Exodus 18:17

17 "What you're doing is not good," Moses' father-in-law said to him.

Exodus 18:17 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 18:17

And Moses's father in law said unto him
Having observed what he did, and heard his answer to the question he put to him:

the thing that thou doest is not good;
not meaning that it was not morally good, or that it was morally evil; for it was certainly a good thing to inquire of the mind and will of God for the people, and to hear and decide matters in controversy between them, and do justice to both parties; but it was not good for the health of Moses; it was not commodious and convenient for him; it was not for his bodily welfare; it was too much for him, as he explains himself in the next verse.

Exodus 18:17 In-Context

15 Moses replied to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16 Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach [them] God's statutes and laws."
17 "What you're doing is not good," Moses' father-in-law said to him.
18 "You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can't do it alone.
19 Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to Him.
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