses may not have been properly circumcised (by Hebrew custom) before marriage, Zipporah may have achieved two things by circumcising her son. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. In order to understand this scene, some background information is in order. But now the time had come that God would save His people. Zipporah complains to her husband about the Abrahamic Covenant when she says, Surely you are a husband of blood to me. In most of the Jewish households, the eighth day after the child was born, was a ceremonial day when the male child (which was viewed as a blessing) was given his name and also circumcised on the same day. Being he was a humble man, I dont believe Moses meant to defy God on his own, but perhaps it was his wife Zipporah that refused to do it. The Bible is filled with sexual innuendo, which celebrates sexual love. 26 So he let him go: then she said , A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. Thank you for reading this article and for taking the time to comment. If we read the preceding verses, we see that this occurs after God had just given Moses instructions as to what to say to Pharaoh. Shulchan Aruch, par. 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. As a result the Lord decides not to kill Moses. Sometimes we must utilize the resources we have and make the most of them. Some parents who have taken their children to the dentist or vaccination will understand. Her assertive action saved her husband's life but not without chastising him for causing her to perform the blood act. At least, the Egyptian in him had to die in order for the bloody, Israelite Moses, in his truest identity, to fulfill the purpose for which he was born. We will be very happy to hear from you. Zipporah said to Moses "A bloody husband you are to me, because of the circumcision." One may wonder why God would come to Moses to kill him before he was circumcised, but I think it's a safe assumption that the Lord had told him to be circumcised but he refused. Exodus 4:24-26, 24. ((c) Maimon. So Moses had to keep the boy still. God told Moses to put his hand to his chest, and when Moses did, his hand became white like it was leprous. Yet, we know Moses, his wife, and their son . Then she said, "You are a . The action was petulant and reproachful. He said something radical that was inclusive to all those commandments in the Old Testament, I give you a new commandment, he said, that you love one another. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. However, Zipporah is shown as fiercely devoted to her husband, even though he neglects her. 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. Circumcision was important to God, at least until Christ was crucified. His first wife was his Kushite half-sister. Moses at this time was a fugitive from Egypt, where he had killed a man for abusing a Hebrew slave. What was that all about? From the material I have read, it looks like Zipporah put some pressure on her hubby not to circumcise the boy. Zipporah's actions give us a clue. Source: Memorials of Gilbert Haven, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) 1880 A.D. This is actually a topic that is debated often, but scripture is clear that Moses married two different women from two different lineages. The life of Moses is different after God comes into his life in a miraculous way, very much like Saul of Tarsus in the book of Acts. While she is introduced early in Exodus, very little is said about her. ib. We are first introduced to Zipporah in Exodus 2:16, as a shepherdess, one of Jethros seven daughters. PLEASE HELP us spread Bible truth by telling others about this website. Romance, Passionate Love, Sexual Pleasures: What Does the Bible Say?. 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. What most people miss, however, is a detail that is revealed in three short verses in the fourth chapter of Exodus. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me , Zipporah, having taken a sharp knife, circumcised her son, and fell down at his. Having a break between verse 23 and 24 is not necessarily wrong because there seems to be a chronological break between the two verses (e.g. ', 24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. Please be aware that, although the majority of posts found on this website are for general audiences, there may be certain controversial, mature, or adult content. Zipporah is in blue. Some translations might be easier to read, but they may not be easier to understand. It does not tell us how old he was when he ledt Egypt or when he arrived in Midian. Though she at first had gone with Moses after he was called by God . feet with the bloody piece of skin, and said, Thou art a husband in blood to me.) Circumcision was only one of the hundreds of laws that God demanded be obeyed. 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 concerns the meaning of the phrase bridegroom of blood which is mentioned twice in the excerpt. 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. As a younger man, Moses left Egypt to avoid being arrested for killing an Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Juvenal Satyr 6. Zipporah knew she was as much to blame for Moses' neglect. 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. God told Moses in time that he will take water from the Nile and pour it on dry land, and the water and the river will become like blood. Apparently God was holding Moses accountable for the breaking of Gods covenant. Should the Bible include Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If. Book of Revelation in the Textus Receptus. When a man has his hands full with what God wants him to do, he certainly doesnt need a wife who is a hindrance and an obstacle to him! These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. And in the Book of Ruth, it says, When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do, (Ruth 3:4).8. 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. Maundy Thursday leads us to a bloody table and to a garden where Judas Iscariot has blood on his hands. Examining these three verses, we know that it occurred after they started the journey. 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. After this event, Zipporah simply disappears from scripture and we never hear anything about her ever again. However, among the Hebrews, circumcision included removal of the full foreskin and that happened on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:114; 21:4) and the ceremony would naturally have involved the childs mother. 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. Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. During this period, he married Zipporah, Jethro's daughter, and they had a son (Ex. Another look at the text along with more research revealed that the protagonists words foreshadowed the Passover with the threat to Moses. So He let him go. Perhaps He may have thought the act was not that important and therefore did not do it. Zipporah said to Moses A bloody husband you are to me, because of the circumcision. One may wonder why God would come to Moses to kill him before he was circumcised, but I think its a safe assumption that the Lord had told him to be circumcised but he refused. Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. His mannerisms and customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing. Moses was seated at the well nearby, no doubt dressed, painted, and speaking like an Egyptian dignitary. Now we can return to the obvious question at hand. 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. 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. James 1:17 says, every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom Several years ago, our family had an experience that reminded us of the power of prayer. (m) This act was extraordinary: for Moses was very sick and God even then required it. 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. He may have been squeamish about performing such a delicate but bloody act a second time after doing so once. Her first reaction was to circumcise her son without being told to do so. These supplied names seem to make it easier for the reader to follow the narrative. The Exodus passage also refers to the term, bridegroom of blood, in many translations. When Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, he met Jethro's seven daughters, who were having some trouble getting enough water for their flocks ( Exodus 2 ). 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. That is why when the circumcision was over, verse 26 says, he let him go. This he is Moses because the nearest male antecedent is bloody husband. This phrase is not about God letting Moses go, but about Moses letting his son go after the circumcision was over. In fact, they might even be aware that he was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt in the episode called the Exodus. The underlined words above are words that were supplied by the NIV translators. Her story reminds us that flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders of God's covenant promises. 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. It was on his way back to Egypt that the event described in the text took place. He was talking about the servant putting his hand under Abrahams reproductive parts his genitals. What isnt immediately obvious in scripture is that Moses had two wives and Zipporah was the first. This is a little easier to explain the word feet is a euphemism for Moses genitals. We are committed to writing about what God wants you to know not what some churches only want you to hear. His wife must have had some hint of why it was happening, because she felt she could stop it and she immediately acted upon it. On the way to Egypt, God came to Moses intending to kill him, but Zipporah circumcised Moses so God let him go. Unlike his Egyptian peers, he was circumcised. Answer: Technically, no. Why do that? Sometimes our verify email is rejected as spam and is sent back to us as undeliverable. Ask Anything. What? 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. Only the Midrash, the Oral Traditions of Judaism, clarifies this answer. The son who was circumcised in this story did not belong to the household of Moses.
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