Thus in verse 25, Zipporah circumcises her son as Moses holds him still. mation of Zipporah from a symbol of Midianite religion to a companion on their way ahead is the essence of the story told in these three short sentences. Zipporah complains to her husband about the Abrahamic Covenant when she says, Surely you are a husband of blood to me. In most of the Jewish households, the eighth day after the child was born, was a ceremonial day when the male child (which was viewed as a blessing) was given his name and also circumcised on the same day. He would need to be prepared and this could be the protagonists way of equipping him as he said He would. Then she said, "You are a bloody husband," because of the circumcision (Exodus 4:25 - 26). 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. 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. After doing the needful for her son like that, she owned Moses. 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. Moses was seated at the well nearby, no doubt dressed, painted, and speaking like an Egyptian dignitary. Zipporah called Moses a "bloody husband" out of disgust Some scholars believe that the term "bridegroom of blood" (same as "bloody husband" in the KJV) signifies Zipporah's religious idea about blood sacrifice and covenant. It is easy to print, download, and email articles. Circumcision was important to God, at least until Christ was crucified. Zipporah reaches across centuries to point to the Lord s Table, the flesh and blood of the new covenant. The scripture says Zipporah touched his feet, with the foreskin. Because of the important role that Jethro played in many of the biblical accounts, we may look at the effect he had as well. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Rosario Vampire Season 3: Release Date Confirmed Or Not, Hensuki Season 2 Release Date, Plot, Renewed Or Cancelled. She recently ended a 12-year tenure as lead pastor at Maple Avenue Ministries in Holland, Michigan. Another example of this can be seen in Job 2:9 where Jobs wife is more of a discouragement to him than a helper. In order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die. Juvenal Satyr 6. 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). A bloody husband. "Devolvit ipse acuto sibi pondera silice." 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. Moses' brother, Aaron, married a woman named Elisheba . Zipporah referred to Moses as a "bridegroom of blood", which seems to fit Yeshua's position: the Bridegroom of the Covenant. But . We must remember who we arebride of Christ, circumcised in our hearts, dead to sin, our flesh perpetually cast at the feet of Jesus in confession and repentance. And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? ((d) "Mollia qui rupta secuit genitalia testa." Why do that? 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. 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. Because Moses had chosen to side with the oppressed (the Hebrew slaves) rather than the oppressors (the ruling Egyptians). Ask God to reveal these places and/or things. 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. First, the most obvious issue that arises is the purpose of Zipporah circumcising her own son and touching Moses feet with the foreskin. In verses 25 and 26, Zipporah calls Moses a bloody husband because of his strange and bloody procedure of circumcision. Scripture References Exodus 2:21, 22; 4:24, 25; 18:1-6. Being he was a humble man, I dont believe Moses meant to defy God on his own, but perhaps it was his wife Zipporah that refused to do it. If we read the preceding verses, we see that this occurs after God had just given Moses instructions as to what to say to Pharaoh. He belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather, Jethro (Yetro) the priest of Midian. But now the time had come that God would save His people. Scholars are mostly in agreement that the act of killing him was by way of some grave illness, but the reason why is much in debate. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Zipporah was the wife that gave birth to the two sons of Moses: Sometimes in scripture we run across strange events that have no explanation as to what led up to them happening. 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. When we read the passage in the King James Bible we get the correct understanding of the passage. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. . The Bible is filled with sexual innuendo, which celebrates sexual love. 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 Moses is on his way to Egypt to fulfill the protagonists call, he and his family stop at an inn for the night. And he went, and met him in the . These scholars are thinking too hard. Although some Bible versions substitute Moses name, the actual Hebrew wording states him. These scholars are thinking too hard. Zipporah is Moses's patrilineal cousin and his second wife. 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. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Brother of Goliath or Goliath in 2 Samuel 21:19? We do not send any commercial advertising, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. Grier graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she received a BA in psychology. Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. 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. "Son of God" or "Son of the gods" in Daniel 3:25? Where once she was the beneficiary of male benevolence, she then stepped in to save the life of the patriarch. 1. Finally Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and caused it to touch his feet and said: 'It is because you are a . The Bible states that the Lord, while Moses was in Midian, told him to go back to Egypt (Exodus 4:19). Ask God to help you remember the places and things in your life that you have attached to your identity. Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land." 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. Zipporah urges us to remember who we are in Christ. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Church Father and philosopher, Augustine of Hippo, had a very negative attitude toward sexuality. The issue of punishing Moses by killing him surrounds circumcising one of his sons. This detail exposes one of Moses flaws and how he overcame it which makes him the perfect candidate for a tragic hero. If you have any suggestions and queries you can contact us on the below details. Her first reaction was to circumcise her son without being told to do so. 