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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Bible in Basic English

Exodus 4:26

So he let him go. Then she said, You are a husband of blood because of the circumcision.

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.
Easy-to-Read Version
Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. So God let Moses live.
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.
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 Now on the journey, at the night's resting-place, the Lord came in his way and would have put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cutting off the skin of her son's private parts, and touching his feet with it, she said, Truly you are a husband of blood to me. 26 So he let him go. Then she said, You are a husband of blood because of the circumcision. 27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the waste land and you will see Moses. So he went and came across Moses at the mountain of God, and gave him a kiss. 28 And Moses gave Aaron an account of all the words of the Lord which he had sent him to say, and of all the signs which he had given him orders to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and got together all the chiefs of the children of Israel: 30 And Aaron said to them all the words the Lord had said to Moses, and did the signs before all the people. 31 And the people had faith in them; and hearing that the Lord had taken up the cause of the children of Israel and had seen their troubles, with bent heads they gave him worship.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:2 - Zipporah

Cross-References

Genesis 4:14
You have sent me out this day from the face of the earth and from before your face; I will be a wanderer in flight over the earth, and whoever sees me will put me to death.
Genesis 4:15
And the Lord said, Truly, if Cain is put to death, seven lives will be taken for his. And the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one might put him to death.
Genesis 4:17
And Cain had connection with his wife and she became with child and gave birth to Enoch: and he made a town, and gave the town the name of Enoch after his son.
Genesis 4:18
And Enoch had a son Irad: and Irad became the father of Mehujael: and Mehujael became the father of Methushael: and Methushael became the father of Lamech.
Genesis 12:8
And moving on from there to the mountain on the east of Beth-el, he put up his tent, having Beth-el on the west and Ai on the east: and there he made an altar and gave worship to the name of the Lord.
Genesis 26:25
Then he made an altar there, and gave worship to the name of the Lord, and he put up his tents there, and there his servants made a water-hole.
1 Kings 18:24
And do you make prayers to your god, and I will make a prayer to the Lord: and it will be clear that the one who gives an answer by fire is God. And all the people in answer said, It is well said.
Psalms 116:17
I will give an offering of praise to you, and make my prayer in the name of the Lord.
Isaiah 44:5
One will say, I am the Lord's; and another will give himself the name, Jacob; another will put a mark on his hand, I am the Lord's, and another will take the name of Israel for himself.
Isaiah 48:1
Give ear to this, O family of Jacob, you who are named by the name of Israel, and have come out of the body of Judah; who take oaths by the name of the Lord, and make use of the name of the God of Israel, but not truly and not in good faith.

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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