Exodus 4:24-26

Tzipporah-daughter of Jethro and wife of Moses. She gave birth to two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. What was her role in assuring that Moses would be able to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites out from bondage? Let's turn to the fourth chapter of the book of Exodus.

The Lord has finished telling Moses to go down to Egypt and that Aaron will go with him. Moses told his father in law that he had to go to Egypt. Jethro wished Moses well. Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and set off for Egypt.

And it is at this point in the narrative that we get a rather cryptic story. At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.) Exodus 4:24-26

This story raises a lot more questions than it answers.

What lodging place? Not specified. Whom did the Lord meet? The NIV supplies "Moses." The Hebrew (translated) says that the Lord met 'him.' Why would the Lord be about to kill him? Whoever he is? And how was this manifested? Did Moses become suddenly ill?

What did Zipporah do? She circumcised her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it.
Why circumcision? Which son? Why Moses' feet? How would this save Moses' life, assuming it was Moses' life that was in danger? Why wasn't her son circumcised to begin with?

What is the significance of saying "bridegroom of blood"?

And after all that, the Lord left him alone. I have a feeling there's a lot more to this story that the Bible doesn't tell us.

Many commentators suggest that the 'him' refers to Moses. And the Lord was angry with Moses for not circumcising his son. Did Moses know about circumcision? If he didn't, how did Zipporah know? And why was she the one to circumcise her son? Shouldn't Moses have done so? But if Moses was gravely ill, then of course he couldn't have. So Zipporah cut off her son's foreskin and what, touched Moses' feet with it? Is "feet" a euphemism for male genitalia? Rather odd choice of word if you ask me. But what would that mean anyway? So she touch Moses' privates with her son's foreskin? This somehow makes Moses a bridgegroom of blood to her?

However we might understand this passage (or not understand as the case may be), the implication is that Zipporah saved Moses' life. Because of her actions, Moses survived to go down to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom. Had it not been for Zipporah, there'd have been no redemption of the Israelites through Moses.

So praise God for Zipporah who saved Moses' life and by extension brought about the redemption of the Israelites from slavery.