Moses himself didn't circumcise anyone; rather, his wife Zipporah circumcised their son (likely Gershom or Eliezer) to save Moses' life after God threatened him for the failure to perform the covenant rite of circumcision on their child, as explained in Exodus 4:24-26. Zipporah used a flint knife and touched Moses' feet with the foreskin, declaring him a "bridegroom of blood," after which God relented, and Moses lived.
Zipporah threw their son's foreskin on Moses' genitals treating it symbolically as Moses' foreskin to remind God of his promise. As a consequence, God repents of his anger and allows Moses to recover his health and continue to Egypt. Zipporah and Moses were bound by blood.
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 (Ex. 4:24–26).
It is clear, however, that a son of Moses was not cir- cumcised. Why did Moses not circumcise the infant? In the Talmud (TB Nedarim 32a), R. Yose explains that Moses delayed cir- cumcising his youngest son, because doing so would force him to postpone his mission to Egypt by three days while the baby recovered.
Most argue that his sin was in striking the rock when told by God to merely speak (compare v. 8 with v. 11). But Moses was told to take the staff, likely to strike the rock (see Exodus 17:5-6 where Moses was told to strike a rock to make the water come out).
The person punished in the Bible for spilling his seed, often interpreted as ejaculating outside marriage (coitus interruptus), was Onan, detailed in Genesis 38:8-10, where God struck him dead for refusing to fulfill his levirate marriage duty to provide an heir for his deceased brother, Er, by wasting his semen on the ground instead of impregnating his brother's widow, Tamar.
Due to his notorious role in all the gospel narratives, Judas remains a controversial figure in Christian history. His betrayal is seen as setting in motion the events that led to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, which, according to traditional Christian theology brought salvation to humanity.
Christianity and circumcision
In the Old Testament circumcision is clearly defined as a covenant between God and all Jewish males. Circumcision is not laid down as a requirement in the New Testament. Instead, Christians are urged to be "circumcised of the heart" by trusting in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.
Verse 25 is almost as jolting as verse 24: “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!” Zipporah's reluctant circumcision of her and Moses's son satisfied God's anger: “So he [the Lord] let him [Moses] alone.
The exact procedure depends on why your child needs a circumcision revision. Your child's pediatric urologist will decide the best approach for your child's condition. The urologist uses a surgical knife (scalpel) to remove the extra or abnormal skin and then stitches the remaining skin back together.
Moses, a Jew, apparently married a black African and was approved by God. We learn in Numbers that “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman” (Num. 12:1).
The phrase "sons of God married the daughters of men" comes from Genesis 6:1-4, describing a period before the great flood where divine beings or a righteous human lineage intermarried with ordinary women, resulting in powerful, giant offspring called Nephilim (mighty men of old), leading to widespread corruption and God's decision to send the flood. Interpretations vary: the most traditional view sees angelic beings mating with humans, while others suggest godly descendants of Seth marrying wicked descendants of Cain, or powerful rulers taking wives.
Zipporah, the wife of Moses took there upon a sharp stone and circumcised her son, and in so doing reproved her husband. As a result of the circumcision the Lord let Moses go, and Zipporah said to Moses, "A bloody husband thou art.”
These midrashim depict Moses as not wanting to part from his wife and children, but rather as wishing them to participate in the formative process of the people of Israel. His concern for his family's welfare motivates him to send Zipporah back to her father's home, in order to protect the lives of his family.
While historically circumcision is not observed by the majority of Christians in most parts of the Christian world, and mainstream Christian denominations neither require it for religious observance nor forbid it for medical or cultural reasons, it is practiced among some Christian countries and communities.
Miriam and Aaron were jealous because Moses had two wives and because more of his attention would have been taken by the newly married woman. It is not unusual in an African setting for relatives and friends to be jealous when husbands are too occupied with two or three wives.
From God's perspective, Moses has lost faith in the Lord to overcome Israel's faithlessness. Moses has not believed in God, and has not treated Yahweh as the Holy God who is able to overcome the weakness of His people. Indeed, this is exactly what Numbers 20:12 says was Moses' sin!
How old was Zipporah when she married Moses? Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't provide any information about her age. This lack of information leaves room for interpretations and speculations. One rabbinic tradition holds that Zipporah was very young and beautiful when she married Moses.
' According to Muslim belief, the prophet Abraham was the first person to perform circumcision, and it has continued thereafter as a highly recommended practice of the messengers. 'Abraham circumcised himself at the age of eighty, using a hatchet'. God says, 'then we inspired you: Follow the creed of Abraham.
To deal decisively with these errors, the Apostles spoke strongly against the need for circumcision. The Judaizers were telling the gentile Christians, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (see Acts 15:1). The Apostles made clear that this was a false gospel.
Islam is the largest religious group to practice male circumcision. As an Abrahamic faith, Islamic people practice circumcision as a confirmation of their relationship with God, and the practice is also known as 'tahera', meaning purification.
[4] As a token of this covenant, the Lord commanded, “Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Genesis 17:10–11).
Judas Iscariot was not forgiven primarily because he never truly repented or sought forgiveness from Jesus, instead falling into despair and taking his own life after betraying Christ; unlike Peter, who wept bitterly and confessed, Judas's remorse was worldly, not godly, leading to self-destruction rather than seeking redemption, despite Jesus's offer of forgiveness to all. His failure to believe Jesus could forgive him, coupled with greed and a hardened heart, sealed his fate as the "son of destruction".
John was banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where, according to tradition, he wrote the Book of Revelation. According to Tertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it.
Jesus speaks of forgiveness beyond what anyone had ever considered before: seventy times seven! Many commentaries understand this to mean that Jesus was telling Peter that he should forgive his brother a limitless number of times.