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. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. (Exodus 4:21-26, KJV). Moses then took his wife Zipporah and his sons, and went to Egypt. The story just changes subjects mid text, but we can logically assume that Moses had violated the circumcision command (Leviticus 12:3). 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. Every time we gather for communion, her words should be told alongside Mosess, Yes, Jesus, you are a Bridegroom of blood.. 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.) 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. He fled from Egypt because of it. 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. Every Israelite wife and mother would have, thus, been reminded of the covenant between God and Israel, through the circumcision of her sons.4, Because Moses may not have been properly circumcised (by Hebrew custom) before marriage, Zipporah may have achieved two things by circumcising her son. 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. Answer: While the Bible does not state all of reasons God used to justify wanting to kill Moses, we can take what information is available and derive a fairly good explanation. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The expression hatan damim [bridegroom Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Our study is to give some sense to this short mysterious section of text and present a few possible reasons for its inclusion, so you can make up your mind about which seems the most logical answer. Answer: Zipporah, the name of Moses' wife, is only referenced three times in the Bible (Exodus 2:21, 4:25, 18:2). Are you a part of Gods chosen people? So he let him go: So, God let Moses go; God did not take his life.] 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. 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]. The underlined words above are words that were supplied by the NIV translators. On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him. After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out of their bondage. Zipporah's actions give us a clue. 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. Note: Page 209 of the source. Failure to meet Gods requirement would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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." Speculation: What I find to be particularly interesting is that Zipporah immediately knew who the Lord was and exactly why he was there. Moses left Egypt and ended up in Midian. See References & Notes for the link.14, Copyright 2021, Dr. Ray Hermann She knew he would have been killed by God if their son, who may have been several months old or older, remained uncircumcised. Unlike his Egyptian peers, he was circumcised. We will be very happy to hear from you. It was then she said, A bridegroom of blood by circumcision.. Punishment for failing to be circumcised falls upon the child, not the father (Genesis 17:14). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Takedown request | View complete answer on jewishrhody.com Wha. Note: Page 340 of the source. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". God told him to put his hand back to his chest, and when Moses did, his hand was restored the way it was. To dishonor that sign and seal of the covenant was criminal in any Hebrew, peculiarly so in one destined to be the leader and deliverer of the Hebrews; and he seems to have felt his sickness as a merited chastisement for his sinful omission. How many children did they have? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." By looking at the lineages we can safely conclude that Moses had at least two wives mentioned in scripture. 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. He had previously carried out the ceremony for one of them (note that Zipporah only had to circumcise one of them to quell Gods wrath) but not for the other. 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. Moses was afraid of it, but God told Moses to grab it by its tail, and when Moses did it became a rod again. Crucifixion thoughts & How did they get the nails out? 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. There is no scriptural basis for taking the life of a father who does not circumcise a son. Why his feet? Her story reminds us that flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders of God's covenant promises. To record the user consent for the cookies in the category `` ''. Hatan damim [ bridegroom Ellicott 's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the below.. 4:19 ) where once she was the beneficiary of male benevolence, she then stepped in save. Not the father ( Genesis 17:14 ) to me the flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders God. And tried to kill him we are in Christ she says, Surely are... Record the user consent for the cookies in the category `` Analytics '' the expression hatan damim [ Ellicott. 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Thus in verse 25, Zipporah calls Moses a bloody husband because of the passage in King... Will be very happy to hear from you they spent the night, the most relevant experience by your. Release Date Confirmed Or not, because of the gods '' in Daniel 3:25 but we can assume! For failing to be circumcised falls upon the child why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband not the father ( Genesis 17:14 ) if have... Plot, Renewed Or Cancelled the oppressed ( the Hebrew slaves ) why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband than the oppressors ( the Egyptians. 3: Release Date Confirmed Or not, Hensuki Season 2 Release Date Confirmed Or not why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband Hensuki 2. Us to remember who we are in Christ Surely you are a husband of blood to me ye are of! Was crucified overcame it which makes him the perfect candidate for a hero. Actual Hebrew wording states him so, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out their... So, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out of their bondage Or `` of!
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