Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brings Zipporah and Moses' sons to the wilderness camp and rejoices upon hearing of God's deliverance. Jethro offers sacrifice and shares a meal with the elders before the Lord, acknowledging that YHWH is greater than all gods. Observing Moses' exhausting judicial role, Jethro advises delegating cases to capable men as rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, which Moses implements.
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Read Exodus Chapter 18 Summary
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Characters in This Chapter
Moses
Deliverer of Israel, mediator of the covenant, lawgiver, and prophet who spoke with God face to face
Aaron
Moses' brother, spokesman before Pharaoh, and first high priest of Israel
Pharaoh (of Exodus)
King of Egypt who oppressed Israel and hardened his heart against God, ultimately destroyed at the Red Sea
Miriam
Sister of Moses and Aaron, prophetess who led Israel in worship after the Red Sea crossing
Jethro
Moses' father-in-law, priest of Midian who advised Moses on leadership and organization
Joshua
Moses' assistant and military leader who fought the Amalekites and accompanied Moses on Sinai
Zipporah
Wife of Moses
Places in This Chapter
Egypt
View on MapLand of Israel's slavery and the setting for God's dramatic acts of judgment and redemption through the plagues
Red Sea
View on MapSite of Israel's miraculous deliverance where God parted the waters and destroyed Pharaoh's pursuing army
Mount Sinai
View on MapThe mountain of God where the covenant was established, the Law given, and God's glory descended in fire and cloud
Position in Book
Israel in EgyptChapters 1-2
The Call of MosesChapters 3-4
The Plagues and PassoverChapters 5-12
The Exodus and Red SeaChapters 13-15
Journey to SinaiChapters 16-18
God provides manna and quail in the wilderness, water from the rock, and victory over the Amalekites. Jethro advises Moses on leadership.
The Covenant at SinaiChapters 19-24
Instructions for the TabernacleChapters 25-31
The Golden CalfChapters 32-34
Construction of the TabernacleChapters 35-40
Bible Bites
The first person 'filled with the Spirit' was an artist
The very first person the Bible describes as 'filled with the Spirit of God' isn't a prophet or a king, it's Bezalel, a craftsman gifted for artistic design, gold-work and carving to build the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-5). Creativity itself is treated as a divine gift.
Exodus 31:1-5