New King James Version
Exodus 4:26
26So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
Exodus 4:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
- New International Version (NIV)So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
- English Standard Version (ESV)So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
- New Living Translation (NLT)(When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
Context of Exodus 4:26
24And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision. 27And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
Read all of Exodus 4Exodus 4:26 word by word
וַיִּ֖רֶף מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אָ֚ז אָֽמְרָ֔ה חֲתַ֥ן דָּמִ֖ים לַמּוּלֹֽת׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Commentaries on Exodus 4:26
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26So 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.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-31Verses 24-31 God met Moses in anger. The Lord threatened him with death or sent sickness upon him, as the punishment of his having neglected to circumcise his son. When God discovers to us what is amiss in our lives, we must give all diligence to amend it speedily. This is the voice of every rod; it calls us to return to Him that smites us. God sent Aaron to meet Moses. The more they saw of God's bringing them together, the more pleasant their interview…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-26This incident is mysterious. Zipporah immediately circumcising her son suggests she and Moses had previously discussed it and decided it was unnecessary. Why would having an uncircumcised son make God want to kill the rescuer he had prepared and called? It would seem strange for Moses to arrive in Egypt claiming to represent the God of the Israelites' ancestors, but would not do what God commanded them (Genesis 17:10). This might cause the people to be…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. So he let him go--Moses recovered; but the remembrance of this critical period in his life would stimulate the Hebrew legislator to enforce a faithful attention to the rite of circumcision when it was established as a divine ordinance in Israel, and made their peculiar distinction as a people.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 4:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries