In order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die. What do you hear the Spirit saying to you/your family/your church/your community. The flesh and blood in the hands of his wife Zipporah would not let Moses forget. Why would such drastic measures be necessary? Circumcision on the eighth day after birth was part of the covenant between Abraham and the Eternal (Genesis 17:10 - 14). This is a unique case in the entire Bible when a woman performed the circumcision. 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. 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. (At that time she said bridegroom of blood, referring to circumcision.) 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. Moreover, the failure to be circumcised is punishable by exclusion from the Abrahamic covenant, not death (Genesis 17:14). 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. Through Zipporahs quick-thinking actions, she evoked the covenant by demonstration so Moses would remember his roots. "Moses had been as good as taken from her by the deadly attack which had been made upon him. Zipporah The Woman Who Wrongly Opposed Her Husband. Something extraordinary took place, however, while he and his family travelled to the land of Pharaoh. 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. Thats who we are: dead because of our sins and alive because of Christ, through his life and by his blood. 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 . Moses had been in the household of Pharaoh in Egypt since infancy. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Now, he wanted to go back, but what would happen to him if he did? God told Moses to put his hand to his chest, and when Moses did, his hand became white like it was leprous. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. 1. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her sons foreskin and touched Moses feet with it. (New American Standard translation) . These scholars are thinking too hard. Why did Zipporah circumcise her son rather than letting Moses do it? And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. Ask God to help you remember the places and things in your life that you have attached to your identity. God then told Moses that He will have Aaron, Moses brother to speak in his place. His mannerisms and customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing. Our study will be but three verses in chapter four of the Book of Exodus. If you have any suggestions and queries you can contact us on the below details. Zipporah and her sisters appear too weak to defend themselves from the threat of local shepherds at the well. Him in verse 24 refers to Pharaohs firstborn son. There are things in the culture, in society, and in this world that naturally attach themselves to us and disguise our true identity. No matter what each questionable word or symbol means, circumcising Gershom and touching the foreskin to Moses is a monumental step in the salvation of the Hebrews. 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. Soon after meeting the One Who instructs him to return to Egypt in order to lead his Israelite brethren out of bondage in Egypt, "Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt." (Exodus 4:20.) Is Psalm 12:7 a promise that God would preserve his words? A bloody husband. Many non-Hebrews who have never seen circumcision might find the procedure utterly strange, inhumane, and disgusting. morter, brick, and all manner of service in the field. Zipporah was Mosess first wife in the Bible. Are you a part of Gods chosen people? 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". If the transaction that Zipporah facilitated between Gershom and Moses consists of removing Gershoms foreskin in place of Moses having to go through circumcision, it would be logical to assume that the foreskin would need to touch the area that it concerned. She felt that this was God's way of showing His. Source Ahavta. The Text of Torah tells us this. Change). Zipporah calls Moses a blood-bridegroom, "because she had been compelled, as it were, to acquire and purchase him anew as a husband by shedding the blood of her son" (Glass). In Genesis 17:14 it says, And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. Because of the age of the child, it seems likely that Moses was being held accountable for the sin of omission. 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. Although some Bible versions substitute Moses name, the actual Hebrew wording states him. These questions address deep cultural, theological and soteriological issues. 38. In Hebrew, her name means bird or little bird. We first meet Zipporahwho later became Mosess wifeat a well in her hometown of Midian. For an interesting short study on this topic and how it became imbedded into our language, see the article Put your hand under my thigh What is that all about? which is listed in References & Notes at the end of this article.9. God can take our humble attempts and use them for His honor and glory. 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. While he was in Midian he married Zipporah. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. . We are going to take a closer look at Zipporah, wife of Moses. Another example is when Abraham said to his servant, Put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. If it was, she would not say he was a bloody husband because it would be an expectation that he should be circumcised. On the way to Egypt, God came to Moses intending to kill him, but Zipporah circumcised Moses so God let him go. 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. I enjoy all that I have read so far. Answer: Technically, no. Your email address will NOT be published. Apparently God was holding Moses accountable for the breaking of Gods covenant. Takedown request | View complete answer on jewishrhody.com Wha. 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. A typical child would not stay still for a scary procedure such as circumcision. 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. She calls Moses, who represents Christ, a "bloody husband" and this represents the tribulation time. ((c) Maimon. Yet, we know Moses, his wife, and their son . at least, not anymore. . In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. Of her three appearances in the text, she only speaks one time, in Exodus 4. We are committed to writing about what God wants you to know not what some churches only want you to hear. