The incident in Exodus 4:24-26 at the inn raises several questions, mainly: Who was the Lord trying to kill, why, and what was Zipporah doing?

- Who was the Lord trying to kill? Some think it was Moses' son that was the target, but that it was Moses is more likely. There is no indication here of some sort of sudden attack in the night. If anything, the word 'sought' indicates that the means was by some slow, lingering method like an illness that gave plenty of warning. It's the same word used in Ex. 2:15, 'Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses.'

- Why was the Lord out to kill Moses? Given what happens, the consensus is it is because Moses' son was not circumcised, in violation of God's command. The likeliest explanation is that Moses wasn't willing to risk having his son weakened by the operation while they were on this long journey through the wilderness—a lapse of faith by Moses in God's provision.

- What is Zipporah doing? Her phrase about the 'bridegroom of blood' brings forth two likely contextual explanations:
1. It is a phrase of marital relationship, recalling circumcision as a premarital rite. This fits best if it is Moses being circumcised, but if circumcision was normally 'pre-marital' where Zipporah came from, it might be the sort of thing she would say anyway.
2. It is a statement that the child is circumcised and therefore, by virtue of that circumcision, protected. This has explanatory strength because the word 'cast' is the same word used to describe how blood was applied to the lintels and doorposts at Passover for protection. This interpretation also understands 'husband' (chathan) as being related to a cognate word that signifies 'protection'.