Her story reminds us that flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders of Gods covenant promises. . (Genesis 17:9-12a). But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Crucifixion thoughts & How did they get the nails out? So as soon as the child was circumcised, the LORD relented from killing Moses, "So he let him alone" (v 26). So He sent Moses to Egypt to deliver Israel. If under the age of 13, or the age of majority in your country, you may use this website only with the consent of a parent or guardian. Circumcision is a covenant, not a sacrifice that atones for sin. Devils Line Season 2: Release Date CONFIRMED or CANCELED! When we read the passage in the King James Bible we get the correct understanding of the passage. Lastly, one final question that I asked as I read the passage was what the situation symbolizes in relation to the entire text. - John 8:45-47. During the night, Gods hand of death came against Moses and tried to kill him (Exodus 4:24). This is the marriage pattern of Horite Hebrew rulers. Thats who we are: dead because of our sins and alive because of Christ, through his life and by his blood. the Lord met him, and sought to kill himthat is, he was either overwhelmed with mental distress or overtaken by a sudden and dangerous malady. Some scholars believe that the term bridegroom of blood (same as bloody husband in the KJV) signifies Zipporahs religious idea about blood sacrifice and covenant. Verse 24 says that the LORD met Pharaohs firstborn son in an inn and determined (sought) to kill him. Ask Anything. 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. Approach the text as if you are reading it for the first time. Zipporah casts the foreskin at Moses' feet and calls him a "bloody husband" simply because she is disgusted by the bloody procedure of circumcision. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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. Who is the bridegroom? 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. You can see our basic rules for comments by clicking The Fine Print on the top menu bar. While he was in Midian he married Zipporah. 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. (LogOut/ In Hebrew, her name means bird or little bird. We first meet Zipporahwho later became Mosess wifeat a well in her hometown of Midian. [17] 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. In order to understand this scene, some background information is in order. Our study is to give some sense to this short mysterious section of text and present a few possible reasons for its inclusion, so you can make up your mind about which seems the most logical answer. Although it may seem outwardly there was nothing wrong, to God nothing is hidden! Now, he wanted to go back, but what would happen to him if he did? Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com. Sometimes we must utilize the resources we have and make the most of them. Moses becomes her "bridegroom," her newly-acquired husband, because they both were culturally new persons. She felt that this was God's way of showing His. If it was, she would not say he was a bloody husband because it would be an expectation that he should be circumcised. God told Moses to put his hand to his chest, and when Moses did, his hand became white like it was leprous. Read the passage again and see how simple it is. Upon returning to the home of their father, the sisters reported the incident of the Egyptian stranger who had come to their aid. If you have any suggestions and queries you can contact us on the below details. 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. Book of Revelation in the Textus Receptus. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 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. The immediate question is, Why is Moses not performing the circumcision? The answer is that Moses had to hold on to the son so that the son would stay still. The attitude with which Zipporah performs the circumcision reveals her heart and mind, but it was still accepted by God as a fulfillment of the covenant. As a result the Lord decides not to kill Moses. O Zipporah says this "bloody Husband" phrase twice. The threat of death was not on Moses but on Pharaoh's son. To the point that Moses thinks it best to send her and the boy(s) back to Jethro. Just click the proper button at the end of each article. This is actually a topic that is debated often, but scripture is clear that Moses married two different women from two different lineages. Yet, we know Moses, his wife, and their son . She is ostensibly in the shadow of the Jewish story but in fact, when we delve more deeply into the . 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. (http://www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/Exodus/BrideGroomOfBlood.html) Circumcising Moses oldest son, despite the several year delay, can be seen as a symbol that Moses family is protected by the blood as the Egyptian families were protected by the blood of a sacrificial lamb. Copyright 2017-2023 Ray Hermann, The Outlaw Bible Student. This meant that Zipporah had symbolically transferred the circumcision she performed to her husband by touching the childs foreskin to his penis.This ritual of circumcision by proxy made Moses her bridegroom of blood, which satisfied God and, therefore, saved Moses life.7, Euphemisms are used all throughout the Old Testament. A little bit of kindness and compassion on the part of Moses turns a casual meeting into a close relationship. Many translations (even some KJV editions) begin a new section after verse 23 (often with a new section heading), obscuring the fact that him in verse 24 refers to Pharaohs firstborn son mentioned in verse 23. 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. Top Christian Blogs, Quality Content Authenticity Uniqueness Reliability Trustworthy Ease of Use Data Security. Catullus. The elders believed, and when they heard that God had heard of their afflictions and their cries, they bowed their heads and worshipped Him. Why on the 8th day? (, Hermann, Ray, A Letter from an Atheist about the 12 Commandments! (. So He let him go. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old . 