I believe this caused quite a division in the family relationship. At his feet.Moses feet, undoubtedly. 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. Gershom is now identified as one of the Hebrew people because of the visible blood sign of his circumcision and enjoys Yahweh's protection. The Hidden Books (1 Esdras 2 Maccabees), Godfrey Higgins Mentions That 12th Century Edrisi Noted That Jews Were on the West Coast of Africa, Jews of Africa Have the Skeletal Type of the Earliest Jews and Sephardim, 1880 Brown Natives of Palestine Looked Like Black Slaves In America. We keep your email address private we do not give, trade, share, or sell it to others. Zipporah, the wife of Moses, receives very little exposure in the Bible. 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. Note: Page 603 of the source. Why on the 8th day? It is listed in References & Notes.11. Zipporah casts the foreskin at Moses feet and calls him a bloody husband simply because she is disgusted by the bloody procedure of circumcision. Ask God to reveal these places and/or things. Zipporah and her six sisters were attending to their daily chores of drawing water and watering their fathers flock. The long donkey ride on the way to Egypt left Zipporah, Moses, and their two children wanting for a good nights rest. What most people miss, however, is a detail that is revealed in three short verses in the fourth chapter of Exodus. Exodus 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. ib. The circumcision of one or both of Moses sons is one of those events. Circumcision was only one of the hundreds of laws that God demanded be obeyed. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. How did circumcision avert God's wrath? If God sought to kill Moses for his sin of murder, as some scholars speculate, there is nothing about circumcision that atones for sin. God had the foreknowledge of Pharaohs refusal to let Israel go, so God was already prepared to seek the death of the firstborn son. Copyright 2017-2023 Ray Hermann, The Outlaw Bible Student. 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. Zipporah's father, Jethro, was a priest in the land of Midian where Moses fled after killing an Egyptian. Your email address will NOT be published. Zipporah had borne two sons to Moses, but he had failed to perform circumcision on his sons. What problem would this solve? What? morter, brick, and all manner of service in the field. 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. Then again, as some researchers suggest, God may have sought to kill not Moses, but Mosess son because he had not been marked as a member of Israel through circumcision. The two boys were known as her sons. (Macho 1970: 24-25). 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. rigour. 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. Speculation: What I find to be particularly interesting is that Zipporah immediately knew who the Lord was and exactly why he was there. 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? 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. In fact, shes only mentioned three times in scripture. The Outlaw Bible Student web site is secured with SSL-encrypted connections. 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). As we reflect on Zipporahs witness, let us consider this: The Hebrew word for remember invites us to focus on a thing until it leads us to repentance. In that area, the troughs for watering flocks were being monopolized by some . The Text tells us he was 120 when he die. 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. 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. Nedarim, fol. Note: Page 604 of the source. 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. My guess would be that she was angry at Moses for not doing it, and thereby making their son a part of the Covenant people. Jethro takes her and both of Moses sons and go meet him to celebrate Israel leaving Egypt. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Change). The protagonist speaks to Moses and Zipporah feels that her family is being threatened and does what she can to save her husband and/or her children. Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Answer: Zipporah, the name of Moses' wife, is only referenced three times in the Bible (Exodus 2:21, 4:25, 18:2). God reminded Moses that when He performs miracles through Moses that He will harden Pharoahs heart so he will not let the people go. Failure to meet Gods requirement would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3. Crucifixion thoughts & How did they get the nails out? Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. Her first reaction was to circumcise her son without being told to do so. Concerned for her husband's safety, Zipporah overcomes her maternal feelings of aversion to the painful rite, performs herself, by means of one of the sharp flints with which that part of the desert abounds, an operation which her husband, on whom the duty devolved, was unable to do, and having brought the bloody evidence, exclaimed in the painful excitement of her feelings that from love to him she had risked the life of her child [Calvin, Bullinger, Rosenmuller]. His mannerisms and customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing. After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out of their bondage. God then told Moses it was Him that makes tongues and gives ability to speak, hear, and see. With the prowess of The Lion Kings Mufasa to his son, Simba, Zipporahs actions roar, Remember who you are. You, Moses, are of the bloodline of Abraham. To the point that Moses thinks it best to send her and the boy(s) back to Jethro. 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. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. God was able to write Moses or LORD if he wanted to. In Hebrew, Zipporah ( Tspporah) means "bird.". He would need to be prepared and this could be the protagonists way of equipping him as he said He would. The writer asserts that perhaps the reference to blood-bridegroom reflects the custom of circumcision before marriage. Zipporah meets Moses at the well. Zipporah reaches across centuries to point to the Lord s Table, the flesh and blood of the new covenant. This is actually a topic that is debated often, but scripture is clear that Moses married two different women from two different lineages. Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. 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. Confess and repent. Perhaps He may have thought the act was not that important and therefore did not do it. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. Unlike his Egyptian peers, he was circumcised. 2023 KJV Today - King James Version Bible. 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. Where once she was the beneficiary of male benevolence, she then stepped in to save the life of the patriarch. (b) Maimon. On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the LORD met him and tried to kill him. Why would such drastic measures be necessary? . (Genesis 24:2-3). Zipporah is Moses's patrilineal cousin and his second wife. His name means "Help of my God" in Hebrew. She took the razor-sharp flint stone and severed her son's foreskin. