Why Zipporah Circumcised Her Son

Alice C. Linsley

Exodus 4:24-26 is one of the most difficult passages of the Old Testament.

Thus saith the LORD.... And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me." So he let him go: then she said, "A bloody husband [hatan/hatam damm]thou art, because of the circumcision." (Exodus 4:22-26)

Some Bible scholars believe that this puzzling story is an episode from a larger narrative. It is mysterious because of its brevity and lack of context. We are told only that this happens on the journey back to Egypt and at night.

The confusing snippet shows evidence of redaction and that contributes to the confusion. However, once you clarify Zipporah's relationship to Moses, the narrative makes more sense. Zipporah is Moses's Midianite cousin. The Midianite clans were descendants of Abraham by his cousin wife Keturah (Genesis 25). Zipporah is Moses's patrilineal cousin and his second wife. His first wife was his Kushite half-sister. This is the marriage pattern of Horite Hebrew rulers. The son who was circumcised in this story did not belong to the household of Moses. He belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather, Jethro (Yetro) the priest of Midian. This is the ascendancy pattern of the Horite ruler-priest caste for the sons of cousin brides. The son should have been circumcised by his maternal grandfather. For some reason this did not happen.

3200 BC flint knife 

from al-Badari

There is no explanation as to God's motive. Was Moses to pay for killing another man with his own life? Why would God want Moses to die when He has given Moses clear directions about what he is to say to Pharaoh when he arrives back in Egypt?

What is the significance of all this talk of first born sons? Israel as God's firstborn appears to parallel the firstborn of Egypt, but was the child circumcised by Zipporah Moses's first born son?

In what sense is Israel God's firstborn. Surely this is not a statement about the primacy of birth, since Israel, that is, Jacob, was not Isaac's first born. Is it a reference to the great antiquity of the Hebrew priesthood?

Note that Moses is not named in the passage.When Zipporah circumcised her son what did she touch with the bloody foreskin? The pronouns do not make it clear. Did she touch the legs of her son or the legs of her husband? Is the word "legs" a euphemism for genitals? Scholars have debated this for years.

Zipporah appears to accuse Moses. What is the substance of her accusation, and is she angry with him? Did Moses delay his son's circumcision for some reason?

Zipporah's complaint appears to pertain to something Moses failed to do. Moses failed to have his first born son by his cousin wife circumcised according to the tradition of the Horite Hebrew fathers (Horim). The boy should have been circumcised on the eighth day by Jethro, to whose household the child belonged according to the marriage and ascendancy pattern of Abraham's Horite Hebrew people.

The root dmm appears in over 62 places in the Bible and 4 times in the book of Job, the Horite Hebrew of Uz. It often refers to blood guilt or to responsibility. With this in mind, hatam damm appears to mean simply that Moses failed to do his duty in some regard.

This interpretation is supported by James P. Allen's observation in his book The Ancient Egyptian Language: An Historical Study. Allen explains: "The verb tm forms a negative counterpart of all verb forms that can be negated except the imperative. It is a verb in its own right, meaning something like “stop doing, fail to do, not do,” and as such can be negated itself..." (p. 129). The examples he gives include: "He will not fail to do good." and "He does not fail to return."

Some of the difficulty of this passage can be cleared away when we remember that Moses was a Horite Hebrew and his marriages followed the pattern of his father and his ancestral Horim. The Horite Hebrew chiefs had two wives. The first was the wife of the man's youth and was a half-sister. Moses's first wife was his half-sister and she is referred to as his "Kushite" bride. The second wife was usually a patrilineal cousin and this wife was taken close to the time when the man would become a chief.

Zipporah was Moses's second wife; his cousin bride. Presumably, the son who Zipporah circumcised was their first born. If this is the case, Zipporah performed the rite that would have been performed by her father, the priest of Midian. This is because the first born son of the cousin bride belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather. This is a feature of the marriage and ascendancy pattern of Abraham's people.

Zipporah's father was a Horite Hebrew priest who ruled in the region of Midian.The land of Midian was named for one of Abraham's sons, born to Abraham's cousin wife, Keturah (Gen. 25). To explore the account given in Exodus 4:24 we need to understand the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the Horite Hebrew chiefs.

As Moses and Zipporah were by now too far away from Jethro for Jethro to perform the circumcision, it was done by Zipporah. The daughters of priests performed circumcisions, but only on females. It is called "Pharaonic circumcision" and pertained only to the wives and daughters of high-ranking Kushite priests. The Bible does not say much about this, but there is extra-biblical evidence for female circumcision among the Nilotic rulers.