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. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. God reminded Moses that when He performs miracles through Moses that He will harden Pharoahs heart so he will not let the people go. 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. Zipporah had borne two sons to Moses, but he had failed to perform circumcision on his sons. God had just given Moses an assignment to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the Hebrews from bondage. Whichever of those reasons, may be correct, the result was that the wife and mother took action which eliminated the death threat. There is also another explanation. Zipporah meets Moses at the well. 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. Zipporah circumcised her son as Moses held him still. 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. 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." These speculative answers flirt with unscriptural principles. She calls Moses, who represents Christ, a "bloody husband" and this represents the tribulation time. Moses was seated at the well nearby, no doubt dressed, painted, and speaking like an Egyptian dignitary. _______________________________________________. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) explains to Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) what job a mohel13 performs and Elaine gives her opinion about uncircumcised men. Source: Memorials of Gilbert Haven, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) 1880 A.D. He belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather, Jethro (Yetro) the priest of Midian. God asked Moses what was in his hand, and Moses said a rod. 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. at least, not anymore. "visited him with a sharp attack of illness, which threatened to he fatal." ', 24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. Romance, Passionate Love, Sexual Pleasures: What Does the Bible Say?. Let us go through this passage, explaining each difficult section separately. 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. See References & Notes for the link.14, Copyright 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann 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. After the resurrection, Jesus invited Thomas to touch him in the bloody parts, his hand and his side. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. From the material I have read, it looks like Zipporah put some pressure on her hubby not to circumcise the boy. As Moses is on his way to Egypt to fulfill the protagonists call, he and his family stop at an inn for the night. God told Moses that those who sought his life in Egypt, meaning especially Pharoah, had died. This short excerpt that seems disgusting and meaningless to most readers is actually a tale of obedience and preparation for the duties and years to come as Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt. Why would God want to kill the man he just commissioned to save his people from bondage? By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. This is the only time this Strong's As Moses and his family arrive back in Egypt he meets up with the Lord who seeks to kill him. 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. Circumcision was important to God, at least until Christ was crucified. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. The action was petulant and reproachful. If he was going to Egypt to free his people, his identification with Egypt had to die. Source Ahavta. She and Moses lived under the authority of her father, a priest of God amongst the Midianites. And it came to pass by the way, in the inn, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him (Exodus 4:24, HBFV). Zipporah urges us to remember who we are in Christ. God had the foreknowledge of Pharaohs refusal to let Israel go, so God was already prepared to seek the death of the firstborn son. And it came to pass. (verse 24)), but there is no thematic break. Leave comments at the end, after References & Notes. --Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. In verse 26, the circumcision is finished and Moses lets go of his son. Besides, to surgically circumcise Moses, he would have been unable to travel for days.5. Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. Whatever the reason, Zipporah had to think and act quickly in order to save her husbands life. 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. ((d) "Mollia qui rupta secuit genitalia testa." Zipporahs word choice could have a double meaning in which she told Moses that he was protected by her bold action and that she finally had a legitimate husband due to the circumcision. . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Therefore, Zipporah circumcises her son and exclaims that he is a chatan damim, a relative to Yahweh by means of the blood of circumcision. . 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. 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 gratitude, the father urged them to go back and bring the kind Egyptian Moses to their village, and soon after, Zipporah would become Mosess wife. Why would such drastic measures be necessary? 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. Takedown request | View complete answer on jewishrhody.com Wha. sect. https://drmsh.com/thoughts-on-the-bridegroom-of-blood/, https://www.awordaboutgod.com/post/moses-and-the-bridegroom-of-blood-exodus-4-24-26, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/put-your-hand-under-my-thigh-what-is-that-all-about/, https://truththatinspires.com/biblical-insights/bridegroom-of-blood/, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/circumcision-in-the-bible-what-was-it-really-all-about-why-on-the-8th-day/, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/a-letter-from-an-atheist-about-the-12-commandments/, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-mohel/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2zxkA95PQc, Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Apocalypse, A Strange Hospital Stay During the Covid Pandemic. Read, it looks like Zipporah put some pressure on her hubby not to kill him me:... 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