Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 18
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Exodus 18
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Exodus 18
"Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses` father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt." — Exodus 18:1 (ASV)
The people want decisions which they can feel to have Divine sanction—they “come to him to enquire of God”—and the ruling of inferior judges would not be regarded by them as equally authoritative.
"And Jethro, Moses` father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses` wife, after he had sent her away," — Exodus 18:2 (ASV)
He does not simply judge— that is, decide the particular question brought before him; but he takes the opportunity to educate and instruct the people in delivering his judgments—he makes them know the statutes of God and His laws—he expounds principles and teaches morality. Both reasons were clearly of great weight, and constituted strong arguments in favour of his practice.
"and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land:" — Exodus 18:3 (ASV)
Gershom. —See Note on Exodus 2:22.
"and the name of the other was Eliezer; for [he said], The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh." — Exodus 18:4 (ASV)
Eliezer. —Eliezer is supposed to have been the boy whom Zipporah circumcised in the wilderness (Exodus 4:25). He grew to manhood and had a son, Rehabiah (1 Chronicles 23:17), whose descendants were in the time of David very numerous (1 Chronicles 23:17; and compare to 1 Chronicles 26:25–26). It is uncertain whether Moses gave him his name before parting from him, in allusion to his escape from the Pharaoh who sought to slay him (Exodus 2:15), or first named him on occasion of receiving him back, in allusion to his recent escape from the host that had been destroyed in the Red Sea.
"And Jethro, Moses` father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:" — Exodus 18:5 (ASV)
Where he encamped at the mount of God. — It is quite possible that “the mount of God” may be here used, in a broad sense, of the entire Sinaitic mountain-region, as “wilderness” is just before used in the broad sense of the infertile region between Egypt and Palestine. Or the movement described in Exodus 19:1-2 may have taken place before Jethro’s arrival, though not related until after it. We must bear in mind that Exodus was probably composed in detached portions, and arranged afterwards. The present chapter has every appearance of being one such detached portion.
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