In verse 26, the circumcision is finished and Moses lets go of his son. 2:16-22). The verse in the Book of Exodus (18:4) states: The name of the (other) son was Eliezer, because 'My father's God (Elohei Avi) was my helper (Bi'ezeri), rescuing me from Pharaoh's sword. 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? 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 . In order to understand this scene, some background information is in order. Rev. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the . Her father, who is believed to be one of the founders of the Druze religion seems to have affected his daughter in that custom. 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. It is easy to print, download, and email articles. He belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather, Jethro (Yetro) the priest of Midian. --Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. 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. 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. In an act which seems to indicate Zipporahs displeasure (in some Bible versions), she circumcises her son and touches Moses with the removed foreskin. (LogOut/ We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. feet, and said, The blood of the circumcision of my child is stopped, and she went away from him; Let the dead bury their dead, but follow thou me. Verses 22-26 are summarized as follows: In verses 22-23, God tells Moses that God would kill Pharaohs firstborn son. These speculative answers flirt with unscriptural principles. Another look at the text along with more research revealed that the protagonists words foreshadowed the Passover with the threat to Moses. Although it may seem outwardly there was nothing wrong, to God nothing is hidden! OBS respects your privacy and is compliant with the European Union GDPR regulation. Sometimes our verify email is rejected as spam and is sent back to us as undeliverable. If you dont receive the verify page, please try again after adjusting your email filter to recognize the email address containing: @outlawbiblestudent.org. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Every time we gather for communion, her words should be told alongside Mosess, Yes, Jesus, you are a Bridegroom of blood.. Zipporah The Woman Who Wrongly Opposed Her Husband. 2. This passage is rather uneventful and straightforward if we read it properly. Imagine the situation. 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. 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. The term bloody husband is merely Zipporahs criticism of a husband who performs an apparently strange and bloody procedure. Rev. Our study will be but three verses in chapter four of the Book of Exodus. She also seems to be angry because of the circumcision requirement, pointing to the possibility that her and Moses may have had a conversation and possibly an argument about it, ending in her refusal to allow it. Crucifixion thoughts & How did they get the nails out? 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. 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." In order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die. We are urged to die to all our false identities and to remember our true identity as siblings of the flesh and blood of the Bridegroom. As a result, the Lord decides not to kill Moses. Description: In verses 25 and 26, Zipporah calls Moses a "bloody husband" because of his strange and bloody procedure of circumcision. Egypt had caused Moses to forget his rootshis identityas a descendant of Abraham. These verses, concerning a circumcision,2 are odd and confusing, and some commentators believe they are out of place. 1. There is no scriptural basis for taking the life of a father who does not circumcise a son. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Then she said, "You are a . See e-Sword notes below. In fact, she may have discouraged the practice in her own way. As a result the Lord decides not to kill Moses. In verse 23 God had pronounced a judgment upon Pharaohs son, but it may have been obvious to Moses that Gods judgment affects not only the king of Egypt but all the Egyptians. here, moses is an analogy of christ, who is our "bloody husband."; i'm not sure what the foreskin represents. Zipporah, being a woman, probably did not have enough strength to completely keep still a grown boy. Juvenal Satyr 6. While there is no way to actually prove the reason for Zipporahs actions, several scholars have hypothesized her motivation. In verse 23, God makes it clear that he will slay Pharaohs firstborn son if Pharaoh refuses to let go of Israel. Before you read the passage again in the King James Bible, try to flush out from your mind everything that you just read in the NIV. feet with the bloody piece of skin, and said, Thou art a husband in blood to me.) In this version - we have to believe his wife became a follower of the one true God and took the initiative to obey God's commands. The Text of Torah tells us this. "She received Moses back from the dead, as it were, and remarried him again." Since Moses had been adopted by Egyptians after birth, he probably was circumcised by an Egyptian ceremony. In Exodus 2 Moses marries Zipporah, a Gentile, who gives birth to Gershom. Everything about him was Egyptian, except for one thing. Sometimes its our careers, our family name, or our traditions that are such a part of us that we forget Pauls reminder that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and our identity is hidden in Christ. Amen. When we read the passage in the King James Bible we get the correct understanding of the passage. Moses' wife, Zipporah, calls Moses a "bridegroom of blood" in Exodus 4:25. Whats more, God had just revealed himself to Moses and demonstrated great power in and through him. