How did Zipporah know that God was going to kill Moses?
Upvote:0
We would have to assume that the Lord appeared to Moses in a visible and threatening way. Though the text isn't explicit, this was apparently one of the many Theophanies in the life of Moses, and often with these experiences, those around are involved somehow, and to some degree or other.
When Yahweh chooses to appear in the physical realm--either personally or through the agency of angels--there will be no mistake as to His intentions. Everyone who witnesses it will understand His purpose in doing so, I would expect.
Upvote:1
It could be that Moses had already told her about the God of Israel and His command and consequences regarding circumcision. Moses had 2 sons, he probably circumcised the first one and Zipporah didn't like it. Therefore she refused to let Moses circumcised the second one. And when God came upon them and confronted them about this issue. She immediately knew what was it all about and what to do next.
[This is just assumption, Bible did not reveal these details]
Upvote:2
Moses surely would have told Zipporah about God's command to circumcise. While we have to speculate about the details, the Pulpit Commentary suggests a plausible sequence of events.
The suggestion is that it was the eighth day after the birth of their second son; that the first son had already been circumcised; and that Zipporah talked Moses into not circumcising the second.
The narrative of verses 24-26 is obscure from its brevity; but the most probable explanation of the circumstances is, that Zipporah had been delivered of her second son, Eliezer, some few days before she set out on the journey to Egypt. Childbirth, it must be remembered, in the East does not incapacitate a person from exertion for more than a day or two. On the journey, the eighth day from the birth of the child arrived, and his circumcision ought to have taken place; but Zipporah had a repugnance to the rite, and deferred it, Moses weakly consenting to the illegality.
The commentary goes on to suggest Moses may have become seriously ill, and recognized it was a judgment for his weakness. He no doubt would have said something to Zipporah, who then might have needed to do the circumcision because of Moses' weakness, but complained about it. According to the commentary, the complaint likely referred to both circumcisions.
The commentary acknowledges that the language suggests a miraculous appearance, but that it could refer to an illness as well.
More post
- 📝 Where is this C.S. Lewis quote from?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for asserting that infants can have faith in Christ under a Calvinistic framework?
- 📝 What are the teachings or biblical understanding, why God assigned Lucifer to guard the Holy Mountain?
- 📝 How do the Seventh Day Adventist interpret the father's seal in Revelation 7:3?
- 📝 Coincidence ... or not ... or both ... perhaps neither? Indian Skepticism & Doubting Thomas
- 📝 Why did Adam and Eve not die after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
- 📝 What are the drawbacks of studying/teaching the Bible in an overly erudite (overly academic) manner?
- 📝 What is the justification for applying God's promises to Israel to modern day Christians?
- 📝 Who actually were writers of the Gospels?
- 📝 Can we truly know anything about God's character?
- 📝 According to the doctrine of the LDS Church what is man's relationship with God
- 📝 Roughly how many Christian priests, and how many 'rotten apples' are there?
- 📝 Were the actions of the 3rd Duke of Alba in the 16th Century considered a Catholic Crusade?
- 📝 Why did Clement of Alexandria say that the name of Jesus, Iesous, has a Greek origin, not a Hebrew one?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Doctrine of Trinity?
- 📝 Why does the author of Hebrews picture Esau as an immoral and godless person?
- 📝 Can a person be forgiven outside of confession? (Catholic)
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church identify and collect relics?
- 📝 What are the Catholic Church's instruction on kneeling down in prayer in churches?
- 📝 Does Jesus have a last name?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church officially claim that the Bible is insufficient without tradition?
- 📝 What is the Transcendental Argument proof of God's existence?
- 📝 How old was Jesus when the Magi visited him?
- 📝 According to Creationists, what are the strongest arguments against abiogenesis?
- 📝 Do any major orthodox Trinitarian theologians or denominations hold that St. Paul was closer to a Biblical Unitarian than a Trinitarian?
- 📝 Children picking parents before birth. Is it biblical?
- 📝 On what basis do some Protestants believe the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ?
- 📝 C.S. Lewis and Transposition
- 📝 How does the doctrine of the URC differ from its predecessors?
- 📝 Do Mormons/LDS believe that the Bible in any way predicts the coming of Joseph Smith?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How did Zipporah know that God was going to kill Moses?
- 📝 How did people know that their visions of God were not false before the Bible was as a book compiled?
- 📝 Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. How did he know it was really the Father and the Son?
- 📝 Did Jesus know from the outset that He was the Son of God or did Mary tell Him?
- 📝 Before anything was created, did God already know the events that would unfold?
- 📝 How did Elijah know he was going to be taken up to heaven?
- 📝 How did the people know that John the Baptist was a prophet?
- 📝 How did the Gospel writers know that Mary was a virgin?
- 📝 How did Matthew know that Hosea 11:1 was about Jesus?
- 📝 Given that Jesus can read minds. Why did God need to observe external behavior to know what was in the heart?
- 📝 During creation the Bible says, God saw that various things were 'good'. Did He not know they were going to be good?
- 📝 Take away the gospels, and how do we know that Jesus did what he was recorded to have done in terms of miracles?
- 📝 How is it that an unchanging and omniscient God can have "regret" as He did in Gen 6:7?
- 📝 Why did God relent on killing Moses when Zipporah circumcised their son?
- 📝 How do we know that Jesus was crucified at 9:00 a.m.?
- 📝 What was the Law of God Before Moses and How was It Disseminated?
- 📝 How much did Moses and Elijah know about Jesus' Imminent Death?
- 📝 How did the wise men (Magi) know the country where the new king was born?
- 📝 How do we know that Judas was a "wealthy landowner"?
- 📝 According to open theism, did God know that the crucifixion of Jesus would benefit anyone after him?
- 📝 How did Elizabeth know the name was "John"
- 📝 God and Satan in the book of Job: how did they know about this conversation?
- 📝 How did Paul know that Satan hindered his movements?
- 📝 According to Catholicism did Pope Linus know that he was the Pope and Head of the Church?
- 📝 How did Mary know after the Annunciation that she would be accepted as wife by Joseph?
- 📝 Why is it declared that Jesus was fully God while on earth when he did not have all attributes of God?
- 📝 How can I know that GOD really loves me?
- 📝 Did God want Satan to tempt Jesus as a means of showing the spiritual realm that Jesus's love for and loyalty to God was undeniable?
- 📝 Did God accept a sacrifice that was against His own law?
- 📝 How would believers in Jesus' deity paraphrase 1 Clement 59:4, "Let all the Gentiles know that Thou art the God alone, and Jesus Christ is Thy Son"?