Among the ancient Nilotic peoples, and especially among the ruler-priests, circumcision was a blood rite. Blood was regarded as the substance of life and shed blood was a protection or a covering.  The tent that covered the Tabernacle was made of the hides of rams dyed red to symbolize the blood covering (Exodus 26:14). Purification was made by the ashes of a red heifer (Numbers 19:9). This stands as a "perpetual sacrifice" for Israel and points to the Son of God who was sacrificed outside the city. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts in Egypt signaled divine protection for all in that house. Likewise, the scarlet cord let down from Rahab's window symbolized blood protection. She and her household were spared when the Israelites entered the city.

This brings us to the term hatan.  The word has multiple related meanings. It means husband or groom and protection. Moses was both Zipporah's husband and her covering. We recall how in seeking Boaz's protection, Ruth asked him to cover her with the hem of his robe. This is a very ancient custom which is observed in many cultures. In the Akkadian, hatan means protection. However, in Arabic hatan (or khatin) refers to circumcision (Hebrew Study Bible, pp. 113-114), suggesting a play on words.

It is possible that Zipporah claimed concerning her husband: "You are protected by blood" (Sarna, N., The JPS Torah Commentary on Exodus, Jewish Publication Society, 1991, p. 26).

It is significant that the blood that protects is the blood of the Son. Let those who have ears to hear, hear the message of our Messianic Faith.

Related reading: Moses's Wives and Brothers; Female Circumcision in Context; Pharaonic Circumcision in the Sudan: A Case Study; Why Zipporah Used a Flint Knife; The Scarlet Cord Woven Through the Bible; A Bridegroom of Blood or a Groom Protected by Blood?; Circumcision and Standing Stones

A Bridegroom of Blood or a Groom Protected by Blood?

Badarian (3200 BC) flint knife with ivory handle

Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, "You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me." So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood" [hatam damim]-- because of the circumcision... Exodus 4:24-26


Alice C. Linsley

Exodus 4:24-26 is a puzzling passage and one that shows evidence of emendation. It is not clear why the Lord sought for Moses to die when He had given instructions for Moses to address Pharaoh upon his future return to Egypt.

At first glance this story seems to be about Moses and Zipporah, but a later source - probably the Deuteronomist Historian - shifts the focus to the firstborn son and draws a parallel with God's wrath shown to the firstborn of Egypt when the angel of death passed over. This emphasizes YHWH's protection and preference for Israel.

Exodus 4: 2-23 suggests a reason for the intrusion of this idea.

The Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. "So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

Israel is said to God's "firstborn" and circumcision was to be the sign of the covenant with Israel. God's wrath would be expected to fall on Moses if he neglected to circumcise his son. Why did Moses not perform the circumcision?

Zipporah was Moses's second wife; his cousin bride. Presumably, the son who Zipporah circumcised was their first born. If this is the case, Zipporah performed the rite that would have been performed by her father, Jethro the priest of Midian. This is because the first born son of the cousin bride belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather. This is a feature of the marriage and ascendancy pattern of Abraham's people.

Zipporah's father was a Horite Hebrew priest who ruled in the region of Midian. The land of Midian was named for one of Abraham's sons, born to Abraham's cousin wife, Keturah (Gen. 25). To explore the account given in Exodus 4:24 we need to understand the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the Horite Hebrew chiefs.

To prevent her husband's death, Zipporah performed the circumcision to cover him by the blood [dam]. The son's blood was placed on the father as a spiritual protection, just as the blood of the lamb on the doorposts in Egypt protected the people.

Since circumcision originated among the Nilotes we do well to look at the ancient Egyptian verb TM to determine the meaning of ha-tam damim.

In his book The Ancient Egyptian Language: An Historical Study, James P. Allen explains: "The verb tm forms a negative counterpart of all verb forms that can be negated except the imperative. It is a verb in its own right, meaning something like “stop doing, fail to do, not do,” and as such can be negated itself..." (p. 129). The examples he gives include: "He will not fail to do good." and "He does not fail to return." Zipporah's complaint pertains to something Moses failed to do. Moses failed to have his first born son by his cousin wife circumcised according to the tradition of the Horite Hebrew fathers (Horim). The boy should have been circumcised on the eighth day by Jethro, to whose household the child belonged according to the marriage and ascendancy pattern of Abraham's Horite Hebrew people.

The root dmm appears in over 62 places in the Bible and 4 times in the book of Job, the Horite of Uz. It refers to guilt or responsibility. With this in mind, ha-tm damm appears to mean simply that Moses failed to do his duty in some regard.

