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פָּרָשָׁה יִתְרוֹ
Parsha 17. Yitro |
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This week’s commentary from First Fruits of Zion (Messianic) |
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| This Week’s Reading Schedule | |
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Sunday Review and meditate on last week’s Parsha Monday Rishon [1st]: 18:1-12 Sheni [2nd]: 18:13-23 Tuesday Shlishi [3rd]: 18:24-27 R'vi'i [4th]: 19:1-6 Wednesday Chamishi [5th]: 19:7-13 Shishi [6th]: 19:14-19 (S) 19:20-20:17 (A) Thursday Shvi'i [7th]: 19:20- 23 (S) 20:18-21 (A) Maftir [Concluding]: 20:24-26 (S) 20:22-26 (A) |
Friday Haftarah: (Selections)[GN] 9:5(6)– 6(7) (A) Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 6:1–13 (S) Ketuvei HaShalichim (Apostolic Writings) Basar: The Gospel Matt 19:16-26 Kepherim: Letters (optional) Acts 6:1–7 Romans 2:17–29; 7:7–12; 13:8–10; Ephesians 6:1–3; 1Timothy 3:1–14 2Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5–9; Hebrews 12:18–29; James 2:8–13; 1Peter 2:9–10 |
Listen to
Parsha Yitro read from the
CJB
e. Jethro’s Advice (18:1-27)
(i) 1 Now Moshe’s father-in-law YitroJethro, יִתְר֨וֹ ”His abundance”, the kohenpriest of Midyan,[1] heard about everything Elohim had done for Moshe and for His people Isra'el, and how ADONAI [GN] had brought Isra'el out of Egypt. 2 After Moshe had sent his wife TzipporahZipporah, צִפֹּרָ֖ה “bird” back, his father-in-law Yitro had taken her in, 3 along with her two sons. One son was named Gershomגֵּֽרְשֹׁ֔ם “foreigner”, for Moshe said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 The other was named Eli‘ezerאֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר “God is help”, for Moshe had said, “My father’s God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.” 5 Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro came with Moshe’s sons and his wife to Moshe into the wilderness where he was encamped at the Mountain of Elohim.[5] 6 He sent word to Moshe, “I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moshe recounted to his father-in-law all that ADONAI had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Isra'el’s sake, all the hardships they had encountered on the way, and how ADONAI had delivered[8] them. 9 Yitro rejoiced over all the good things ADONAI had done for Isra'el, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Yitro said, “Praise ADONAI Who has delivered [snatched] you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; Who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that ADONAI is greater than all other gods, for He did this when they treated Isra'el arrogantly.”[11] 12 Then Moshe’s father-in-law Yitro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to Elohim, and Aharon came with all the elders of Isra'el to eat bread with Moshe’s father-in-law in the presence of Elohim.
(ii) 13 The next day Moshe took his place to judge the people, and the people stood around Moshe from the morning until evening. 14 When Moshe’s father-in-law saw all he was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 “Because the people come to me to inquire of Elohim,” Moshe answered. 16 “Whenever they have a matter [dispute], they bring it to me to judge between a man and his neighbor, and I explain to them the statutes and Elohim’s instructions.”[16]
17 Moshe’s father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out,[18] because the task is too heavy [burdensome, massive, very oppressive] for you. You cannot handle it alone. 19 Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may Elohim be with you. You must be the people’s representative before Elohim, and bring their causes to Him. 20 Teach them the statutes and the instructions, and show them the way in which they must walk,[20] and the work that they are to do. 21 Moreover, you should select from all the people able men who fear Elohim: trustworthy men, who hate dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 Let them judge the people at all times. Then they can bring to you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so it will be easier on you as they share the load with you. 23 If you will follow this advice — and Elohim directs you to do so — then you will be able to endure, and all these people can also go home in peace.”
(iii) 24 So Moshe listened to his father-in-law and did everything he had said. 25 Moshe chose capable men from all Isra'el, and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 They judged the people at all times. They would bring the difficult cases to Moshe, but every minor issue they judged themselves. 27 Then Moshe sent his father-in-law on his way, and Yitro returned to his own land.
a. The Hebrew text has slightly different chapter and verse numbering than most English versions. [BACK]
1. The Midianites were the descendants of Avraham’s son Midyan, whose mother was Keturah (Gen 25:1-2). They very probably served the God of Avraham at this time (as demonstrated by Moshe’s relationship with his father-in-law), though later they may have turned to a multitude of false gods, including Baal-peor and the “Queen of Heaven,” Ashteroth (a.k.a., Semiramis, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Ishtar, Venus, and Diana, among other names and designations of the fertility goddess.) [BACK]
5. Most likely Jebel-al-Lawz [MAP] in Saudi Arabia. See the note on maps used in this commentary. [BACK]
8. The word translated “delivered” is נָצַל (natsal), which means to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder. We miss so much not being able to read the Tanakh in Hebrew! [BACK]
11. As previously noted, Yitro was a priest of the God of Abraham. He knew the stories of how God had dealt with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but now with Moshe relating to him all the mighty acts that God performed against the Egyptians and their gods, he really understood. [BACK]
16. “Statute” is חֹק (choq), statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due ; “law” is תּוֹרָה (torah), instruction, direction, law. [BACK]
18. The word translated "wear yourselves out" is נָבּל (nā·ḇōl), to be senseless, be foolish; to sink or drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade. We might say “work yourself into senseless exhaustion.” [BACK]
20. The word translated “walk” is הָלַךְ (halakh), which means to walk or travel, from which we derive the complex system of Jewish laws known as Halacha or Halakha (plural “Halakhot”), the blueprint upon which religious Jewish life is based. Unfortunately, down through the centuries the rabbis have added “fences” around the instruction that God has given, resulting in an extremely complex system of takanot, or the “traditions of the elders” that Yeshua often railed against (Matt 15:1-6; Mark 7:5-13).
5The P’rushim and the Torah-teachers asked Him, “Why don’t your talmidim live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” 6Yeshua answered them, “Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. 7Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’ 8You depart from God’s command and hold onto human tradition. 9Indeed,” He said to them, “you have made a fine art of departing from God’s command in order to keep your tradition! 10For Moshe said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11But you say, ‘If someone says to his father or mother, “I have promised as a korban”’” (that is, as a gift to God) “‘“what I might have used to help you,”’ 12then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13Thus, with your tradition which you had handed down to you, you nullify the Word of God! And you do other things like this.” [BACK]
Other commentaries on Exodus 18
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Pulpit Commentary
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
