Exodus 4:24

Hebrew Bible

22 You must say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord has said, “Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, I will surely kill your son, your firstborn!”’” 24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night, the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.)

LXX Exodus 4:24

Septuagint

22 But you yourself will say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord says this: “My firstborn son is Israel.” 23 I have said to you, “Release my people so that they may worship me! If, however, you are not willing to release them, then see, I am slaying your firstborn son.”’” 24 It happened during the journey, an angel of the Lord met him at the lodging-place and was seeking to slay him. 25 And then Shiphrah, taking a flint stone, cut around the foreskin of her son and fell at his feet and said, “The blood of the circumcision of my child is accomplished.” 27 And then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to a meeting with Moses.” And he went and met him at the mountain of God, and they kissed each other.

 Notes and References

"... A strange incident occurs on the way to Egypt (Exodus 4:24–25). The angel of the Lord meets Moses and threatens to kill him (verse 24). Sepphōra intercedes by circumcising her son (verse 25), somehow averting her husband’s death. Biblical studies designates this among the more enigmatic pericopae in the Hebrew Bible. It is not even mentioned by Philo or Josephus, and takes on new meaning in LXX Exodus ... The subject is the ἄγγελος Κυρίου, “angel of the Lord.” This reading is affirmed by the Targums, Targum Neofiti I (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan has “destroying angel”; compare Jubilees 48:2 where it is Mastemah), though the Masoretic text reads יְהוָה and makes no mention of an “angel” ..."

Gurtner, Daniel M. Exodus: A Commentary on the Greek Text of Codex Vaticanus (pp. 230-231) Brill, 2013

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