The word hatan has multiple related meanings. It means husband. Moses was both Zipporah's husband and her covering. We recall how in seeking Boaz's protection, Ruth asked him to cover her with the hem of his robe. This is a very ancient custom which is observed in many cultures. In the Akkadian, hatan means protection. However, in Arabic hatan (or khatin) refers to circumcision (Hebrew Study Bible, pp. 113-114).

It is possible that Zipporah claimed concerning her husband: "You are protected by blood" (Sarna, N., The JPS Torah Commentary on Exodus, Jewish Publication Society, 1991, p. 26).

It is significant that the blood that protects is the blood of the Son. Let those who have ears to hear, hear the message of our Messianic Faith.


Related reading: Why Zipporah Used a Flint Knife; Hatam Damim: The Bridegroom of Blood; Circumcision Among Abraham's People; The Origin of Circumcision; Moses's Wives and Brothers; Seated With Christ; The Pattern of Two Wives

Biblical Patterns Among the Dogon

Alice C. Linsley

Many of the peoples who live in central and west Africa migrated there from the Benue Trough, or Lake Chad, or the Nile Valley. This is true of the Dogon, whose origin appears to be the Nile. Biblical practices are observed among the Dogon because the point of origin of their ancestors is the same point of origin of Abraham's ancestors.

PBS filmed a special in which Michael Palin visited the Dogon of Tirelli on the Bandiagara Escarpment. The Dogon have kept themselves isolated, marrying endogamously, and keeping their religious practices secret. They acknowledge lineage by ba debu n, that is, the “father’s house” or the native village of ancestors. The ancestry of the mother is also important.

The Dogon now live in a dry land, but at one time their habitat was the lush elevated forests above the Nile. There the hunter found abundant prey. To this day the hunter is revered as a sacred caste. While with the Dogon, a hunter blew gunpowder in Palin's face from the hunter's old blunderbuss.

Bravery is acclaimed among the Dogon. The victorious warrior or hunter is said to have anankaji, bravery or heroism.

Found at Tel Gezer (dated 12th to mid-11th century BC)
The Egyptian word for phallus was khenen (hnn) related to khenty, meaning before or in front of

Another sacred caste within Dogon society is the village blacksmith. He fabricates the swords that are used in ceremonies and the ritual knives used to circumcise both males and females. The circumcision of females is called "Pharaonic circumcision" and it originated among the Dogon's Nilotic ancestors.

Anthropologist Janice Boddy has studied Pharaonic circummcision among people of Sudan. In an essay that appeared in American Ethnologist titled "Womb as Oasis: The symbolic context of Pharaonic circumcision in rural Northern Sudan" (Vol.9, pgs. 682-698), Boddy explains:

In this society women do not achieve social recognition by becoming like men, but by becoming less like men physically, sexually, and socially. Male as well as female circumcision rites stress this complementarity. Through their own operation, performed at roughly the same age as when girls are circumcised (between five and ten years), boys become less like women: while the female reproductive organs are covered, that of the male is uncovered. Circumcision, then, accomplishes the social definition of a child's sex by removing physical characteristics deemed appropriate to his or her opposite: the clitoris and other external genitalia, in the case of females, the prepuce of the penis, in the case of males. (Boddy, p. 688)

Female and male circumcision is regarded as necessary to achieve the proper role of wife/mother or husband/father.

Herodotus (BC 485-425) wrote concerning the origins of circumcision:

Egyptians and the Ethiopians have practiced circumcision since time immemorial. The Phoenicians and the Syrians of Palestine themselves admit that they learnt the practice from the Egyptians, while the Syrians in the river Thermodon and the Pathenoise region and their neighbours the Macrons say they learnt it recently from the Colchidians. These are the only races which practice circumcision, and it is observable that they do it in the same way with the Egyptians.

The Dogon chief has two wives who maintain separate households. Two wives is the rule rather than the exception among Nilotic rulers and the rulers named in the Genesis King Lists.

The Dogon recognized the binary star system of Sirius before it was known through modern astronomy. By 4245 BC, the priests of the Upper Nile had already established a calendar based on the appearance of the star Sirius that becomes visible to the naked eye once every 1,461 years.

Apparently, Nilotes had been tracking this star and connecting it to seasonal changes and agriculture for thousands of years. This is verified by the Priest Manetho who reported in his history (241 BC) that Nilotes had been “star-gazing” as early as 40,000 years ago. Plato, who studied in Egypt, claimed that the Africans had been tracking the heavens for 10,000 years.


Related reading:  The Origin of Circumcision; Circumcision and Binary Distinctions; No! You Can't Take another Wife; The Pattern of Two Wives; Mother's House and Father's House; Dogon Vocabulary