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Selected Verse: Exodus 18:1 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
Ex 18:1 |
Strong Concordance |
When Jethro [03503], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080], Moses [04872]' father in law [02859], heard [08085] of all that God [0430] had done [06213] for Moses [04872], and for Israel [03478] his people [05971], and that the LORD [03068] had brought [03318] Israel [03478] out of Egypt [04714]; |
|
King James |
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
VISIT OF JETHRO. (Exo. 18:1-27)
Jethro . . . came . . . unto Moses, &c.--It is thought by many eminent commentators that this episode is inserted out of its chronological order, for it is described as occurring when the Israelites were "encamped at the mount of God." And yet they did not reach it till the third month after their departure from Egypt (Exo 19:1-2; compare Deu 1:6, Deu 1:9-15). |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Jethro was, in all probability, the "brother-in-law" of Moses Exo 3:1. On the parting from Zipporah, see Exo 4:26. |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
The Amalekites had met Israel with hostility, as the prototype of the heathen who would strive against the people and kingdom of God. But Jethro, the Midianitish priest, appeared immediately after in the camp of Israel, not only as Moses' father-in-law, to bring back his wife and children, but also with a joyful acknowledgement of all that Jehovah had done to the Israelites in delivering them from Egypt, to offer burnt-offerings to the God of Israel, and to celebrate a sacrificial meal with Moses, Aaron, and all the elders of Israel; so that in the person of Jethro the first-fruits of the heathen, who would hereafter seek the living God, entered into religious fellowship with the people of God. As both the Amalekites and Midianites were descended from Abraham, and stood in blood-relationship to Israel, the different attitudes which they assumed towards the Israelites foreshadowed and typified the twofold attitude which the heathen world would assume towards the kingdom of God. (On Jethro, see Exo 2:18; on Moses' wife and sons, see Exo 2:21-22; and on the expression in Exo 18:2, "after he had sent her back," Exo 4:26.) - Jethro came to Moses "into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God." The mount of God is Horeb (Exo 3:1); and the place of encampment is Rephidim, at Horeb, i.e., at the spot where the Sheikh valley opens into the plain of er Rahah (Exo 17:1). This part is designated as a wilderness; and according to Robinson (1, pp. 130, 131) the district round this valley and plain is "naked desert," and "wild and desolate." The occasion for Jethro the priest to bring back to his son-in-law his wife and children was furnished by the intelligence which had reached him, that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt (Exo 18:1), and, as we may obviously supply, had led them to Horeb. When Moses sent his wife and sons back to Jethro, he probably stipulated that they were to return to him on the arrival of the Israelites at Horeb. For when God first called Moses at Horeb, He foretold to him that Israel would be brought to this mountain on its deliverance from Egypt (Exo 3:12).
(Note: Kurtz (Hist. of O. C. iii. 46, 53) supposes that it was chiefly the report of the glorious result of the battle with Amalek which led Jethro to resolve to bring Moses' family back to him. There is no statement, however, to this effect in the biblical text, but rather the opposite, namely, that what Jethro had heard of all that God had done to Moses and Israel consisted of the fact that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt. Again, there are not sufficient grounds for placing the arrival of Jethro at the camp of Israel, in the desert of Sinai and after the giving of the law, as Ranke has done. For the fact that the mount of God is mentioned as the place of encampment at the time, is an argument in favour of Rephidim, rather than against it, as we have already shown. And we can see no force in the assertion that the circumstances, in which we find the people, point rather to the longer stay at Sinai, than to the passing halt at Rephidim. For how do we know that the stay at Rephidim was such a passing one, that it would not afford time enough for Jethro's visit? It is true that, according to the ordinary assumption, only half a month intervened between the arrival of the Israelites in the desert of Sin and their arrival in the desert of Sinai; but within this space of time everything might have taken place that is said to have occurred on the march from the former to the latter place of encampment. It is not stated in the biblical text that seven days were absorbed in the desert of Sin alone, but only that the Israelites spent a Sabbath there, and had received manna a few days before, so that three or four days (say from Thursday to Saturday inclusive) would amply suffice for all that took place. If the Israelites, therefore, encamped there in the evening of the 15th, they might have moved farther on the morning of the 19th or 20th, and after a two days' journey by Dofkah and Alush have reached Rephidim on the 21st or 22nd. They could then have fought the battle with the Amalekites the following day, so that Jethro might have come to the camp on the 24th or 25th, and held the