Exodus 18:1

The Advice of Jethro

18:1 ¹ Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that ²  the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ³ 

Nehemiah 9:9-15

9:9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ⁴  9:10 You performed awesome signs ⁵  against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians ⁶  had acted presumptuously ⁷  against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 9:11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through ⁸  the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuers ⁹  into the depths, like a stone into surging ¹⁰  waters. 9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.

9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them through ¹¹  Moses your servant. 9:15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told them to enter in order to possess the land that you had sworn ¹²  to give them.

Psalms 66:16

66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! ¹³ 

I will declare what he has done for me.

Psalms 71:17-20

71:17 O God, you have taught me since I was young,

and I am still declaring ¹⁴  your amazing deeds.

71:18 Even when I am old and gray, ¹⁵ 

O God, do not abandon me,

until I tell the next generation about your strength,

and those coming after me about your power. ¹⁶ 

71:19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; ¹⁷ 

you have done great things. ¹⁸ 

O God, who can compare to you? ¹⁹ 

71:20 Though you have allowed me to experience much trouble and distress, ²⁰ 

revive me once again! ²¹ 

Bring me up once again ²²  from the depths of the earth!

Psalms 105:1-2

Psalm 105 ²³ 

105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!

Call on his name!

Make known his accomplishments among the nations!

105:2 Sing to him!

Make music to him!

Tell about all his miraculous deeds!

Psalms 145:4-12

145:4 One generation will praise your deeds to another,

and tell about your mighty acts! ²⁴ 

145:5 I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor,

and your amazing deeds! ²⁵ 

145:6 They will proclaim ²⁶  the power of your awesome acts!

I will declare your great deeds!

145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, ²⁷ 

and sing about your justice. ²⁸ 

145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;

he is patient ²⁹  and demonstrates great loyal love. ³⁰ 

145:9 The Lord is good to all,

and has compassion on all he has made. ³¹ 

145:10 All he has made will give thanks to the Lord.

Your loyal followers will praise you.

145:11 They will proclaim the splendor of your kingdom;

they will tell about your power,

145:12 so that mankind ³²  might acknowledge your mighty acts,

and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.

[18:1]  ¹ sn This chapter forms the transition to the Law. There has been the deliverance, the testing passages, the provision in the wilderness, and the warfare. Any God who can do all this for his people deserves their allegiance. In chap. 18 the Lawgiver is giving advice, using laws and rulings, but then he is given advice to organize the elders to assist. Thus, when the Law is fully revealed, a system will be in place to administer it. The point of the passage is that a great leader humbly accepts advice from other godly believers to delegate responsibility. He does not try to do it all himself; God does not want one individual to do it all. The chapter has three parts: vv. 1-12 tell how Jethro heard and came and worshiped and blessed; vv. 13-23 have the advice of Jethro, and then vv. 24-27 tell how Moses implemented the plan and Jethro went home. See further E. J. Runions, “Exodus Motifs in 1 Samuel 7 and 8,” EvQ 52 (1980): 130-31; and also see for another idea T. C. Butler, “An Anti-Moses Tradition,” JSOT 12 (1979): 9-15.

[18:1]  ² tn This clause beginning with כִּי (ki) answers the question of what Jethro had heard; it provides a second, explanatory noun clause that is the object of the verb – “he heard (1) all that God had done… (2) that he had brought….” See R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 81, §490.

[18:1]  ³ sn This is an important report that Jethro has heard, for the claim of God that he brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt will be the foundation of the covenant stipulations (Exod 20).

[9:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Sea of Reeds.” Traditionally this is identified as the Red Sea, and the modern designation has been used in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”

[9:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ⁷ tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”

[9:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the midst of.”

[9:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who pursued them.”

[9:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “mighty.”

[9:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[9:15]  ¹² tn Heb “had lifted your hand.”

[66:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”

[71:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and until now I am declaring.”

[71:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”

[71:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.

[71:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your justice, O God, [is] unto the height.” The Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) is here a title for the sky/heavens.

[71:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you who have done great things.”

[71:19]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Who is like you?”

[71:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “you who have caused me to see many harmful distresses.”

[71:20]  ²¹ tn Heb “you return, you give me life.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will revive me once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[71:20]  ²² tn Heb “you return, you bring me up.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will bring me up once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[105:1]  ²³ sn Psalm 105. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God because he delivered his people from Egypt in fulfillment of his covenantal promises to Abraham. A parallel version of vv. 1-15 appears in 1 Chr 16:8-22.

[145:4]  ²⁴ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 4 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may one generation praise…and tell about.”

[145:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and the matters of your amazing deeds I will ponder.”

[145:6]  ²⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as an imperfect, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they proclaim.”

[145:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”

[145:7]  ²⁸ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”

[145:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).

[145:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).

[145:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”

[145:12]  ³² tn Heb “the sons of man.”