BibleWay
⌕

← People

Person · Midian

Jethro

Midianite living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness

Jethro, also known as Reuel, was Moses' father-in-law and a priest of Midian.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Jethro on the map →

Also known as Jether · Jothor · Reuel · Raguel

Jethro, also referred to as Reuel, was Moses' father-in-law and a priest of Midian. He is first mentioned in Exo.2.18, where his daughters tell him about Moses defending them at a well. Later, in Exo.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 (Exo.18.1-6). Jethro praises God for the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt (Exo.18.9-10) and offers sacrifices to God (Exo.18.12).

Observing Moses' heavy workload in judging the people, Jethro advises him to appoint capable men to share the burden (Exo.18.13-23). Moses follows this advice and bids farewell to Jethro, who returns to his own land (Exo.18.24-27). In Num.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.

Family

Children
ZipporahHobab

Connections

Part of: Moses and his circle

Jethro and Moses: father-in-law and adviser

FamilyStated in the text

Moses fled to Midian, married Jethro's daughter Zipporah, and tended his flock. After the Exodus Jethro visited, offered sacrifices, and advised Moses to delegate judging to capable men, the basis of Israel's tiered judiciary. He is called Reuel and Jethro, and Moses' brother-in-law Hobab is also named.

JethroFather of ZipporahMosesSon of AmramZipporahSister of Hobab
Where the text shows it: Exod 2:16-21 — Moses marries Zipporah, daughter of the priest of MidianExod 18:1-12 — Jethro visits, blesses God and sacrificesExod 18:13-26 — Jethro's judicial adviceNum 10:29 — Hobab, Moses' relative by marriage

Sources: Exod 2:16-21 · Exod 18:1-12 · Exod 18:13-26 · Num 10:29

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Jethro Easton 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.)

Read the full entry →

Jethro Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(his excellence) was priest or prince of Midian. Moses married his daughter Zipporah. (B.C. 1530.) On account if his local knowledge he was entreated to remain with the Israelites throughout their journey to Canaan. (Numbers 10:31,33) (He is called Raguel, Or Reuel, Reuel in (Exodus 2:18) And Raguel, Or Reuel in (Numbers 10:29), The same word int he original for both). Reuel is probably his proper name, and Jethro his official title.—ED.)

Read the full entry →

Jethro Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

his excellence; his posterity

Read the full entry →

Jethro Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

JE'THRO (His excellence), a priest or prince of Midian, and father-in-law of Moses. Ex 3:1. He is called Raguel, Num 10:29, and Reuel, Ex 2:18, and was probably known by either name, while Jethro was his official title. It is highly probable, too, that he was a descendant of Abraham by Keturah, the mother of Midian, Gen 25:2, but what was the nature of his office as priest (or prince, as some say it should be rendered) we know not. See Hobab.

Read the full entry →

Jethro Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

JE'THRO (His excellence), a priest or prince of Midian, and father-in-law of Moses. Ex 3:1. He is called Raguel, Num 10:29, and Reuel, Ex 2:18, and was probably known by either name, while Jethro was his official title. It is highly probable, too, that he was a descendant of Abraham by Keturah, the mother of Midian, Gen 25:2, but what was the nature of his office as priest (or prince, as some say it should be rendered) we know not. See Hobab.

Read the full entry →

Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Jethro appears

11 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3503

Exodus10
Numbers1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.