sacrificial meal with the Israelites the next day. In that case there would still be four or five days left for him to see Moses sitting in judgment a whole day long (Exo 18:13), and for the introduction of the judicial arrangements proposed by Jethro; - amply sufficient time, inasmuch as one whole day would suffice for the sight of the judicial sitting, which is said to have taken place the day after the sacrificial meal (Exo 18:13). And the election of judges on the part of the people, for which Moses gave directions in accordance with Jethro's advice, might easily have been carried out in two days. For, on the one hand, it is most probable that after Jethro had watched this severe and exhausting occupation of Moses for a whole day, he spoke to Moses on the subject the very same evening, and laid his plan before him; and on the other hand, the execution of this plan did not require a very long time, as the people were not scattered over a whole country, but were collected together in one camp. Moreover, Moses carried on all his negotiations with the people through the elders as their representatives; and the judges were not elected in modern fashion by universal suffrage, but were nominated by the people, i.e., by the natural representatives of the nation, from the body of elders, according to their tribes, and then appointed by Moses himself. - Again, it is by no means certain that Israel arrived at the desert of Sinai on the first day of the third month, and that only half a month (15 or 16 days) elapsed between their arrival in the desert of sin and their encamping at Sinai (cf. Exo 19:1). And lastly, though Kurtz still affirms that Jethro lived on the other side of the Elanitic Gulf, and did not set out till he heard of the defeat of the Amalekites, in which case a whole month might easily intervene between the victory of Israel and the arrival of Jethro, the two premises upon which this conclusion is based, are assumptions without foundation, as we have already shown at Exo 3:1 in relation to the former, and have just shown in relation to the latter.) |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Jethro to congratulate the happiness of Israel, and particularly the honour of Moses his son - in - law; comes to rejoice with them, as one that had a true respect both for them and for their God. And also to bring Moses's wife and children to him. It seems he had sent them back, probably from the inn where his wife's lothness to have her son circumcised had like to have cost him his life, Exo 4:25. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, etc. - Concerning this person and his several names, See Clarke's note on Exo 2:15, See Clarke's note on Exo 2:16, See Clarke's note on Exo 2:18, See Clarke's note on Exo 3:1, See Clarke's note on Exo 4:20, See Clarke's note on Exo 4:24. Jethro was probably the son of Reuel, the father-in-law of Moses, and consequently the brother-in-law of Moses; for the word חתן chothen, which we translate father-in-law, in this chapter means simply a relative by marriage. See Clarke's note on Exo 3:1. |
9 And I spake [0559] unto you at that time [06256], saying [0559], I am not able [03201] to bear [05375] you myself alone [0905]:
10 The LORD [03068] your God [0430] hath multiplied [07235] you, and, behold, ye are this day [03117] as the stars [03556] of heaven [08064] for multitude [07230].
11 (The LORD [03068] God [0430] of your fathers [01] make you a thousand [0505] times [06471] so many more as [03254] ye are, and bless [01288] you, as he hath promised [01696] you!)
12 How [0349] can I myself alone bear [05375] your cumbrance [02960], and your burden [04853], and your strife [07379]?
13 Take [03051] you wise [02450] men [0582], and understanding [0995], and known [03045] among your tribes [07626], and I will make [07760] them rulers [07218] over you.
14 And ye answered [06030] me, and said [0559], The thing [01697] which thou hast spoken [01696] is good [02896] for us to do [06213].
15 So I took [03947] the chief [07218] of your tribes [07626], wise [02450] men [0582], and known [03045], and made [05414] them heads [07218] over you, captains [08269] over thousands [0505], and captains [08269] over hundreds [03967], and captains [08269] over fifties [02572], and captains [08269] over tens [06235], and officers [07860] among your tribes [07626].
6 The LORD [03068] our God [0430] spake [01696] unto us in Horeb [02722], saying [0559], Ye have dwelt [03427] long enough [07227] in this mount [02022]:
1 In the third [07992] month [02320], when the children [01121] of Israel [03478] were gone forth [03318] out of the land [0776] of Egypt [04714], the same day [03117] came [0935] they into the wilderness [04057] of Sinai [05514].
2 For they were departed [05265] from Rephidim [07508], and were come [0935] to the desert [04057] of Sinai [05514], and had pitched [02583] in the wilderness [04057]; and there Israel [03478] camped [02583] before the mount [02022].
26 So he let him go [07503]: then she said [0559], A bloody [01818] husband [02860] thou art, because of the circumcision [04139].
1 Now Moses [04872] kept [01961] [07462] the flock [06629] of Jethro [03503] his father in law [02859], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080]: and he led [05090] the flock [06629] to the backside [0310] of the desert [04057], and came [0935] to the mountain [02022] of God [0430], even to Horeb [02722].
