Biblical Hebrew Forum

[kenneth greifer <kenneth AT messianicmistakes.com>]

Norman,

I think the idea that circumcision was done before marriage is interesting, 
but there is another unusual possibility. I didn't want to mention it, but 
Nir said something like the idea. Maybe Ex. 4:23-26 mentions G-d as Israel's 
father (Israel is His first born son) and that G-d Himself was after the 
person He wanted to kill (Moses or his son). If Zipporah married an 
Israelite, G-d could be her "father-in-law", so she might have circumcised 
her son and said "because You are a father-in-law of blood to Me" or "because 
a father in law of blood came to me" (since G-d was there sort of) and the 
blood referred to the circumcision. I don't like this idea as much as some of 
the others, but it makes some sense.

Kenneth Greifer