Bible Character Explorer
Exodus and Wilderness • c. 1400s BC
Jethro
The Wise Father-in-LawThe Midianite priest whose wisdom shaped Israel's system of justice and who welcomed Moses in exile.
"Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone."
Exodus 18:18 (KJV)
Overview
Jethro was a priest of Midian who welcomed Moses when he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian, gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage, and employed him as a shepherd for forty years, a season of quiet preparation before Moses's call at the burning bush. After the exodus, Jethro traveled to meet Moses in the wilderness, bringing Zipporah and their sons, rejoiced at hearing all the Lord had done for Israel, and offered a sacrifice and worship alongside Aaron and the elders. Observing Moses exhausted from personally judging every dispute among the people from morning to evening, Jethro offered wise counsel: appoint capable, God-fearing men as leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to share the burden, reserving only the hardest cases for Moses himself, counsel that Moses adopted and that became the structural foundation of Israel's judicial system.
Gospel Connection
Jethro's recognition of the Lord's supremacy after hearing of his mighty acts, and his shared worship alongside Israel's elders, offers an early foreshadowing of the gospel's ultimate reach beyond Israel to all nations, while his counsel to Moses to delegate leadership so that the burden of shepherding the people could be shared points toward the wisdom later reflected in the church's own structure of shared eldership and ministry.
Discover More
See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.