Exodus 4:24
And it came to passe by the way in the Inne, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Exodus 4:24 (KJV)
The brief statement in Exodus 4:24 occurs after Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush and during his return journey from Midian to Egypt. God had called Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, and Moses responded with doubts about his ability to fulfill such a monumental task. In reply, God provided miraculous signs—turning Moses’ staff into a serpent and striking his hand with leprosy before healing it—to assure him of divine presence and power. Even after these signs Moses hesitated and asked that someone else be sent.
It is in this context that the enigmatic episode recorded in Exodus 4:24 takes place. The passage notes that the LORD met Moses on the road (or at an inn) and sought to kill him, yet offers no further detail about the setting or the reason for the threat. Because the verse is extremely concise, scholars have proposed several explanations.
One widely discussed suggestion links the incident to Moses’ failure to circumcise his son, a covenantal sign required in Genesis 17. Many commentators infer that this neglect provoked a severe divine rebuke, emphasizing the importance of obedience to the covenant.
Another view holds that the “LORD” in the verse may refer to an angelic messenger acting on God’s behalf. Although the Hebrew word used is the divine name YHWH, some argue that an angel of the LORD could be the agent of the threatened death, reflecting the biblical pattern of angels delivering judgment.
A third perspective treats the passage symbolically, seeing the encounter as a representation of an internal spiritual struggle within Moses—his doubts, fears, and the need for complete dedication to God’s call. This reading views the threat of death as a metaphor for the peril of unfaithfulness.
Because the text itself provides no explicit explanation, readers are encouraged to approach the verse with humility, recognizing the limits of the information while appreciating its place in the larger Exodus narrative. The focus of the story remains God’s call of Moses, His faithfulness, and His power to deliver His people from bondage, even when the journey includes mysterious and challenging moments such as this one.
