John Calvin Commentary Exodus 2:18

"And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?" — Exodus 2:18 (ASV)

And when they came to Reuel³¹ I do not think any blame attaches to the daughters of Bethuel for not offering hospitality to Moses, because young women should be modest, and it would have been an act of too great forwardness to invite an unknown foreigner without informing their father.

But God inspires the heart of their father with gratitude, so that he desires that he be sent for. Moses, therefore, is brought from the well, and finds a home in which he may live comfortably, and is treated with kindness on account of his matrimonial alliance.

And certainly, there was need of some alleviation for his manifold cares and sorrows; since it was a hard trial, which would not only pain him greatly, but would have altogether overwhelmed him in despair unless the holy man had been supported in some way in enduring his forty years’ exile.

We may easily conjecture from our own feelings how great the weariness of so tedious a delay must have been, especially when he saw that the flower of his age was past, and that his strength was failing, so that he would afterwards be poorly suited for activity.

It was, therefore, difficult for him to be intent on that vocation, which might seem to be obsolete, and abrogated in this period of forty years.

These heavy troubles and anxieties were in some degree mitigated, yet not so completely as to prevent the recurrence of many opposing thoughts. Therefore, God’s grace is more astonishing, which kept him peaceful and calm in the midst of so many cares, so that, in expectation of the unknown time, he could be content with his modest and humble lot, and stand in daily preparation to perform the part of a deliverer.

As to the word יאל,³² yal, the Jews themselves do not agree: many think that it merely expresses consent; others take it to mean “to swear.”

And perhaps Bethuel was unwilling to give his daughter to an unknown guest unless he bound himself by an oath to live there, for otherwise it might be feared that Moses might take away his wife elsewhere. Thus, the marriage vow was a promise to remain. Hence, we see the integrity of that age: that the sanction of an oath, out of reverence for the name of God, was so strong that both were content with this bond.

³¹ In the Latin Geneva editions of 1573 and 1617, this name is printed, through the whole commentary on the chapter, Bethuel; but in the commentary on Numbers 10:29, Reuel; whilst A V. has Reuel here, and Raguel in Numbers. In Hebrew, the name in both cases is Reuel; but the Hebrew ע having no equivalent in either the Greek, Latin, or English alphabet, its occurrence has occasioned a dissimilar orthography of several proper names in different translations, or sometimes in the same translation, according as the translator happened to substitute for it a or o, or to omit it altogether. The LXX. seems to have been induced by mere similarity of shape to substitute γ for it in the middle of words, where a consonant seemed desirable.

³² יואל, A V., was content C states the question about the meaning of this word nearly as he found it stated in S M.; who had said, “Radix verbi יאל idem significat quod רצה, voluit, complacuit, consensit. Sunt tamen inter Hebraeos qui etiam אלה et נשבע, id est juravit, exponunt.” They who would interpret it he sware, must suppose יואל to be irregularly formed out of the verb אלה; whilst there is no irregularity of formation assumed by those who accept it as a part of the verb יאל, and consequently translate it consented, or was content — W