Zipporah was angry about the circumcision of her son because the act likely conflicted with her Midianite background and highlighted the tension between her culture and Moses’ covenant with the God of Israel. Her sharp reaction and language suggest she resented being forced into a ritual she did not accept or understand.
“And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, 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 Moses’ feet, and said, ‘Surely you are a husband of blood to me!’”
(Exodus 4:24–25)
God had just commissioned Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, but Moses had failed to circumcise his son. This was a direct violation of God’s covenant with Abraham:
“Every male child among you shall be circumcised… and the uncircumcised male child… shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
(Genesis 17:10, 14)
Because Moses neglected this sign of the covenant, God confronted him with deadly intent. Zipporah intervened, performing the circumcision herself, but her response reveals her inner conflict. She said:
“You are a husband of blood to me!”
(Exodus 4:25)
This phrase indicates revulsion or resentment. Zipporah, being the daughter of a Midianite priest, may have opposed circumcision or been unfamiliar with its covenantal meaning. Her words imply she was angry that Moses’ relationship with God required such a bloody and painful act.
After this incident, Zipporah is not mentioned again until Moses is reunited with her later in Exodus 18, suggesting she may have returned to her father’s house after the confrontation.
Zipporah’s anger was rooted in cultural difference, spiritual misunderstanding, and the personal cost of obedience to God’s commands. Her reaction also exposes Moses’ failure to uphold God’s covenant in his own household, which God would not overlook, even for a prophet.
This moment underscores how seriously God regards His covenant, and how leadership begins with personal obedience. It also reveals that following the Lord often brings conflict into even the closest relationships when convictions are not shared.