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. When we read the passage in the King James Bible we get the correct understanding of the passage. Him in verse 24 refers to Pharaohs firstborn son. 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. Jesus changed the law with a single word: love.12, To wrap up this article and end with a bit of humor, we have a 40-second video clip from an old Seinfeld television program from the 1990s, concerning the subject of circumcision. What did the Egyptians make the children of Israel serve with? Zipporah urges us to remember who we are in Christ. 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. What is the significance of being left-handed as Ehud was inJudges. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Moses became a shepherd and dwelt with Jethro. Zipporah in the Bible was the wife of Moses and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. 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. His mannerisms and customs were shaped by his Egyptian upbringing. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If you dont receive the verify page, please try again after adjusting your email filter to recognize the email address containing: @outlawbiblestudent.org. Zipporah's father, Jethro, was a priest in the land of Midian where Moses fled after killing an Egyptian. 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 . 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. These speculative answers flirt with unscriptural principles. Romance, Passionate Love, Sexual Pleasures: What Does the Bible Say?. 26. Moreover, the failure to be circumcised is punishable by exclusion from the Abrahamic covenant, not death (Genesis 17:14). One scholar, named John Durham, hypothesizes that Zipporahs only option to save her family was to circumcise her son and touch Moses with the foreskin to transfer the effects of the rite to Moses. (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9e6a/a27d838cdf4a201b5a12bcbbc940dcd0b6e7.pdf) This hypothesis sounds reasonable considering that Moses was most likely not circumcised. This is a unique case in the entire Bible when a woman performed the circumcision. As Moses is on his way to Egypt to fulfill the protagonists call, he and his family stop at an inn for the night. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. God was able to write Moses or LORD if he wanted to. ib. Thats who we are: dead because of our sins and alive because of Christ, through his life and by his blood. (m) This act was extraordinary: for Moses was very sick and God even then required it. In fact, she may have discouraged the practice in her own way. A new section begins from verse 25. Zipporah and her six sisters were attending to their daily chores of drawing water and watering their fathers flock. Change). 22 Then say to Pharaoh, This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, Let my son go, so he may worship me. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son. These people he was going to save were his own people, Gods chosen people by blood. Just click the proper button at the end of each article. Exodus 4:25 (WYC) Zipporah took anon a most sharp stone, and circumcised the rod of her son; and she touched Moses? Moses' wife, Zipporah, calls Moses a "bridegroom of blood" in Exodus 4:25. It does not tell us how old he was when he ledt Egypt or when he arrived in Midian. She felt that this was God's way of showing His. God had the foreknowledge of Pharaohs refusal to let Israel go, so God was already prepared to seek the death of the firstborn son. Interestingly, the modern English terms testify and testimony originated from this use. 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. Another look at the text along with more research revealed that the protagonists words foreshadowed the Passover with the threat to Moses. 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. 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. Wait. See Exodus 2:11 4:31 for the Bible story. We will be very happy to hear from you. ((c) Maimon. (Exodus 4:21-26). 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. On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. It was then she said, A bridegroom of blood by circumcision, (Exodus 4:24-26, NRSV).1. What surprised you in this Bible study session? Lastly, one final question that I asked as I read the passage was what the situation symbolizes in relation to the entire text. This is a Different Kind of Christian Educational Website. She greatly disliked this rite but executed it in a successful attempt to spare Moses' life. 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 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. Zipporah's actions give us a clue. Listed on Blogspots John 1:1 Does this Bible verse prove Jesus is God? Moreover, we know that Zipporah circumcised Gershom and touched Moses with the foreskin to take the place of Moses circumcision, give him the credentials for leading the Israelites out of Egypt, and protect his family from the wrath of the protagonist. Many non-Hebrews who have never seen circumcision might find the procedure utterly strange, inhumane, and disgusting. So He let him go. The narrative begins with a picture of Zipporah circumcising her son. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. However, among the Hebrews, circumcision included removal of the full foreskin and that happened on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17:114; 21:4) and the ceremony would naturally have involved the childs mother. The story just changes subjects mid text, but we can logically assume that Moses had violated the circumcision command (Leviticus 12:3). 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). Which of you convinceth me of sin? Moses becomes her "bridegroom," her newly-acquired husband, because they both were culturally new persons. Thus in verse 25, Zipporah circumcises her son as Moses holds him still. Zipporah The Woman Who Wrongly Opposed Her Husband. From the material I have read, it looks like Zipporah put some pressure on her hubby not to circumcise the boy. The original Hebrew only has pronouns such as he and him in those places. 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. 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 ). It was on his way back to Egypt that the event described in the text took place. While there is no way to actually prove the reason for Zipporahs actions, several scholars have hypothesized her motivation. The Text tells us he was 120 when he die. This has to be the bloodiest scene in the book of Exodus since the massacre of Hebrew male children in chapter 1. If he was going to Egypt to free his people, his identification with Egypt had to die. Approach the text as if you are reading it for the first time. Shulchan Aruch, par. A bloody husband - Literally, "a husband of blood," or "bloods." Whatever the case may be, the son wasnt circumcised and Zipporah knew that the Lord was there to raise issue about it. Imagine the situation. 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. It is like, as if Moses was forgetting something or he was being bullheaded by not complying with something important. (http://www.egrc.net/articles/Rock/Exodus/BrideGroomOfBlood.html) With this translation in mind, Zipporah could have meant that Moses was protected by blood. We keep your email address private we do not give, trade, share, or sell it to others. He fled from Egypt because of it. God bless us all! Zipporah is in blue. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. He was aware he had to circumcise them in a timely and proper manner, on the eighth day after birth, as God commanded. 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. Thus verse 24 belongs together in the same episode as that of verse 23. When local shepherds drove the sisters away from the well in an act of gender-based violence, Moses rose to their defense and he watered their fathers flocks. 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. Zipporah only appears three times in Scripture: the first time at the well (Exodus 2), the second time while on the journey to Egypt (Exodus 4), and finally in the wilderness when Moses met her father Jethro who was accompanied by Zipporah and her sons (Exodus 18). Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. These questions address deep cultural, theological and soteriological issues. 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? For the people of Israel, this was no small thing. 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. We will be stored in your browser only with your consent about it is! Put him to death said, a bridegroom of blood & quot ; bridegroom, & ;! Their fathers flock address private we do not give, trade, share, or sell to. 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