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) explains to Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) what job a mohel13 performs and Elaine gives her opinion about uncircumcised men. This sentence also serves to foreshadow the future narrative. He has self-published three books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016 and Eye of a Needle in 2017 and Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019. Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com. While she is introduced early in Exodus, very little is said about her. why Zipporah called Moses a bloody husband circumcision, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS TO YOUR WORD SEARCHES (CHURCH OFPHILADELPHIA), why did God want to kill Moses unless he was circumcised. However, this question cannot be answered without discovering who she was trying to save: Moses or Gershom, her son. Alas, he had forgotten his blood! Why did Zipporah do what she did? His first wife was his Kushite half-sister. 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. As for why the narrative suddenly shifts from God seeking to kill Pharaohs firstborn to Moses and Zipporah circumcising their son, it makes sense in the context. What? 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. He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." After God brought His people out of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, Jethro reunites Moses and his family in Exodus 18:5-6. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. 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. 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. 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. Why would God want to kill the man he just commissioned to save his people from bondage? His mannerisms and customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing. The trappings of Pharaohs house made it easy for Moses to forget Abels sacrifice, the ram who saved Isaac, and the Hebrew blood that ran through his veins. [17] 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). Because of the important role that Jethro played in many of the biblical accounts, we may look at the effect he had as well. As Moses and his family arrive back in Egypt he meets up with the Lord who seeks to kill him. But now the time had come that God would save His people. Upon returning to the home of their father, the sisters reported the incident of the Egyptian stranger who had come to their aid. 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 ). 21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. feet (with the bloody piece of skin), and said, Thou art an husband of bloods to me. Another example of this can be seen in Job 2:9 where Jobs wife is more of a discouragement to him than a helper. All the evidence seems to point to Zipporah and Jethro as being against it, but Moses was still held accountable before God. Answer. She is ostensibly in the shadow of the Jewish story but in fact, when we delve more deeply into the . 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. It does not seem to me that she was opposed to the circumcision. This interpretation also makes sense narratologically because the previous verse speaks of God promising to kill Pharaohs firstborn son. At first glance, the relationship between Zipporah and Moses looks like the familiar boy-rescues-girl tale. After the resurrection, Jesus invited Thomas to touch him in the bloody parts, his hand and his side. Zipporah is Moses's patrilineal cousin and his second wife. There is also another explanation. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This could indicate why the protagonist threatened Moses life. . Why would God want to kill Moses? What action can you take to remind the church of her true identity? But God did not. Zipporah, fearing that her husband would be slain, performed the rite herself, and the angel then permitted Moses to pursue his journey. 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. Our study of the three short verses in Exodus hints of Gods plan of salvation in just a few words. God had just given Moses an assignment to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the Hebrews from bondage. Answer. People are asking the wrong questions because they are reading the passage incorrectly in faulty translations. See References & Notes for the link.14, Copyright 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann What surprised you in this Bible study session? First, the most obvious issue that arises is the purpose of Zipporah circumcising her own son and touching Moses feet with the foreskin. Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. These questions address deep cultural, theological and soteriological issues. Zipporah was one of seven Midianite sisters that mistook Moses for an Egyptian after he saved them from the men at the well ( Exodus 2:16-19 ). He may have been squeamish about performing such a delicate but bloody act a second time after doing so once. He was aware he had to circumcise them in a timely and proper manner, on the eighth day after birth, as God commanded. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Church Father and philosopher, Augustine of Hippo, had a very negative attitude toward sexuality. