In Exodus 2 Moses marries Zipporah, a Gentile, who gives birth to Gershom. 1)Why did God seek to kill Moses 2) or was is his son that the angel wanted to kill since the passage said "him" 3)why Zipporah called Moses "bloody husband" 4) why would an angel seek to kill an ordained messenger on his journey This is supported by a midrash (Jewish interpretation) in the Book of Jasher (Sepir Ha Yasher) 79:8-12 (which is not the authentic Book of Jasher mentioned in the Old Testament). God had the foreknowledge of Pharaohs refusal to let Israel go, so God was already prepared to seek the death of the firstborn son. 27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. But true Christians believe that Jesus Christ put an end to following all those laws about two thousand years ago, not because he eliminated them, but that he demonstrated it is the spirit of the law that must be obeyed and they could all be summed up quite easily. This is a Different Kind of Christian Educational Website. You can see our basic rules for comments by clicking The Fine Print on the top menu bar. Orange Is The New Black Season 8 Renewed Or Cancelled? On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. Why would God want to kill the man he just commissioned to save his people from bondage? 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. This is a little easier to explain the word feet is a euphemism for Moses genitals. Exactly why Moses had not circumcised his son is not stated in Scripture. As a result, the Lord decides not to kill Moses. Why did Zipporah do what she did? Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. She is a longtime student of the Word who brings dynamic and prophetic insights to her preaching, teaching, and pastoral life. Why do that? She had been given in marriage to the refuge Egyptian prince after he had shown kindness to his seven daughters. 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. 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. She felt that this was God's way of showing His. 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. If it was, she would not say he was a bloody husband because it would be an expectation that he should be circumcised. Write a prayer for the church encouraging her to remember her true identity in Christ. 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. 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. Moses' brother, Aaron, married a woman named Elisheba . Source: Anacalypsis (London: : Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, Paternoster Row) 1836 A.D. The name Gershom means foreigner. And it came to pass. (verse 24)), but there is no thematic break. Moses fears for the safety of his son because the son had not yet entered into a covenant relationship with God. Note: Page 604 of the source. The NIV and other translations that try to help the reader by replacing pronouns with names actually cause a stumbling block to the proper understanding of this passage. . (Genesis 24:2-3). 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. John 1:1 Does this Bible verse prove Jesus is God? Jethro takes her and both of Moses sons and go meet him to celebrate Israel leaving Egypt. Moses went to Jethro, his father in law, and asked him to let him go so he could go to his brothers in Egypt. What did Zipporah do to Moses? 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. A euphemism is an inoffensive expression which is substituted for one that is considered offensive,6 and it is a common technique used in the Hebrew language. 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. Also note that it says circumcisions plural. Takedown request | View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org. Why Note: Page 603 of the source. This passage is rather uneventful and straightforward if we read it properly. 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. Exodus 4:25-26 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. 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. After doing the needful for her son like that, she owned Moses. Ask Anything. Start studying Bible Bowl (Exodus Chapters 1-5). Description: In verses 25 and 26, Zipporah calls Moses a "bloody husband" because of his strange and bloody procedure of circumcision. She knew he would have been killed by God if their son, who may have been several months old or older, remained uncircumcised. This article is part of the She Is Called Women of the Bible Study Series Prayer Great I Am, light the path before us we pray. Besides, to surgically circumcise Moses, he would have been unable to travel for days.5. Zipporah was not a Hebrew woman, but a Midianite ( Exodus 2:16-22 [16] Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. Failure to meet Gods requirement would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3. A little bit of kindness and compassion on the part of Moses turns a casual meeting into a close relationship. . Remind us in you who we truly are and remind your church of the same. zipporah called moses her "bloody busband," as she threw her son's foreskin at his feet (exo. Everything seems to be going hunky-dory until Moses sees the burning bush and encounters the God of all Creation. It is like, as if Moses was forgetting something or he was being bullheaded by not complying with something important. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. 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. 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. What isnt immediately obvious in scripture is that Moses had two wives and Zipporah was the first. Exodus 4:24-26: "On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier is the Pastor of Mobilization and Renewal at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. The two boys were known as her sons. The Study Bible for Women says: "Zipporah performed the rite that Moses had neglected; circumcision was necessary to identify the son as a "son of Israel", a member of the covenant community". 