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Exodus 18

Exodus 18 joins praise for YHWH’s deliverance with counsel for sharing the burden of governing his people.

Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law, arrives at Israel’s wilderness camp with Moses’ wife and two sons. Moses recounts YHWH’s rescue of Israel, and Jethro responds with praise and sacrifice. The next day, he watches Moses judge disputes from morning to evening while the people wait. He warns that this burden will wear out both Moses and the people. Moses accepts his counsel and appoints other judges, keeping the hard cases for himself.

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1Now Jethro, 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.
3and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land”.
4The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.”
5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.
7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.
8Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
9Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10Jethro 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.
11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”
12Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
15Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.”
18You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
19Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.
20You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
22Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
23If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
26They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Exodus 18:11Jethro’s confession identifies YHWH’s supremacy as the truth revealed through Israel’s rescue from Egypt.
Exodus 18:21The proposed judges must combine ability with fear of God, truthfulness, and hatred of unjust gain.
Exodus 18:4Eliezer’s name preserves Moses’ memory of God’s help, placing his own rescue beside the account of Israel’s deliverance.
Where this chapter reaches

Deuteronomy recounts the appointment of judges to share Moses’ burden, while Numbers describes elders helping him bear responsibility for the people. Acts shares the pattern of appointing qualified men to meet a community’s needs while its leading servants retain their central tasks.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out in Jethro’s response to hearing both Israel’s hardships and YHWH’s deliverance?

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How does Jethro’s concern for both Moses and the waiting people shape your view of shared responsibility?

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Questions people ask about Exodus 18

Who was Jethro in Exodus 18?

Jethro is identified as the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law. He brings Zipporah and her two sons to Moses at the Mountain of God. After hearing about Israel’s rescue, he praises YHWH and offers sacrifices. The chapter does not explain the full history of his faith.

What advice did Jethro give Moses in Exodus 18?

Jethro advises Moses to teach God’s laws and represent the people before God while appointing able, God-fearing, truthful men who hate unjust gain to judge smaller disputes. Hard cases would remain with Moses. He makes his counsel subject to God’s command and says it would spare both Moses and the people exhaustion.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).