Exodus 18:18

18 You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Exodus 18:18 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 18:18

Thou wilt surely wear away
His natural strength and animal spirits, and so his flesh; he feared his constant application and attendance to business would impair his health, break his constitution, and bring him into a consumption. Moses was naturally of a strong and vigorous constitution; for, forty years after this, even to the time of his death, his natural force was not abated; or "fading thou wilt fade", or, "falling thou wilt fall" F18; in allusion to the leaves of trees in autumn, which fade, and wither, and fall:

both thou and this people that is with thee;
it was tiresome to the people, as well as fatiguing to Moses, who, because of the multitude of cases, were obliged to wait a long time, some of them from morning to night, and yet could not get their suit to come and so were obliged to attend next day, and perhaps day after day. The Targum of Jonathan is,

``even thou also, Aaron and his sons, and the elders that are with them;''

and so Jarchi; but these do not seem to have been assisting to him at all, as appears by what follows:

for this thing is too heavy for thee:
it was too great a burden upon his shoulders, what his strength was not equal to; for though his internal abilities were exceeding great, and he had a good will to the work, to serve God and his people, yet it was more, humanly speaking, than his bodily strength would admit of, or any mortal man could go through:

thou art not able to perform it thyself alone;
and this Moses was sensible of himself afterwards, and says the same thing, ( Deuteronomy 1:9 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (lbt lbn) "marcescendo marcesses", Montanus; so Ainsworth; "cadendo cades", Pagninus.

Exodus 18:18 In-Context

16 When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God."
17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
18 You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19 Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God;
20 teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.