4139. mulah

Lexical Summary

mulah: Circumcision

Original Word: מוּלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: muwlah
Pronunciation: moo-lah
Phonetic Spelling: (moo-law')
KJV: circumcision
NASB: circumcision
Word Origin: [from H4135 (מוּל - circumcised)]

1. circumcision

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

circumcision

From muwl; circumcision -- circumcision.

see HEBREW muwl

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from mul
Definition
circumcision
NASB Translation
circumcision (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מוּלָה] noun feminine, only plural circumcision: דמים למוּלֹת חתן Exodus 4:26 (J) a bridegroom of blood because of (or in regard of) the circumcision; compare We^{Prol. ed. 4(1895) 345 f.; Hist. 340}.

מוֺלָדָה, מוֺלֶ֫דֶת, מוֺלִיד see ילד. p 409f

מוּם see מְאוּם. מרמכן Kt, see מִמוּכָן.

מרן see מין. מוּסַב see סבב.

מוּסָד, מוּסָדָה, [מוֺסָד] see יסד.

מוֺסָר see יסר. [מוּסָךְ] see סכך.

[מוֺסֵר], מוֺסֵרָה see אסר.

מוּסָר see יסר.

מוֺעֵד, [מוֺעָד], מוּעָדָה see יעד.

מוֺעַדְיָה see ַ˜מעַדְיָה.

מוּעָף see II. עוף. [מוֺעֵצָה] see יעץ.

מוּעָקָה see עוק. מוּפָז see פזז.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

מוּלָה (mûlâh) designates the act or rite of circumcision and appears once in the Hebrew Scriptures, within the dramatic episode of Exodus 4:24–26. Though singular in occurrence, the term stands at the crossroads of covenant history, personal obedience, and redemptive typology.

Narrative setting: Exodus 4:24–26

On Moses’ journey back to Egypt, “the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched his feet with it. ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said. So the LORD let him alone. At that time she said, ‘Bridegroom of blood,’ referring to the circumcision” (Exodus 4:24–26).

1. The appearance of mâlâh signals a life-and-death crisis. Moses, the chosen deliverer, had apparently neglected the very covenant sign commanded to Abraham.
2. Zipporah’s swift intervention reveals both her understanding of Yahweh’s covenant expectations and the seriousness with which God regards them.
3. The divine response—“So the LORD let him alone”—demonstrates that obedience to the sign of circumcision averts judgment and restores covenant standing.

Covenant significance

• Genesis 17:10–14 establishes circumcision as “the sign of the covenant” linking Abraham’s descendants to the promises of land, blessing, and a future Redeemer.
• Failure to observe the rite incurs the penalty of being “cut off” (Genesis 17:14), highlighting the gravity reflected in the Moses episode.
• In Exodus 4, mâlâh underscores that covenant signs remain binding even upon God’s chosen leader; divine election never nullifies the call to obedience.

Historical backdrop

Circumcision was practiced in parts of the ancient Near East, yet in Israel it uniquely marked belonging to the God of Abraham. Performing the rite on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3) embedded covenant consciousness from infancy and distinguished Israel from surrounding nations (Judges 14:3; 1 Samuel 17:26).

Theological threads

1. Obedience of faith: Moses’ near-death experience illustrates James 2:26 in principle—faith divorced from obedient action is lifeless.
2. Substitutionary overtones: The shedding of blood through circumcision prefigures the greater shedding of Christ’s blood, “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24).
3. Heart circumcision: Deuteronomy 10:16 and Jeremiah 4:4 move the symbol inward, anticipating the Spirit’s work (Romans 2:28–29).
4. Fulfillment in Messiah: Colossians 2:11–12 links physical circumcision to the believer’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection, declaring that the shadow has found its substance.

Ministry applications

• Leadership accountability: Spiritual leaders must embody covenant faithfulness; unrepented neglect endangers both themselves and those they serve (1 Timothy 4:16).
• Family discipleship: Zipporah’s decisive action underscores the role of spouses and parents in safeguarding covenant fidelity within the household (Ephesians 6:4).
• Gospel proclamation: The blooded flint points to the necessity of a circumcised heart—a message that compels evangelism and discipleship centered on the cross (Acts 2:37–39).
• Sacramental vigilance: Just as Israel’s sign required careful observance, the New Covenant ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper merit reverent administration (1 Corinthians 11:28).

Christological reflection

Mûlâh’s solitary appearance amplifies its import: a mediator spared through covenant blood, setting the stage for the greater Mediator who sheds His own blood. Moses is rescued by a token cut into another; Jesus rescues by being cut off Himself (Isaiah 53:8), achieving the ultimate circumcision of the heart for all who believe.

Forms and Transliterations

לַמּוּלֹֽת׃ למולת׃ lam·mū·lōṯ lammuLot lammūlōṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 4:26
HEB: חֲתַ֥ן דָּמִ֖ים לַמּוּלֹֽת׃ פ
NAS: of blood-- because of the circumcision.
KJV: husband [thou art], because of the circumcision.
INT: a bridegroom of blood of the circumcision

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4139
1 Occurrence

lam·mū·lōṯ — 1 Occ.