Exodus 18:6-16

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.

7 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and did obeisance and kissed him; and they asked each other of their peace; 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 in the way and how the LORD delivered them.

9 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.

10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has 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 in which they dealt proudly he prevailed against them.

12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took burnt offerings and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

13 And it came to pass another day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning unto the evening.

14 And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone and all the people stand before thee from morning unto evening?

15 And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God.

16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I declare unto them the statutes of God and his laws.

Exodus 18:6-16 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.