1 Now Moses [04872] kept [01961] [07462] the flock [06629] of Jethro [03503] his father in law [02859], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080]: and he led [05090] the flock [06629] to the backside [0310] of the desert [04057], and came [0935] to the mountain [02022] of God [0430], even to Horeb [02722].
1 In the third [07992] month [02320], when the children [01121] of Israel [03478] were gone forth [03318] out of the land [0776] of Egypt [04714], the same day [03117] came [0935] they into the wilderness [04057] of Sinai [05514].
13 And it came to pass on the morrow [04283], that Moses [04872] sat [03427] to judge [08199] the people [05971]: and the people [05971] stood [05975] by Moses [04872] from the morning [01242] unto the evening [06153].
13 And it came to pass on the morrow [04283], that Moses [04872] sat [03427] to judge [08199] the people [05971]: and the people [05971] stood [05975] by Moses [04872] from the morning [01242] unto the evening [06153].
12 And he said [0559], Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token [0226] unto thee, that [03588] I have sent [07971] thee: When thou hast brought forth [03318] the people [05971] out of Egypt [04714], ye shall serve [05647] God [0430] upon this mountain [02022].
1 When Jethro [03503], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080], Moses [04872]' father in law [02859], heard [08085] of all that God [0430] had done [06213] for Moses [04872], and for Israel [03478] his people [05971], and that the LORD [03068] had brought [03318] Israel [03478] out of Egypt [04714];
1 And all the congregation [05712] of the children [01121] of Israel [03478] journeyed [05265] from the wilderness [04057] of Sin [05512], after their journeys [04550], according to the commandment [06310] of the LORD [03068], and pitched [02583] in Rephidim [07508]: and there was no water [04325] for the people [05971] to drink [08354].
1 Now Moses [04872] kept [01961] [07462] the flock [06629] of Jethro [03503] his father in law [02859], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080]: and he led [05090] the flock [06629] to the backside [0310] of the desert [04057], and came [0935] to the mountain [02022] of God [0430], even to Horeb [02722].
26 So he let him go [07503]: then she said [0559], A bloody [01818] husband [02860] thou art, because of the circumcision [04139].
2 Then Jethro [03503], Moses [04872]' father in law [02859], took [03947] Zipporah [06855], Moses [04872]' wife [0802], after [0310] he had sent her back [07964],
21 And Moses [04872] was content [02974] to dwell [03427] with the man [0376]: and he gave [05414] Moses [04872] Zipporah [06855] his daughter [01323].
22 And she bare [03205] him a son [01121], and he called [07121] his name [08034] Gershom [01647]: for he said [0559], I have been a stranger [01616] in a strange [05237] land [0776].
18 And when they came [0935] to Reuel [07467] their father [01], he said [0559], How [04069] is it that ye are come [0935] so soon [04116] to day [03117]?
25 Then Zipporah [06855] took [03947] a sharp stone [06864], and cut off [03772] the foreskin [06190] of her son [01121], and cast [05060] it at his feet [07272], and said [0559], Surely a bloody [01818] husband [02860] art thou to me.
1 Now Moses [04872] kept [01961] [07462] the flock [06629] of Jethro [03503] his father in law [02859], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080]: and he led [05090] the flock [06629] to the backside [0310] of the desert [04057], and came [0935] to the mountain [02022] of God [0430], even to Horeb [02722].
24 And it came to pass by the way [01870] in the inn [04411], that the LORD [03068] met [06298] him, and sought [01245] to kill [04191] him.
20 And Moses [04872] took [03947] his wife [0802] and his sons [01121], and set [07392] them upon an ass [02543], and he returned [07725] to the land [0776] of Egypt [04714]: and Moses [04872] took [03947] the rod [04294] of God [0430] in his hand [03027].
1 Now Moses [04872] kept [01961] [07462] the flock [06629] of Jethro [03503] his father in law [02859], the priest [03548] of Midian [04080]: and he led [05090] the flock [06629] to the backside [0310] of the desert [04057], and came [0935] to the mountain [02022] of God [0430], even to Horeb [02722].
18 And when they came [0935] to Reuel [07467] their father [01], he said [0559], How [04069] is it that ye are come [0935] so soon [04116] to day [03117]?
16 Now the priest [03548] of Midian [04080] had seven [07651] daughters [01323]: and they came [0935] and drew [01802] water, and filled [04390] the troughs [07298] to water [08248] their father's [01] flock [06629].
15 Now when Pharaoh [06547] heard [08085] this thing [01697], he sought [01245] to slay [02026] Moses [04872]. But Moses [04872] fled [01272] from the face [06440] of Pharaoh [06547], and dwelt [03427] in the land [0776] of Midian [04080]: and he sat down [03427] by a well [0875].