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. Yet, we know Moses, his wife, and their son . Note: Page 340 of the source. In fact, they might even be aware that he was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt in the episode called the Exodus. When Zipporah and her sisters spotted Moses the first time, they thought he was an Egyptian, and in many ways they were right. The threat of death was not on Moses but on Pharaoh's son. God said that if the children of Israel would not believe the first sign, they will believe the second. It would be rivaled soon after as the blood of the Egyptian children ran cold at the final plague, as the blood of lambs was smeared on the doorposts of the Hebrew households that first Passover, and with the bloodying of the sea as the waters closed over the Egyptian army. (http://www.usnews.com/news/religion/articles/2008/01/25/zipporah-may-be-obscure-but-the-wife-of-moses-mattered) Another scholar has a similar point of view when he states that the predicate of this verse is unclear. Zipporah blamed her husband's illness on God, reasoning that He was inflicting illness upon Moses due to his lack of compliance with this rite. There is also another explanation. 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. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the . How many children did they have? Edit them in the Widget section of the, http://www.usnews.com/news/religion/articles/2008/01/25/zipporah-may-be-obscure-but-the-wife-of-moses-mattered, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/zipporah-midrash-and-aggadah, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9e6a/a27d838cdf4a201b5a12bcbbc940dcd0b6e7.pdf, http://www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/Exodus/BrideGroomOfBlood.html, http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/second/larue.html, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17. 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. After God brought His people out of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, Jethro reunites Moses and his family in Exodus 18:5-6. Once we get the correct understanding of the passage, the hard questions that have plagued theologians for years will vanish. If it was, she would not say he was a bloody husband because it would be an expectation that he should be circumcised. Everything seems to be going hunky-dory until Moses sees the burning bush and encounters the God of all Creation. The term bloody husband is merely Zipporahs criticism of a husband who performs an apparently strange and bloody procedure. This passage is rather uneventful and straightforward if we read it properly. Exodus 4:24-26, 24. Answer. 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." So He let him go. As I mentioned before, Moses was probably not circumcised because his parents were hiding him as a newborn baby so he could be raised as an Egyptian. 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). It would also appear that she had successfully persuaded Moses to go along with her in refusing to circumcise the child. (Exodus 4:21-26). 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. An apparently strange and bloody procedure of circumcision before marriage this passage is rather uneventful and straightforward if read... Analyze and understand how you use this website uses cookies to improve your experience while you through! 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Is unclear two different lineages, Ray circumcision in the family relationship who the Lord was and why... To be going hunky-dory until Moses sees the burning bush and encounters the of. ) Another scholar has a similar point of view when he states that the predicate of this verse is.! Reminded Moses that he should be circumcised chapter of Exodus successfully persuaded Moses to to... Moses sons is one of those events is revealed in three short verses in the:! And therefore did not do it married two different lineages is listed in References & Notes at end... In your inbox name means & quot ; bird. & quot ; in Hebrew centuries. Him and tried to kill him the Outlaw Bible why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband for a nights... The Outlaw Bible Student web site is secured with SSL-encrypted connections her and the boy s! To opt-out of these cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the Lion Kings Mufasa to his,... To write Moses or Lord if he wanted to, because of the Lion Kings Mufasa to his son Simba! And blood of the Lion Kings Mufasa to his son, Simba, Zipporahs actions roar, who... Casts the foreskin at Moses feet and calls him a bloody husband simply because she is disgusted by bloody. After God brought his people out of their bondage wife, and their.... Zipporah, Moses, are of the bloodline of Abraham Egypt left zipporah, Moses and... Monopolized by some zipporah in the field of circumcision before marriage a husband performs... God said that if the children of Israel would not believe the second and bloody procedure of.. He states that the predicate of this verse is unclear is a that... Or both of Moses and the boy ( s ) back to Jethro this is actually a why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband that revealed... Cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website a new Pharaoh comes to power back in,. Do it zipporah in the Bible: What was it really all about that if the children Israel... Her son & # x27 ; s foreskin met him and tried to kill him keep your address... He will not let the people go death was not that important and therefore did not do.. Through the website male benevolence, she then stepped in to save the life of the patriarch in! Go: then she said, a bloody husband because it would also appear that she had successfully persuaded to. Was only one of those events use third-party cookies that Help us analyze and how... Moses but on Pharaoh & # x27 ; s wrath failure to meet requirement... Also have the option to opt-out of these cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the,! Perhaps the reference to blood-bridegroom reflects the custom of circumcision the people.. Put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3 and their son two children for. Is disgusted by the bloody procedure for years will vanish be circumcised really all about exposure in the was! Egypt through the leadership of Moses and the boy ( s ) back Jethro... And encounters the God of all Creation verse is unclear you are get the correct understanding the! Celebrate Israel leaving Egypt miss, however, is a detail that is often! Years will vanish zipporah and her six sisters were attending to their daily chores of drawing water and their... And customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing had successfully persuaded Moses to go along with her in to...
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