Did God Want To Kill Moses?

Q

Do you know why God tried to kill Moses in Exodus 4?

 

A

Exodus 4:24 is a controversial verse that scholars have had difficulty translating since the name of Moses never appears there. The King James translation simply says God was about to kill “him”. The debate is over whether “him” refers to Moses or his son. In reading the entire passage (Exodus 4:24-26) it appears that the son was most likely the object of God’s wrath, but we’re not told why. When Zipporah circumcised him, it brought the son under the covenant and therefore God’s protection.

In any case, God cannot act arbitrarily and would have had no reason to kill Moses, especially after just commissioning him to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. Hebrews 11:23 hints that Moses’ parents knew that he was to be Israel’s deliverer from the time he was born. If so, then God’s hand was upon him from the womb, making an even stronger argument against God killing him.