Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Zipporah's declaration, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" isn't just an angry outburst; it's a sharp, almost bitter acknowledgment that her husband's identity and their marriage are now inextricably bound to this violent, covenantal shedding of blood. By touching Moses' feet with the foreskin, she’s essentially tying him to the ritual, declaring that his life has been redeemed and their union reaffirmed by this deeply primal act.
Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Moses is about to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites, God confronts him in an inn, appearing ready to kill him. Zipporah, realizing this divine wrath is due to their son's uncircumcision, circumcises their child with a flint, saving Moses' life. This act is followed by Aaron being sent to meet Moses, and together they gather the elders of Israel to announce God's intention to deliver them.
The Lord "met" Moses, seeking to kill him. What caused this terrifying divine wrath, and how was it appeased?
This passage reveals a moment of intense divine displeasure. The text implies that Moses had neglected a crucial covenant sign: the circumcision of his son. The commentaries suggest that Moses, perhaps to avoid conflict with his Midianite wife or father-in-law, had delayed or omitted this act of obedience.
When the Lord 'met' Moses, it wasn't a friendly encounter, but a hostile one, signifying impending death. Zipporah, recognizing the gravity of the situation, took immediate action. She performed the circumcision herself, an act that, though perhaps performed in haste and distress, served as the necessary remedy. This act appeased God's anger, allowing Moses to continue his journey and mission.
Zipporah's reaction is intense and confusing. What does her statement, 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!' truly reveal?
Zipporah's words, 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!' are complex and have been interpreted in various ways. While some scholars suggest she was expressing anger or disgust at the bloody rite, many commentaries lean towards a more profound meaning.
She likely saw the blood of circumcision as the very thing that saved her husband's life. By performing this act, she had, in a sense, 're-espoused' Moses to herself and to his mission, securing him through the covenant blood. Her statement could be a declaration of relief and a recognition of the life-saving power of the covenant, even if performed under duress. It highlights her fierce, albeit perhaps reluctant, commitment to her husband and his divine calling.
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Understand the original words
ʿorlâ · Hebrew Noun
The sign of the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham, representing the separation of the people unto God and the removal of the corruption of the flesh.
Zipporah's dramatic act highlights the immense pressure and cultural clashes Moses faced. Her actions reveal the deep-seated importance of the covenant sign of circumcision within Israelite tradition, even to the point of endangering her husband's life for its neglect.
c. 1446 BC
Moses flees to Midian
After killing an Egyptian, Moses flees Egypt and settles in Midian, marrying Zipporah, the daughter of a priest. He lives as a shepherd for 40 years.
c. 1406 BC
The Burning Bush
God appears to Moses in a burning bush, commissioning him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery.
c. 1406 BC
Moses returns to Egypt
Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron, travels back towards Egypt. He has his wife and sons with him on the journey.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
God confronts Moses
En route to Egypt, God encounters Moses at a lodging place, seeking to kill him. This is understood to be a divine judgment for the uncircumcised status of Moses' son.
c. 1406 BC
Zipporah circumcises her son
Zipporah, understanding the cause of God's wrath, circumcises her son with a flint stone. She then reproaches Moses, calling him a 'bloody husband'.
c. 1406 BC
God commissions Aaron
After Moses' life is spared, God instructs Aaron to go and meet Moses in the wilderness, signifying reconciliation and the start of their joint mission.
c. 1406 BC
Moses and Aaron meet Israelite elders
Moses and Aaron gather the elders of Israel, relaying God's message and performing signs, which leads the people to believe and worship.
This passage lays out the foundational command for circumcision as the sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants, establishing the context for Zipporah's act and its significance.
Joshua 5:2-3This text describes the Israelites using 'flint knives' for circumcision, directly paralleling Zipporah's use of a 'sharp stone' and reinforcing the idea that this was an ancient and recognized, albeit perhaps archaic, method.
Jeremiah 1:9The prophet Jeremiah recounts God touching his mouth and saying, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth,' which echoes the way Zipporah, by touching Moses' feet with the foreskin, symbolically links him to the covenant and the divine command.
1 Samuel 18:27David, in a similar life-or-death situation involving a physical rite, is told he must bring 100 Philistine foreskins to become the king's son-in-law, highlighting the 'blood' and 'foreskin' motif as significant in covenantal and relational contexts.
calvinExodus 4:24-31: "And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him."
And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Dixit autem Jehova ad Aharon, Vade in occursum Mosi in desertum. Profectus est igitur, et occurrit ei in monte Dei, et osculatus est eum.
And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.…
bensonExodus 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."
Exodus 4:25 . Zipporah took a sharp stone — Or a knife made of flint, a species of knives commonly used, as ancient writers assure us, in those days; and cut off the foreskin of her son — She perceived, it seems, the danger of her husband, and the cause of it, and he being disabled from performing the office, whether by some stroke of a…
Zipporah's declaration, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" isn't just an angry outburst; it's a sharp, almost bitter acknowledgment that her husband's identity and their marriage are now inextricably bound to this violent, covenantal shedding of blood. By touching Moses' feet with the foreskin, she’s essentially tying him to the ritual, declaring that his life has been redeemed and their union reaffirmed by this deeply primal act.
As Moses is about to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites, God confronts him in an inn, appearing ready to kill him. Zipporah, realizing this divine wrath is due to their son's uncircumcision, circumcises their child with a flint, saving Moses' life. This act is followed by Aaron being sent to meet Moses, and together they gather the elders of Israel to announce God's intention to deliver them.
As Moses is about to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites, God confronts him in an inn, appearing ready to kill him. Zipporah, realizing this divine wrath is due to their son's uncircumcision, circumcises their child with a flint, saving Moses' life. This act is followed by Aaron being sent to meet Moses, and together they gather the elders of Israel to announce God's intention to deliver them.
"Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”" — Zipporah's declaration, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" isn't just an angry outburst; it's a sharp, almost bitter acknowledgment that her husband's identity and their marriage are now i…
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Last reviewed October 2026