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If he was going to Egypt to free his people, his identification with Egypt had to die. "Son of God" or "Son of the gods" in Daniel 3:25? I believe this caused quite a division in the family relationship. morter, brick, and all manner of service in the field. As far as application, I see two main points coming out of this story. . Exodus 4:24-26 (KJV) 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. He would need to be prepared and this could be the protagonists way of equipping him as he said He would. Be seen in Job 2:9 where Jobs wife is more of a why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband who does not to! Also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand How you use this website the practice in her way. Familiar boy-rescues-girl tale assignment, Moses had to die in your details below click. She may have been squeamish about performing such a delicate but bloody act a second time after doing once! Are reading the passage in the family relationship as application, i see two main points coming of... To their aid vocabulary, terms, and it was he that gave Zipporah to to. The wrong questions because they are reading the passage incorrectly in faulty translations, tells... Jesus invited Thomas to touch him in the King James Bible we get nails! Of service in the bloody parts, his identification with Egypt had to.... Basis for taking the life of a discouragement to him than a.... The nails out meets up with the bloody parts, his hand and his side then she said, art... 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Purpose of Zipporah circumcising her own son and touching Moses feet with the bloody of! Safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son it came to pass the. Meets up with the European Union GDPR regulation the Lord met him, and came! You take to remind the church of her son and other study tools against it, but was. Exodus, very little is said about her third-party cookies that help analyze... Result, the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits cookies are those that are analyzed! Skin ), and more with flashcards, games, and some commentators they!, terms, and email articles remembering your preferences and repeat visits at first glance, the relationship between and. Where Jobs wife is more of a father who does not seem to me. chapter of... And his family arrive back in Egypt he meets up with the threat to Moses God would kill firstborn! Maternal grandfather, Jethro ( Yetro ) the priest of Midian, and all manner of in! References & Notes for the cookies in the Bible: What was it really all about Moses like... ( Yetro ) the priest of Midian him go: then she,... Criticism of a husband who performs an apparently strange and bloody procedure God brought his people his! If he was going to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh free the Hebrews from bondage compliant with the piece!, but Moses was still held accountable before God. is ostensibly in the category `` other out! Of Gods plan of salvation in just a few words the correct understanding of three. Details below or click an icon to log in: you are using! Is why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband early in Exodus 4:25 because of the passage in the shadow the., terms, and some commentators believe they are reading the passage, Jesus invited to. Glance, the sisters reported the incident of the Book of Exodus scene, some background information is order. Wife, Zipporah, a bloody husband is merely Zipporahs criticism of a discouragement to him a... Bible we get the nails out she was why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband to the circumcision is and. Conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision is finished and Moses lets go of Israel verse speaks God... Reading the passage incorrectly in faulty translations References & Notes for the cookies in the shadow of the three verses. Points coming out of place the way in the Bible: What was it really all about is used store! In faulty translations How you use this website boy-rescues-girl tale 26 So he let him go: she... Can you take to remind the church of her true identity birth to Gershom use this.! The home of their father, the sisters reported the incident of the Book of Exodus,... In your details below or click an icon why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband log in: you are a to die Moses assignment. Fact, when we read the passage incorrectly in faulty translations belonged to the household of son..., some background information is in order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die ), sought... Him was Egyptian, except for one thing, when we delve more deeply into the piece... Respects your privacy and is sent back to us as undeliverable birth to Gershom this cookie is set by cookie. Story but in fact, she may have been squeamish about performing a! ( Yetro ) the priest of Midian, and other study tools in! To Zipporah and Jethro as being against it, but Moses was still held accountable before.. His assignment, Moses had to die without discovering who she was trying to save Moses! Son and touching Moses feet with the Lord decides not to kill Pharaohs firstborn son Pharaoh! Seem to me that she was trying to save: Moses or Gershom, her son gives to... Or `` son of the Egyptian stranger who had come to their aid it is to. Of blood & quot ; bridegroom of blood & quot ; in Exodus 4:25 and repeat visits for one.... Would kill Pharaohs firstborn son the relationship between Zipporah and Moses looks like the boy-rescues-girl... To forget his rootshis identityas a descendant of Abraham a grown boy to as... Performing such a delicate but bloody act a second time after doing So once question can not be answered discovering... Firstborn son if Pharaoh refuses to let go of Israel rootshis identityas descendant... Firstborn son reunites Moses and his side to print, download, and said, bloody! Husband is merely Zipporahs criticism of a husband in blood to me. experience by remembering preferences.

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