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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 4:26

Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. So God let Moses live.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Family;   Moses;   Women;   Zipporah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Circumcision;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Sinai;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Circumcision;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zipporah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Eliezer;   Exodus, the Book of;   Jethro;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Circumcision;   Exodus, Book of;   Gershom;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Circumcision;   Exodus;   Moses;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Circumcision ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zip'porah,;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ass;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Sinai;   On to Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bloody;   Crime;   Exodus, the Book of;   Go;   Moses;   Targum;   Zipporah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Circumcision;   Moses;   Wachnacht;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
King James Version
So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
Lexham English Bible
And he left him alone. At that time she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
New Century Version
She said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because she had to circumcise her son. So the Lord let Moses alone.
New English Translation
So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said, "A bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision.)
Amplified Bible
So He let Moses alone [to recover]. At that time Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood"—because of the circumcision.
New American Standard Bible
So He left him alone. At that time she said, "You are a groom of blood"—because of the circumcision.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So he departed from him. Then she saide, O bloodie husbande (because of the circumcision)
Legacy Standard Bible
So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood" with reference to the circumcision.
Contemporary English Version
So the Lord did not harm Moses. Then Zipporah said, "Yes, my dear, you are safe because of this circumcision."
Complete Jewish Bible
But then, God let Moshe be. She added, "A bloody bridegroom because of the circumcision!"
Darby Translation
And he let him go. Then she said, A bloody husband—because of the circumcision.
English Standard Version
So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
George Lamsa Translation
So the LORD let him go. Then she said, You are a bloody husband, because of the circumcision.
Christian Standard Bible®
So he let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.
Literal Translation
And He pulled back from him. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood, for the circumcision.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The let he him go. But she sayde: A bloudy brydegrome, because of the circumcision.
American Standard Version
So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood art thou, because of the circumcision.
Bible in Basic English
So he let him go. Then she said, You are a husband of blood because of the circumcision.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then he let him go, and she sayde: a blooddy husbande, because of her circumcision.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.'
King James Version (1611)
So he let him goe: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the Circumcision.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and he departed from him, because she said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched.
English Revised Version
So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood art thou, because of the circumcision.
Berean Standard Bible
So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, "bridegroom of blood," she was referring to the circumcision.)
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he lefte hym, aftir that sche hadde seid, Thou art an hosebonde of bloodis to me for circumcisioun.
Young's Literal Translation
and He desisteth from him: then she said, `A bridegroom of blood,' in reference to the circumcision.
Update Bible Version
So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [you are], because of the circumcision.
Webster's Bible Translation
So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband [thou art], because of the circumcision.
World English Bible
So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
New King James Version
So He let him go. Then she said, "You are a husband of blood!"--because of the circumcision.
New Living Translation
(When she said "a bridegroom of blood," she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
New Life Bible
Then the Lord let him alone. Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood," because of the religious act of becoming a Jew.
New Revised Standard
So he let him alone. It was then she said, "A bridegroom of blood by circumcision."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he let him go, Then, it was that she said, A bridegroom by rites of blood - with regard to the rites of circumcision.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he let him go after she had said: A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.
Revised Standard Version
So he let him alone. Then it was that she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood"—because of the circumcision.

Contextual Overview

24 On the way to Egypt, Moses stopped at a place to spend the night. The Lord met Moses at that place and tried to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She took the skin and touched his feet. Then she said to Moses, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me." 26 Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. So God let Moses live. 27 The Lord had spoken to Aaron and told him, "Go out into the desert and meet Moses." So Aaron went and met Moses at the Mountain of God. He saw Moses and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say and all the miracles he must do to prove that God had sent him. 29 So Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Then Aaron spoke to the people and told them everything the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see, 31 and they believed what they had heard. Then the Israelites understood that the Lord had seen their troubles and had come to help them. So they bowed down and worshiped God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:2 - Zipporah

Cross-References

Genesis 4:14
You are forcing me to leave the land, and I will not be able to be near you or have a home! Now I must wander from place to place, and anyone I meet could kill me."
Genesis 4:15
Then the Lord said to Cain, "No, if anyone kills you, I will punish that person much, much more." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to show that no one should kill him.
Genesis 4:17
Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Enoch. Cain built a city and gave the city the same name as his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:18
Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad had a son named Mehujael. Mehujael had a son named Methushael. And Methushael had a son named Lamech.
Genesis 12:8
Then he left that place and traveled to the mountains east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built another altar at that place to honor the Lord , and he worshiped the Lord there.
Genesis 26:25
So Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord in that place. He set up camp there, and his servants dug a well.
1 Kings 18:24
Prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord . Whichever god answers the prayer and starts the fire is the true God." All the people agreed that this was a good idea.
Psalms 116:17
I will give you a thank offering. I will call on the Lord 's name.
Isaiah 44:5
"One man will call himself, ‘I am the Lord 's.' Another will use the name, ‘Jacob.' Another man will sign his name as ‘The Lord 's Hand.' And another will use the name, ‘Israel.'"
Isaiah 48:1
"Family of Jacob, listen to me! You people call yourself ‘Israel,' but you are from Judah's family. When you take an oath, I, the Lord , the God of Israel, am the one whose name you use, but you are not honest and sincere.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So he let him go,.... That is, the Lord let Moses go; suffered him to go on his journey without any further interruption; as the Targums, "it", the angel, ceased from him, or left him; or the disease and trembling departed from him, as Aben Ezra, and he was quite well and easy; though Grotius, after Lyra, understands it of Zipporah, she departed from him, that is, from Moses, and returned to Midian again, as it seems she did; but this the grammatical construction of the words will not bear, being masculine, though sometimes the masculine is used of women, as in Exodus 1:21:

then she said, a bloody husband thou art because of the circumcision; this is repeated, partly to give the reason of her calling him a bloody husband, because of the circumcision, and partly because of her great joy on occasion of her husband's restoration to her by this means.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So he let him go - i. e. God withdrew His visitation from Moses.

Moses sent Zipporah and her children back to Jethro before he went to Egypt, Exodus 18:2. The journey would have been delayed had he waited for the healing of the child.


 
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