Exodus 18:13

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 18:13-27

Here is, I. The great zeal and industry of Moses as a magistrate. 1. Having been employed to redeem Israel out of the house of bondage, herein he is a further type of Christ, that he is employed as a lawgiver and a judge among them. (1.) He was to answer enquiries, to acquaint them with the will of God in doubtful cases, and to explain the laws of God that were already given them, concerning the sabbath, the man, etc., beside the laws of nature, relating both to piety and equity, Exod. 18:15.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 18:13

And it came to pass on the morrow ,.... The above Targum paraphrases it,"on the day after the day of atonement:'and so Jarchi observes the same, out of a book of theirs called Siphri; but rather this was either the day after the entertainment of Jethro with Aaron and the elders in the tent of Moses, or the day after Jethro's coming, as Aben Ezra: that Moses sat to judge the people ; though his father-in-law was come to visit him, yet he did not neglect the care of his people, and the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 18:13

To judge the people - To hear and determine controversies between man and man, and to give them instruction in things appertaining to God. From the morning unto the evening - Moses was obliged to sit all day, and the people were continually coming and going. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 18:13

Verse 13 13.And it came to pass. A memorable circumstance, and one well worth knowing, is here introduced. In that form of government over which God presided, and which He honored with extraordinary manifestations of His glory, there was something deserving of reprehension, which Jethro corrected; and again, Moses himself, the mighty Prophet, and with whom alone God was thus familiar, was deservedly reproved for inconsiderately wearing away both himself and the people by excessive labor. It was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:1-13

The visit of Jethro. When Jethro " heard of all that God had done for Moses,"—a hint that the news of the great events of the past few weeks had spread far and wide through the Sinaitic peninsula,—and when he learned that the Israelites were encamped at the Mount of God, within reachable distance of the Midianitish settlement (cf. Exodus 3:1 ), he at once resolved on paying his former friend, who had so suddenly blazed into an unexpected greatness, a personal visit. He came,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:13

On the morrow . The day after Jethro's arrival. Moses sat to judge the people . Moses, i.e ; took his seat in an accustomed place, probably at the door of his tent, and. was understood to be ready to hear and decide causes. The people stood by Moses. A crowd of complainants soon collected, and kept Moses employed incessantly from the morning, when he had taken his seat, until the evening, i.e; until nightfall. It is conjectured that many complaints may have arisen out of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:13-16

The Christian in Public Paths. "Moses sat to judge the people: and the people," etc. ( Exodus 18:13 ). Explain with accuracy the work of Moses. On such a text might be based a homily on the functions, work and bearing of a civil magistrate or judge. But it is better to give the subject a wider application, and to treat it under Christian lights. I. THE FUNCTIONS OF A CHRISTIAN . Moses sat as a prophet, expounding the Divine will, as revealed to his exalted soul by the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:13-26

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:13-26

Jethro's advice. In considering this passage it is desirable to form some distinct opinion as to the time of Jethro's visit to Moses . How comes this episode to be mentioned at all , and what is its point of attachment to the main course of the history? Evidently it would not have been inserted unless as explaining how these rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, had first been appointed. The origin of this appointment is then seen to be traceable to Jethro's prudent and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 18:13-27

The appointment of judges. During the few days that Jethro was with Moses, he did the latter an essential service, and initiated nothing short of a revolution in the manner of conducting judicial business. Besides its immediate lessons (noted below), this incident of the appointment of judges is valuable as illustrating— 1 . The scope left in the arrangements of Israel for the independent action of the human mind. Various examples of this occur in the history— e.g; the retention of... read more

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