Exodus 18:24-27

"So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land."

Moses followed the excellent advice of the Priest of Midian, his father-in-law, although it is a mistake to think that he did it the same week Jethro was visiting him. The implementation of such an extensive system as that suggested by Jethro was not a task to be undertaken hastily. Moses' statement in this chapter to the effect that he did what Jethro suggested is included here with the narrative, where it belongs, but the actual appointment of the judges came later in Deuteronomy 1:12-18, where it appears that Moses also added a refinement of his own. He charged the people with the responsibility of picking out their judges, much in the same way as the apostles instructed the people to choose The Seven (Acts 6:3f).

The last verse of the chapter tells of the departure of Jethro. A moment's reflection will emphasize what an important and significant visit he had made: (1) He restored Moses' family to him, after their having been separated about one year; (2) as a legitimate priest of the Highest One, Jethro no doubt encouraged Moses, mentioning their peaceful entry into Canaan; (3) through his timely suggestion of a system of judges, he made a significant contribution to all subsequent history of Israel; (4) by the same device, he also greatly alleviated the heavy burden of administration which until then had rested upon Moses; and (5) he also offered burnt-offerings and sacrifices to the true God and enjoyed a wonderful meal of religious fellowship with the leaders of God's Chosen People. A Jewish writer complained of the blunt translation, "he let him depart," stating that this rendition "misses the idiom, the meaning being that, `Moses bade his father-in-law farewell,' as at Genesis 26:31."[30] Based on that, Rawlinson understood Jethro to be the brother-in-law of Moses. Surely, after such a glorious period of time together, the departure of Jethro must have been marked with all of the honors and courtesies that had welcomed him upon the occasion of his arrival.

All Israel must have deeply appreciated Jethro, because when the division of the land of Canaan was made among the tribes of Israel, Jethro (perhaps in the person of his descendants) received a portion (Josephus, op. cit., p. 151).