So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
Parallel translations
- WEB So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
- BSB So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)
- NKJV So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
- NASB So He left him alone. At that time she said, “You are a groom of blood”—because of the circumcision.
- NLT (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God lets Moses live once the circumcision is done, and the saying is repeated. Obedience to the covenant sign removes the threat of judgment.
Overview
With the covenant requirement met, God withdraws His threat against Moses, confirming that the issue centered on circumcision. The repeated phrase about the bridegroom of blood, though enigmatic, ties Moses' deliverance to the shedding of blood in obedience. The passage as a whole teaches that even the deliverer is preserved through covenant faithfulness and blood, a foretaste of redemption secured by sacrifice.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 4:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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