Can anyone explain this bible passage to me?

Question

Exodus 4:24-26. God has just shown Moses that he can turn a rod into a snake, ordered him to do some miracles for Pharaoh, and sent him off to Egypt. Also, Zipporah is Moses' wife.

"At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said 'bridegroom of blood,' referring to circumcision.)" [NIV]

Of course, there is no information as to why God suddenly wants to kill Moses, or why rubbing a foreskin on your feet will save you from God's wrath, or what exactly "bridegroom of blood" means.

What is the meaning of this story? It doesn't seem to make any sense. Furthermore, I discovered it on my own and have never heard anyone refer to it, and all seem to be unfamiliar with it.

Answer 1

It was because he had failed to circumcise his son according to the commandment given to Abraham and all his descendants.
(see Genesis 17:9ff)
The context suggests he bowed to the wishes of his wife who probably thought the practice cruel and opposed it.

Answer 2

Part of the covenant that God made with Abraham (over 400 years before the time of Moses) was that every male child was to be circumcised. Moses, during the forty years he was in exile, had meet and married a non-Jewish woman. While the Bible does not say specifically why, Moses had not circumcised his son. Based on what is said in verse 24, it was because Moses' wife, not being Jewish, had object. Rather then obey God, Moses had given in to his wife.

As Moses is head back to Egypt to free the people, it appears that God came and talked to Moses about circumcising his son, and Moses refused. Because of this, the covenant between God and Moses would have been broken and Moses unable to be used to free the people. This placed him in danger of being punished (slain) by God for his disobedience.

When Zipporah, the wife of Moses, sees what it happening, she grabs a knife, performs the circumcism (which is done by cutting off the child's foreskin). She then tossed it at Moses' feet, and blamed him for the "bloody mess" he had caused. She may have performed the act, but it appears her heart was not really in it and she was still angry with him and cursing him for it.

With the circumcism complete, Moses was again in covenant with God and able to be used to deliver the people.

Answer 3

The sin of Moses is not stated explicitly, but the surrounding events give substantial clues as to the nature of Moses’ transgression. God had instructed his messenger to warn Pharaoh to free Israel, or risk losing his firstborn son (Exodus 4:21-24). Moses had been specially groomed by God for eighty years for this mission, and now the time for action had come. Moses was to lead his people out of Egypt, and to be an example to Pharaoh’s house, to the nation of Egypt, and to all the nations that heard of those happenings (Exodus 18:10-11; Joshua 2:10-11). Accordingly, Moses’ personal life had to be in order before he could direct the spiritual lives of the Hebrew people. It seems that Moses had neglected to administer the sacred rite of circumcision, the act that symbolized the Almighty’s covenant with His chosen people. Perhaps this was the result of pressure from his surrogate Midianite tribe; more likely he was persuaded by Zipporah not to circumcise his son, since she apparently found the practice revolting (4:25). This would explain her violent outburst; she felt that she had saved her husband from death by shedding the blood of her son. Whatever the cause, Moses’ outstanding sin made him unfit to serve as a spiritual leader, and the situation had to be rectified before he could carry out his mission effectively. Indeed, as soon as Zipporah performed the act, the Lord “let him go.”
...

Answer 4

:24 lodging place. Perhaps near water, where travelers could spend the night. The LORD. . . was about to kill him. Evidently because Moses had failed to circumcise his son (see Ge 17:9-14).

4:25 Zipporah . . . cut off her son's foreskin. Sensing that divine displeasure had threatened Moses' life, she quickly performed the circumcision on their young son. flint knife. Continued to be used for circumcision long after metal was introduced, probably because flint knives were sharper than the metal instruments available and thus more efficient for the surgical procedure (see Jos 5:2 and note). feet. Probably a euphemism for "genitals," as in Dt 28:57 ("womb," lit. "feet")

Hope this helps

Answer 5

This is one of the old testament passages that dramatically illustrates how serious God is about obedience. The law of God ordered all israelites to be circumcised. But, even Moses had not obeyed God in this way. This passage demonstrates that even though God had called Moses to be his representative, he was not exempt from obedience. As far as the "bridegroom of blood" business, I personally think this is a bit of temper on the part of Zipporah. Sort of a "look what you made me do" kind of statement.

Answer 6

This passage is difficult to understand but I believe that because Moses almost lost his life here because he refused to do as God commanded with the circumcision. It seems that Zipporah did what her husband didnt do probably because she didnt want to lose Moses and when she said "bridegroom of blood" it could either be an expression of anger or one of faith. In the old testament life was kept save only through the shedding of blood. I hope this helps..God bless

Answer 7

Moses had not circumcised his son, thus breaking the law.

Exd 4:24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

Exd 4:25 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.

Zipporah didn't understand the circumcision next vs.

Exd 4:26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision
- - -

Exd 7:10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Exd 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

Pharaoh is a type of Antichrist. All the wise men, sorcerers, magicians are the religious community.

Exd 7:12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

"Aaron's ron swallowed up their rods."

Who is the serpent? Its (Rev 12:9) satan the antichrist. When he comes, he will cause all the religions of the world to be one religion and worship him.

Answer 8

God was about to kill Moses because Moses had not circumcised his son. Why hadn't Mosen done this? Remember that Moses had spent half his life in Pharaoh's palace and half his life in the Midianite desert. He might not have been too famililiar with God's laws, especially since all the requirements of God's covenant with Israel (Genesis 17) had not been actively carried out for over 400 years. In addition, Moses' wife due to her Midianite background, may have opposed circumcision. But, Moses could not effectively serve as deliverer of Gods people until he had fulfilled the conditions of Gods covenant, and one of those conditions was circumcision. Before they could go any farther, Moses and his family had to follow Gods commands completely. Under old testament law, failing to circumcise your son was to remove yourself and your family from Gods blessings. Moses learned that disobeying God was even more dangerous than tangling with an Egyptian pharoah.

Answer 9

God had already ordered Moses to covenant with Him by way of circumcision - it was the sign and seal of their covenant. He was to circumcise ALL males in his household, no exceptions. His son had not been circumcised, so Moses was in danger of violating the covenant. When Zipporah followed through and did it, God saw the obedience and forbear to kill Moses. This makes me wonder if the fact that this happened was due to an argument between Moses and his wife since she was plainly angry with Moses.

Hope this helps.
Tom

Answer 10

Moses was in violation of the law which he was to up hold. Many preacher today are in violation of the word of God, they too will find themselves in same shape, if they are not careful. God expects his people to do what is right regardless. Moses wife actually saved Moses life by obeying the law. Moses learned a hard lesson. And this is why I say judgment is on the way to America. When Jesus left he required his people to use right judgment and they have failed. When Jesus return so will the judgment.

Answer 11

It seems that it was the child’s life that was in danger in view of what the law of circumcision states at Genesis 17:14; that Zipporah circumcised the child because she realized what was needed to set matters right; that she cast the foreskin at the feet of the angel who was threatening the child’s life to demonstrate her compliance with Jehovah’s law; that Zipporah addressed Jehovah through his representative angel when she exclaimed, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me,” doing so to show her acceptance of a wifely position in the circumcision covenant with Jehovah as the husband.