24
On the way,וַיְהִי בַדֶּרֶךְat the lodging place,בַּמָּלוֹןYHWHיְהוָהmet himוַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּand soughtוַיְבַקֵּשׁto put him to death.הֲמִיתוֹ
Exodus 4:24
Study it in the app“On the way, at the lodging place, YHWH met him and sought to put him to death.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Exodus 4:24, word by word
- On the wayיְהִיyehi
be
To be: "I will be their Elohim".
Where else “yehi” appears- On the wayדֶּרֶךְderech
road
The track or route by which one goes from one place to another.
Where else “derech” appears- at the lodging placeמָּלוֹןmalon
lodging place
Lodging place: where travelers spend the night on a journey.
Where else “malon” appears- YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- met himיִּפְגְּשֵׁyifgshe
meet
Meet someone, come upon, encounter.
Where else “yifgshe” appears- and soughtיְבַקֵּשׁyevakesh
try to get
To try to get something.
Where else “yevakesh” appears- to put him to deathהֲמִיתhamit
kill
To kill someone.
Where else “hamit” appears
Translation note
The passage 4:24-26 is very brief and does not say whom YHWH attacked or why. What it shows is that Moses’ son was not circumcised, and circumcision was the sign of the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14); when Zipporah circumcised him, YHWH let him go.
The context
23and I said to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” But you refused to let him go; look, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.’”
24 · This verse (above)
25Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to his feet and said, “Surely a bridegroom of blood you are to me!”