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Exodus 4:26
ESV So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
NIV So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
NASB So He left him alone. At that time she said, 'You are a groom of blood'— because of the circumcision.
CSB So he let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision.
NLT (When she said 'a bridegroom of blood,' she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
KJV So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
NKJV So He let him go. Then she said, “ You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

What does Exodus 4:26 mean?

God had threatened Moses' life as he made his way back to Egypt (Exodus 4:19–20, 24). Moses' wife, Zipporah (Exodus 2:21), responds by circumcising (Exodus 4:25) one of their sons (Exodus 2:22; 18:4). According to this verse, that eased God's wrath and saved Moses' life.

Scripture offers little detail about this odd event. The exact nature of the threat is not given. Nor does the Bible specify which son was circumcised. The text never mentions exactly why this happened, or why Zipporah's actions affected the situation. It's not even clear whether Zipporah did this with a grudge or as an act of newfound faith. Her comment about blood, repeated in this verse (Exodus 4:25), could be sarcastic, bitter, sincere, or some combination of those.

Circumcision was a crucial sign given to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 17:10–12). Moses is meant to be the Lord's spokesman (Exodus 3:10; 4:12). Failure to follow such a basic command would have made him seem like a hypocrite in the eyes of Israel. It's possible that one or both of the sons were not yet circumcised, and this was God's way of correcting the issue. At this time, the sons are almost certainly adults; Moses came to Midian at age forty (Acts 7:23, 29) and he is now eighty (Exodus 7:7).
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