Exodus 18:1-16

Jethro, Moses' Father-in-law

1 Now ¹Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife ²Zipporah, after he had sent her away,

3 and her ³two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have been ⁴a sojourner in a foreign land."

4 The other was named ⁵Eliezer, for he said, "⁶The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."

5 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where * he was camped, at ⁷the mount of God.

6 He sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her."

7 Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and ⁸he bowed down and ⁹kissed him; and they ¹⁰asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians ¹¹for Israel's sake *, all the ¹²hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how ¹³the LORD had delivered them.

9 Jethro rejoiced over all ¹⁴the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.

10 So Jethro said, "¹⁵Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 "Now I know that ¹⁶the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, ¹⁷it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people."

12 ¹⁸Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13 It came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening.

14 Now when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?"

15 Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me ¹⁹to inquire of God.

16 "When they have a ²⁰dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws."

Exodus 18:1-16 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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 2:16, 18; Exodus 3:1
• 2. Exodus 2:21; Exodus 4:25
• 3. Exodus 2:22; Exodus 4:20; Acts 7:29
• 4. Exodus 2:22
• 5. 1 Chronicles 23:15, 17
• 6. Genesis 49:25
• 7. Exodus 3:1, 12; Exodus 4:27; Exodus 24:13
• 8. Genesis 43:26, 28
• 9. Genesis 29:13; Exodus 4:27
• 10. Genesis 43:27; 2 Samuel 11:7
• 11. Exodus 4:23; Exodus 7:4, 5
• 12. Numbers 20:14; Nehemiah 9:32
• 13. Exodus 15:6, 16
• 14. Isaiah 63:7-14
• 15. Genesis 14:20; 2 Samuel 18:28; 1 Kings 8:56; Psalms 68:19, 20
• 16. Exodus 12:12; Exodus 15:11; 2 Chronicles 2:5; Psalms 95:3; Psalms 97:9; Psalms 135:5
• 17. Luke 1:51
• 18. Genesis 31:54; Exodus 24:5
• 19. Numbers 9:6, 8; Numbers 27:5; Deuteronomy 17:8-13
• 20. Exodus 24:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "the name of the one was"
• [b]. Heb "ger"
• [c]. Lit "The name of the other was"
• [d]. Heb "El-ezer;" i.e. my God is help
• [e]. Lit "unto"
• [f]. Lit "said"
• [g]. Lit "in that He had delivered"
• [h]. Lit "him"
• [i]. Lit "indeed, in the thing in which they"
• [j]. Lit "them"
• [k]. Lit "bread"
• [l]. Lit "matter"