Jethro

"His excellence." A prince or priest of Midian, who succeeded his father Reuel (Raguel). Moses spent time after his exile from the Egyptian court as keeper of Jethro's flocks. He gave to Moses Zipporah, one of his seven daughters, and she bore him two sons: Gershom and Eliezer.1 While the Israelites were encamped at Sinai, and soon after their victory over Amalek, Jethro came to meet Moses, bringing with him Zipporah and her two sons. They met at the "mount of God," and "Moses told him all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh."2

On the following day Jethro, observing the multiplicity of the duties devolving on Moses, advised him to appoint subordinate judges, rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, to decide smaller matters, leaving only the weightier matters to be referred to Moses, to be laid before God. This advice Moses adopted.3

In Num. 10:29, Moses' father-in-law is called Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite.

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References

Notes

  1. Ex. 2:21-22.
  2. Ex. 18:8.
  3. Ex. 18.

Source

  • Easton, M.G. (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

This article incorporates text from Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897) by M.G. Easton, which is in the public domain.