Exodus 18:1-6

Jethro’s Visit to Moses at the Mountain of God

1 And Jethro, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, that Yahweh had brought Israel out from Egypt.
2 And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses after her sending away,
3 and her two sons--the one whose name [was] Gershom, for he had said, "I have been an alien in a foreign land,"
4 and the one [whose] name [was] Eliezer, for "the God of my father [was] my help, and he delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."
5 And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came and his sons and his wife to Moses, to the desert where he was camping there [at] the mountain of God.
6 And he said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, [am] coming to you and your wife and her two sons with her."

Exodus 18:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 18

This chapter gives an account of Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, with Zipporah his daughter, the wife of Moses, and her two sons, meeting him in the wilderness, who was kindly received by him, Ex 18:1-7 and on Moses' relating the great things God had done for Israel, Jethro expressed his joy on that account, gave praise to God, offered sacrifice, and kept a feast with the elders of Israel, Ex 18:8-12, and observing the constant and fatiguing business Moses had on his hands from morning to evening in judging the people, Ex 18:13-18, he gave him advice to appoint persons under him to receive laws and ordinances from him, he should have from God, and, according to them, judge and govern the people under them, some being rulers of thousands, others of hundreds, others of fifties, and some of tens, Ex 18:19-23, which counsel was acceptable to Moses, and he took it, Ex 18:24-26 and the chapter is concluded with their friendly parting, Ex 18:27.

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.