1. See e-Sword notes below. She recently ended a 12-year tenure as lead pastor at Maple Avenue Ministries in Holland, Michigan. 21 The LORD said to Moses, When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. . 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. (LogOut/ Thank you for the explanation in simple terms. This could indicate why the protagonist threatened Moses life. This is the only time this Strong's For the people of Israel, this was no small thing. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Nedarim, fol. 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 . (Exodus 4:21-26). Moses was a murderer to Egyptians. 25 So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son's foreskin, and threw it at Moses' feet. Male circumcision has a special meaning in the Old Testament. Moses at this time was a fugitive from Egypt, where he had killed a man for abusing a Hebrew slave. The meaning is: The marriage bond between us is now sealed by blood. Though she at first had gone with Moses after he was called by God . Approach the text as if you are reading it for the first time. You are a bridegroom of blood, Zipporah declares as she tosses flesh at Mosess feet. How might these things have been allowed to trump your identity in Christ? Alas, he had forgotten his blood! The long donkey ride on the way to Egypt left Zipporah, Moses, and their two children wanting for a good nights rest. 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. As far as application, I see two main points coming out of this story. She, no doubt, witnessed the hesitation of Moses to act and decided to take matters into her own hands. They had two sons before Moses. Another example of this can be seen in Job 2:9 where Jobs wife is more of a discouragement to him than a helper. 4:25). The scripture says Zipporah touched his feet, with the foreskin. Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. 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. It is easy to print, download, and email articles. 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. PLEASE HELP us spread Bible truth by telling others about this website. The term bloody husband is merely Zipporahs criticism of a husband who performs an apparently strange and bloody procedure. 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. By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. The first concerns the meaning of the phrase bridegroom of blood which is mentioned twice in the excerpt. Rev. A bloody husband.Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. 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 supplied names seem to make it easier for the reader to follow the narrative. Zipporah had borne two sons to Moses, but he had failed to perform circumcision on his sons. 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. 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. Because of the important role that Jethro played in many of the biblical accounts, we may look at the effect he had as well. Holy Week drags us reluctantly down the bloody path to Golgotha. The scripture, after all, did not actually name Moses as who was to be killed; all it states is tried to kill him, (Exodus 4:24b). Just trying to dcide which book is my first to purchase. 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. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. There are things in the culture, in society, and in this world that naturally attach themselves to us and disguise our true identity. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. So He let him go. Her telling Moses he was a bloody husband because of the circumcision reveals that this was not a custom to her people to be circumcised. What surprised you in this Bible study session? He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a childrens book. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free John 8:32, (NIV). 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. Two verses before the excerpt provide Gods words for Pharaoh which warns of the plague that will kill each first-born son of families that do not adhere to the instructions of the protagonist. Zipporah, like most mothers, probably would have been so anxious about having to travel to Egypt with her children that by the time they made it to the inn, she was exhausted and just wanted to rest. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. The threat of death was not on Moses but on Pharaoh's son. Answer: Technically, no. Moses held him down so Zipporah had to do it, although she was disgusted with the whole . However, this question cannot be answered without discovering who she was trying to save: Moses or Gershom, her son. 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 standard explanation is that Moses had not circumcised his son, as Jehovah had ordered for all descendants of Abraham. But the problem is that these supplied names are incorrect. 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Zipporah and her six sisters were attending to their daily chores of drawing water and watering their fathers flock. Genesis 17:10 reads, This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17) Additionally, verse 14 in the same chapter states that every man who has not been circumcised will be cut off from his people. 2:16-22). In verses 25 and 26, Zipporah calls Moses a bloody husband because of his strange and bloody procedure of circumcision. And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? What were the names of the two Hebrew midwives? The custom in Egypt was associated with coming into manhood at about fourteen years of age and the entire foreskin was not removed. Zipporah was Moses's first wife in the Bible. --Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. 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.''. 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