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Exodus 18

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Jethro Hears and Returns Moses' Family 1–6

1
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; ​
2
Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, ​
3
And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:
4
And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: ​
5
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: ​
6
And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

Reunion and Shared Worship 7–12

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And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. ​
8
And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
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And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
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And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. ​
12
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God. ​

Jethro Counsels Moses on Judging 13–23

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And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. ​
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And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
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And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
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When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
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And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. ​
18
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
19
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: ​
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And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
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Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: ​
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And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
23
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. ​

Moses Appoints Judges and Jethro Departs 24–27

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So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.
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And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
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And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
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And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 18

Verse 1

Jethro, the priest of Midian — The man whose daughter Moses married (Ex 2:21), named Reuel in Ex 2:18 and Jethro from Ex 3:1. What he heard was 'all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people'.

Verse 2

Zipporah, Moses' wife — She is named only three times: when given to Moses (Ex 2:21), at the circumcision of her son (Ex 4:25), and here. Moses had set his wife and sons on an ass for Egypt (Ex 4:20); the text does not say when she returned to Midian. Her father now brings her back, with her two sons (vv.3–5).

Verse 4

Eliezer — Eli'ezer, 'God of help': el (God) with ezer (help), the word of Gen 2:18, 'an help meet'. The name answers Gershom's in v.3. Pharaoh 'sought to slay Moses' (Ex 2:15), and Moses names his second son for the God of his father, who 'was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh'.

Verse 5

the mount of God — Ex 3:1 calls Horeb 'the mountain of God', where the LORD spoke to Moses from the bush and gave him his sign: 'ye shall serve God upon this mountain' (Ex 3:12). Jethro comes to the mount of God with Moses' wife and sons, and Israel is soon to arrive at Sinai (Ex 19:1–2).

Verse 7

did obeisance, and kissed him — 'Obeisance' is shachah, to bow low, the verb of Jacob's seven bowings to Esau (Gen 33:3) and of the forbidden bowing to idols (Ex 20:5). Here it is a bow of honour to the priest of Midian. They 'asked each other of their welfare' (shalom, peace) in the tent.

Verse 11

greater than all gods — Jethro confesses what the plagues had set out to show: 'against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD' (Ex 12:12). 'Dealt proudly' is zid, to act presumptuously; Nehemiah says of Pharaoh and his people, 'they dealt proudly against them' (Neh 9:10). He had said 'Blessed be the LORD' in v.10.

Verse 12

a burnt offering and sacrifices for God — Jethro, a priest of Midian (v.1), brings the offerings, and Aaron and all the elders eat bread with him 'before God'. The pattern of burnt offering and sacrifice followed by a meal returns at Sinai, where Israel's young men offer 'burnt offerings' and 'peace offerings' and the nobles 'saw God, and did eat and drink' (Ex 24:5, 11).

Verse 13

Moses sat to judge the people — The day after the offering, Moses sits and the people 'stood by' him from morning till evening. In v.15–16 he gives the reason: they come 'to enquire of God', and he judges between one and another and makes them know 'the statutes of God, and his laws'. Later he says, 'I am not able to bear you myself alone' (Deut 1:9).

Verse 17

is not good — The verdict is the one of Gen 2:18, 'It is not good that the man should be alone'. Here the fault is a man alone with the load: 'why sittest thou thyself alone' (v.14), 'thou art not able to perform it thyself alone' (v.18). 'Thing' is davar, a matter, the word rendered 'causes' in v.19.

Verse 19

for the people to God-ward — Moses is to stand in front of the people toward God and bring their 'causes' (davar, matters) to him, as he did with the daughters of Zelophehad: 'Moses brought their cause before the LORD' (Num 27:5). Jethro's promise, 'God shall be with thee', repeats the LORD's own word at the bush (Ex 3:12).

Verse 21

able men, such as fear God — Four marks: able (chayil, strength), fearing God, 'men of truth' (emeth), and 'hating covetousness' (betsa, gain, usually unjust). Moses reports the appointment in Deut 1:15: 'captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens'.

Verse 23

and God command thee so — Jethro's counsel waits on the LORD's word. 'Endure' is amad, to stand, the verb of v.13 where the people 'stood by' Moses from morning to evening. With the load shared, Moses stands and the people go 'to their place in peace' (shalom). Verse 24 records that Moses 'did all that he had said'.

Verse 27

into his own land — Jethro goes home to Midian. In Num 10:29–30 Moses asks 'Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law' to come with Israel to the promised land, and the answer is the same: 'I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.'