More About Conditions Applied to an Unconditional Covenant.

In Exodus, chapter 1 and with the death of Jacob and Joseph, a new era of history begins.  A new leader emerges.  Not the wealthy, nomad of agrarian descent, but a man raised in the intellectual and royal palaces of Egypt.  The oppression that God foretold to Abraham is now a reality and God calls Moses, this Hebrew stalwart, raised by Pharaoh's daughter, to bring His people out of slavery into a great and prosperous land.

Moses had married a Midianite and “Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”” (Exodus 2:22, NIV).  With his father-in-law's permission, Moses and his family return to Egypt to set about the deliverance of Israel.  En route a strange this occurs:

“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, NIV).

This is a significant encounter.  "While it is often assumed that Yahweh seeks to kill Moses, Moses is never mentioned as being assaulted in vv. 24–26. Indeed, God’s wish to kill Moses seems to contradict the call of chaps. 3–4; Moses may not be the referent." [1]  So it is probable that God was threatening to kill Gershom, their son.  Why?  Because Moses had not circumcised him!

The ESV Study Bible adds an important notation:

"The events narrated in these verses are significant not only for what they tell but also for what they show. Not only has the Lord remembered his covenant promises (2:24), but his people are also called to remember the conditions of the covenant. Moses is held responsible for the provisions of the covenant with Abraham that required him to circumcise his sons (Gen. 17:9–14). Failure to be circumcised may lead to being “cut off” (some form of severe punishment from God; see notes on Gen. 17:14; Ex. 12:15; Lev. 7:11–36; Num. 9:6–14)." [2]

"The plain meaning seems to be that by sudden and shocking means God was reminding Moses that the penalty for uncircumcision was to be “… cut off from the people …” (Gen 17:14); it was a violation of the Abrahamic covenant." [3]

The timing of this event is important.  The Mosaic Law had not been established as yet in Israel.  The Exodus had not been enacted.  This is a clear demonstration that what God had said to Abraham in Genesis 18:17-21 plainly reveals that within the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant there were stipulations.  Obedience was required.

On April 23, 2014, I wrote further on this topic.  You can view it HERE.



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1. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Ex 4:24). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
2. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (151). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
3. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (127). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.