Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Exodus 4:24-31
Last week, we saw Moshe (Moses) taking off on donkey-back with his family and heading for Egypt. God told him that he must do the signs, which are miracles, for the people of Israel when he gets there and he had even posed a thread to Pharaoh's first born son.
This week we pick up with God meeting him again as Moshe stops to sleep, meaning he had stopped at a lodging place. God intends to put him to death at this point. I do not remember seeing this in the movie or ever having read this part in my previous English readings of this story.
It is only one paragraph in the midst of the rest of the story. God wants to put him to death and his wife circumcises their son and tags Moshe with the part she cut off. God spares the life of Moshe. I cannot imagine why this passage is here. Is it because they had not circumcised the child on the eighth day as they were supposed to or was it because Moshe had continued to waffle on the task at hand and the trip to Mitsraim (Egypt)? Nothing in the text gives us evidence for either of those possible causes, but the next part seems to give Moshe a the confidence to go through with the trip to Egypt.
Then YHVH visits Aharon (Aaron) and tells him to go meet Moshe. He went and met him at the mountain of God, which seems to suggest that Moshe had not traveled very far toward Mitsraim. At that point, Moshe shared all that was spoken and told him all that God had done, even showing his brother the miracles he can do with his staff. With no mention of travelling or the time it would take to get there, they gathered all the people of Israel and told them of the meeting between Moshe and God. Again he did the signs before the people of Israel, they believed and bowed to worship God.
I am surprised I had not picked up on the odd paragraph about wanting to kill Moshe. I thought I knew this story inside and out. I have only highlighted it in this post because of my surprise. There is always a good reason to read a book a couple of times!
Today's reading
English
At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Hebrew
Next week continues as Moshe confronts Pharaoh...
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