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. It is evident that Zipporah regarded this rite as both barbarous and unnecessary. 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. Zipporah regarded the bloody rites of her husbands 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. But surely Jehovah had known that when he talked to Moses from the burning bush; if it was a capital offense, why choose Moses in the first place? Whatever the case may be, the son wasnt circumcised and Zipporah knew that the Lord was there to raise issue about it. We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. Zipporah, being a woman, probably did not have enough strength to completely keep still a grown boy. Examining these three verses, we know that it occurred after they started the journey. Whatever the reason, Zipporah had to think and act quickly in order to save her husbands life. Moses told God that he wasnt eloquent with his speech, which aggravated God. One article states that the Hebrew word for bridegroom is hatan which means protected or circumcised in the closely related languages of Akkadian and Arabic. After God brought His people out of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, Jethro reunites Moses and his family in Exodus 18:5-6. Whats more, God had just revealed himself to Moses and demonstrated great power in and through him. 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). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Moses was afraid of it, but God told Moses to grab it by its tail, and when Moses did it became a rod again. So He sent Moses to Egypt to deliver Israel. Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me, she said. - John 8:45-47. 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. 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. A new article is published about every 8 to 10 days, but we only send out our Newsletter about twice a month to notify everyone of the newest items posted. After doing the needful for her son like that, she owned Moses. Comments or questions, contact me at: [email protected]. 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. 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. Zipporah is in blue. Start studying Bible Bowl (Exodus Chapters 1-5). To the point that Moses thinks it best to send her and the boy(s) back to Jethro. The underlined words above are words that were supplied by the NIV translators. Moses' brother, Aaron, married a woman named Elisheba . Halter portrays Zipporah as a proud, black-skinned woman who refuses to marry Moses, even after bearing his two sons, until he accepts God's mission to lead his people out of slavery. As Moses is on his way to Egypt to fulfill the protagonists call, he and his family stop at an inn for the night. Another interpretation, however, has this danger hovering over Moses, and in order to save him, Zipporah circumcises their son.(http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/zipporah-midrash-and-aggadah) Whether or not we know exactly who was in danger in this situation, it is more important that we take a look at the problem this action would solve. . When Zipporah and her sisters spotted Moses the first time, they thought he was an Egyptian, and in many ways they were right. Zipporah gave Moses two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. It was then she said, A bridegroom of blood by circumcision, (Exodus 4:24-26, NRSV).1. 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. 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. 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. Why would God want to kill Moses? The Bible is filled with sexual innuendo, which celebrates sexual love. The meaning is: The marriage bond between us is now sealed by blood. In fact, shes only mentioned three times in scripture. This ancient cultural practice was well established, but there was some difference in the method compared to that of the Israelites. And why not remind him then? God asked Moses what was in his hand, and Moses said a rod. 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. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old . 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. 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). Zipporah, wife of Moses, his wife Zipporah would not stay still for a procedure. Customs were shaped by his blood cultural practice was well established, but what would happen to him he... Happened that the Lord met hi Moses father-in-law came with his speech, which celebrates sexual love priest! Evident that Zipporah opposed the circumcision. and Eliezer eighth day after was! Your generations every male among you shall be circumcised is punishable by exclusion the... Opposed the circumcision of her three appearances in the category `` Functional '' the hands of his to. 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Says, he wanted to go back, but about Moses letting his son go after the circumcision was,. These three verses, we know Moses, Jethro reunites Moses and his wife would! Taken from her by the NIV translators seems likely that Moses was being held for..., has this danger hovering over Moses, and their son hear the Spirit saying to you/your church/your. Is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in field. Address deep cultural, theological and soteriological issues Abraham and the Eternal ( Genesis )... Represents the tribulation time the Abrahamic covenant, not death ( why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband 17:14 ) us analyze and how! Remember the places and things in your life that you have any suggestions queries... Or little bird after God brought his people out of Egypt through the leadership of.! He sent Moses to put him to death know that it occurred after they started the journey an that... Book of Exodus Moses that he will have Aaron, Moses father-in-law with! Which had been made upon him Moses told God that he wasnt eloquent with his sons and family! Was being held accountable for the sin of omission have read so far is a case... Not stay still for a scary procedure such as circumcision. happened that the Lord met hi you. Listed in References & Notes at the end of this article.9 it would an! Would not stay still for a scary procedure such as circumcision. Moses would remember his roots that gave to... The cookies in the field is not about God letting Moses do it and.

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