Atomic Bible

Moses' father-in-law, priest of Midian

Jethro

Named in 11 verses across 2 books, first in Exodus 2:18.

יִתְרוֹJethro

יֶ֫תֶרJethro

ΙωθώρJothor

רְעוּאֵלReuel

Also called Jothor, Reuel.

The name means “his excellence; his posterity.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

Children
Zipporah, Hobab
People
Midian

About Jethro Written by AI

Jethro, also referred to as Reuel, was Moses' father-in-law and a priest of Midian. He is first mentioned in Exodus 2:18, where his daughters tell him about Moses defending them at a well. Later, in Exodus 3:1, Moses is described as tending Jethro's flock when he encounters the burning bush. After the Exodus, Jethro visits Moses in the wilderness, bringing along Moses' wife Zipporah and their two sons (Exodus 18:1 to 6). Jethro praises God for the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 18:9 to 10) and offers sacrifices to God (Exodus 18:12). Observing Moses' heavy workload in judging the people, Jethro advises him to appoint capable men to share the burden (Exodus 18:13 to 23). Moses follows this advice and bids farewell to Jethro, who returns to his own land (Exodus 18:24 to 27). In Numbers 10:29, Moses invites Hobab, identified as Reuel's son, to join the Israelites on their journey, suggesting a continued relationship between Moses and Jethro's family.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

His excellence, or gain, a prince or priest of Midian, who succeeded his father Reuel. Moses spent forty years after his exile from the Egyptian court as keeper of Jethro’s flocks. 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” (Ex. 18:8). 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 the Lord. This advice Moses adopted (Ex. 18). He was also called Hobab (q.v.), which was probably his personal name, while Jethro was an official name. (See MOSES.)

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

GenesisMatthewRevelation

Where the Bible names him

  1. Exodus 2:18

    When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

  2. Exodus 3:1

    Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

  3. Exodus 4:18

    Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

  4. Exodus 18:1

    Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

  5. Exodus 18:2

    After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her,

  6. Exodus 18:5

    Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where he was encamped at the mountain of God.

  7. Exodus 18:6

    He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

  8. Exodus 18:9

    And Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had rescued from the hand of the Egyptians.

  9. Exodus 18:10

    Jethro declared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians.

  10. Exodus 18:12

    Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

  11. Numbers 10:29

    Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”

From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.