Exodus 4:26

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 4:26 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [art thou], because of the circumcision.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [art thou], because of the circumcision.
Exodus 4:26 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
26So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [art thou], because of the circumcision.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“So he let him go, etc.] 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 (<020121>Exodus 1:21): then she said, a bloody husband thou art because of the circumcision; this is repeated, partly to give the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“So he let him go - The destroying angel withdrew. But still Zipporah cannot forget, but will unreasonably call Moses a bloody husband, because he obliged her to circumcise the child; and upon this occasion, (it is probable) he sent them back to his father - in - law, that they might not create him any farther uneasiness. When we have any special service to do for God, we should remove that as far from us as we can, which is likely to be our hindrance: let the dead bury their dead, but follow thou me. Exodus 4:27”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification