Complemented Chris Cammarata

This passage, upon first reading, seems very strange and out of character. Why would God threaten to kill Moses if he just commissioned him to go to Pharaoh and liberate his people? The reason becomes clearer if we look at the context of the surrounding verses. Verses 18-31 give us some small insights into Moses’ family. We hear of Moses’ father-in-law, wife, and brother. In the midst of these verses, we also hear a prophetic judgment from the Lord: “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son. I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may worship me.’ But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son” (vv. 22-23).

What immediately follows this proclamation of judgment is the episode with Moses’ son (24-26). Now recall that for ancient Israel, one sign of their covenant with God was circumcision of their firstborn sons. Moses is to be God’s instrument who will help lead Israel out of Egypt. It would be wrong of any Jew not to observe this covenant, but this holds especially true for Moses as Israel’s chosen leader. By not circumcising his son in accordance with the covenant to Abraham, Moses threatens punishment on himself from the Lord. That is why God’s anger is abated when Zipporah (Moses’ wife) circumcises their son.

It is unknown why Moses did not follow the covenant of circumcision right away. It is unlikely that Zipporah was the reason for this mistake of Moses; she was the one who ultimately saved her husband and son in that moment. It is possible that Moses, having only recently come back to his Hebrew heritage, was ignorant of this covenant, or that he overlooked it. Regardless of the reason, the passage is ultimately meant to show Moses’ imperfection. He is a man who walks closely with God–but he is not perfect, and God’s chastisements are even more severe upon him because he is to be Israel’s leader (and thus their role model).