Why Did Zipporah Circumcise Her Son?
One of the most puzzling episodes in the Bible occurs in Exodus 4:24–26, when Zipporah, the wife of Moses, suddenly circumcises her son to avert God’s wrath. The text is brief and enigmatic: “At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 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!’ So he let him alone.”
This passage has raised countless questions. Why would God threaten Moses’ life just after commissioning him to deliver Israel from Egypt? Why was circumcision the solution? And why did Zipporah, not Moses, carry out the act? Understanding why Zipporah circumcised her son requires looking at the covenant with Abraham, the ritual meaning of circumcision, and the foreshadowing of greater salvation themes in the Bible.
1. Circumcision and the Covenant with Abraham
To understand this event, one must first recall the significance of circumcision in Israel’s story.
Command to Abraham: In Genesis 17:9–14, God commanded Abraham that every male among his offspring must be circumcised as the sign of the covenant. To neglect circumcision was to be “cut off from his people” (Genesis 17:14).
Covenant identity: Circumcision symbolized belonging to God’s covenant people. It was not merely a cultural custom but a divine requirement.
Exclusion from covenant blessings: An uncircumcised male stood outside of God’s promises. By failing to circumcise his son, Moses endangered both himself and his household, since he was to lead God’s people but had not upheld the sign of God’s covenant.
Zipporah circumcised her son because Moses had failed in his duty. Without circumcision, his son could not stand within God’s covenant community.
2. The Ambiguous Death Threat
Exodus 4:24 tells us that Yahweh “sought to put him to death.” But who is the target? Scholars debate whether it was Moses or his son.
Moses as the target: Many argue that Moses himself was under threat. By neglecting circumcision, the covenant mediator was disqualified from leading Israel. Zipporah’s act symbolically covered Moses’ deficiency.
The son as the target: Others suggest Gershom, their son, was under divine judgment. In this case, the circumcision literally saved his life, much like the blood of the lamb would protect Israel’s firstborn at Passover (Exodus 12:7, 13).
Unresolved tension: The Hebrew text leaves the matter unclear, perhaps deliberately, to highlight the seriousness of circumcision as the mark of belonging to God.
Regardless of whether Moses or his son was in direct danger, the point is that neglect of the covenant sign provoked divine judgment.
3. Zipporah’s Action and the Symbolic Touch
Zipporah not only circumcised her son but also touched Moses’ “feet” with the foreskin. This detail is striking.
Euphemism for genitals: The term “feet” in Hebrew is often a euphemism. By touching Moses with the foreskin, Zipporah enacted a vicarious circumcision on his behalf, compensating for his failure.
Appeasement of wrath: Her words—“a bridegroom of blood”—suggest frustration but also recognition that covenant blood was necessary to avert death.
Cultural background: Some have argued that Zipporah’s Midianite heritage may have influenced how she viewed circumcision, but the Bible stresses that the decisive factor was obedience to God’s covenant, not cultural custom.
Zipporah’s swift action demonstrates that only by covenant faithfulness could divine wrath be turned aside.
4. Foreshadowing the Passover and Christ
This strange event anticipates larger biblical patterns.
Passover connection: Just as Zipporah’s son was spared by the shedding of covenant blood, Israel’s firstborn would later be spared by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts (Exodus 12:23).
Judgment by blood: In both cases, divine judgment passed over only where blood marked God’s people.
Fulfillment in Christ: These events ultimately point to Jesus. Paul describes believers as circumcised in Christ (Colossians 2:11–12), not by physical cutting but by the circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:28–29). The blood that saves is no longer the foreskin or lamb but the blood of Christ himself (Hebrews 9:14).
The episode of Zipporah circumcising her son illustrates that life is preserved through covenant blood—a truth completed in the Gospel.
5. Interpretations and Ongoing Questions
Scholars continue to wrestle with the text:
Moses’ reluctance: Some suggest God’s anger was tied to Moses’ earlier resistance to his mission (Exodus 4:10–14).
Bloodguilt: Others propose the episode reflects broader ancient ideas of ritual impurity or bloodguilt.
Narrative emphasis: Most agree, however, that the emphasis lies on covenant obedience. Moses, the one chosen to deliver Israel, could not represent God’s people while neglecting God’s commands.
While the precise details remain mysterious, the theological message is clear: covenant signs are serious, and neglect of them threatens life itself.
Conclusion
Why did Zipporah circumcise her son? The Bible shows that she acted to avert Yahweh’s death threat against Moses’ household, highlighting the vital importance of circumcision as the sign of the covenant. This moment, though strange and unsettling, underscores that God’s promises cannot be separated from covenant obedience.
The episode points forward to the greater deliverance found in Christ. Just as Zipporah’s act of circumcision turned away divine wrath, so too the blood of Jesus marks out God’s people and secures their deliverance. The covenant sign has changed, but the principle remains: only those identified with God’s covenant escape judgment and enter into his promises.
Bible verses About Circumcision
Genesis 17:10 – “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.”
Exodus 4:24–26 – “At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death…”
Joshua 5:2 – “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”
Jeremiah 4:4 – “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts.”
Romans 2:28–29 – “No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly… circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit.”
Colossians 2:11 – “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.”
Exodus 12:13 – “When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you.”
Hebrews 9:14 – “How much more will the blood of Christ… purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Deuteronomy 10:16 – “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.”
Philippians 3:3 – “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus.”
