Keluaran 18:2-5

18:2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back, 18:3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Moses ¹  had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”), 18:4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said, ²  “The God of my father has been my help ³  and delivered ⁴  me from the sword of Pharaoh”).

18:5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ ⁵  sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping by ⁶  the mountain of God. ⁷ 

Keluaran 18:19

18:19 Now listen to me, ⁸  I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, ⁹  and you bring ¹⁰  their disputes ¹¹  to God;

[18:3]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity (also in the following verse).

[18:4]  ² tn The referent (Moses) and the verb have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:4]  ³ tn Now is given the etymological explanation of the name of Moses’ other son, Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר, ’eli’ezer), which means “my God is a help.” The sentiment that explains this name is אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי (’elohe ’avi bÿ’ezri, “the God of my father is my help”). The preposition in the sentiment is the bet (ב) essentiae (giving the essence – see GKC 379 §119.i). Not mentioned earlier, the name has become even more appropriate now that God has delivered Moses from Pharaoh again. The word for “help” is a common word in the Bible, first introduced as a description of the woman in the Garden. It means to do for someone what he or she cannot do for himself or herself. Samuel raised the “stone of help” (Ebenezer) when Yahweh helped Israel win the battle (1 Sam 7:12).

[18:4]  ⁴ sn The verb “delivered” is an important motif in this chapter (see its use in vv. 8, 9, and 10 with reference to Pharaoh).

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:5]  ⁶ tn This is an adverbial accusative that defines the place (see GKC 373-74 §118.g).

[18:5]  ⁷ sn The mountain of God is Horeb, and so the desert here must be the Sinai desert by it. But chap. 19 suggests that they left Rephidim to go the 24 miles to Sinai. It may be that this chapter fits in chronologically after the move to Sinai, but was placed here thematically. W. C. Kaiser defends the present location of the story by responding to other reasons for the change given by Lightfoot, but does not deal with the travel locations (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:411).

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “hear my voice.”

[18:19]  ⁹ tn The line reads “Be you to the people before God.” He is to be their representative before God. This is introducing the aspect of the work that only Moses could do, what he has been doing. He is to be before God for the people, to pray for them, to appeal on their behalf. Jethro is essentially saying, I understand that you cannot delegate this to anyone else, so continue doing it (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 219-20).

[18:19]  ¹⁰ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative it will be instruction as well. Since the imperative preceding this had the idea of “continue to be” as you are, this too has that force.

[18:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “words”; KJV, ASV “the causes”; NRSV “cases”; NLT “questions.”