Question on Exodus 4:24-26

Hello I am reading the book of Exodus, chapter 4 and I am confused about verses 24-26. Why was God after Moses and why did the act of circumcision for his son appease God?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

Let us give some context for Exodus Chapter 4.

The chapter opens up in a continuation of the previous chapter, namely, the meeting with G-d at the burning bush.

In chapter four the dialogue at the burning bush continues with Moses asking for reassurance that the people would accept him as their leader and savior from Egypt.

In response, G-d shows Moses supernatural powers such as turning his staff into a snake and back and turning his hand from healthy to leprous and back. There is also mention of the first plague that will turn water into blood.

Still, Moses hesitates to get out of the job of being leader of Israel and offers some excuses that G-d easily refutes as invalid excuses.

Eventually Moses begrudgingly accepts the job as leader and leaves the burning bush to return to home in preparation for his return to Egypt.

The verses you refer to take place during Moses’s return to Egypt along with his family. At that time, Moses was taken to task for neglecting to circumcise his son, Eliezer. The punishment for doing so, at least at that time, was death. However, it is explained that the reason Moses delayed the circumcision was because doing so could have proven dangerous for the child due to their travelling. Nevertheless, even if it was justified, G-d was angry at Moses because even when he had the opportunity to circumcise Eliezer he focused on other things first.

Moses’ wife, Tzipora, took matters into her own hands and circumcised Eliezer. And with that, G-d anger at the “neglect” of the mitzva of circumcision was appeased.

I hope this explains it!

Rashi commentary to Exodus 4.