Jethro

JETHRO, Priest or Prince of Midian¹, the father-in-law of Moses. Some believe that he was Priest to the true God, and that he maintained the true Religion, as being a descendant of Midian, the son of Abraham and Keturah. Moses does not disguise his alliance with Jethro’s family, but invites him to offer Sacrifices to the Lord upon his Exod. xviii. 11, 12.arrival in the camp of Israel, as one who adored the same God with the Israelites. It is by some asserted, that he had four names, Jethro, Raguel, Hobab, and Ceni. Others will have it, that Jethro and Raguel were the same person; that Hobab was the son of Jethro, brother to Zipporah, and brotherin-law to Moses; and lastly, that Ceni is a common name signifying the country of the Kenites, inhabited by the posterity of Hobab, to the South of the promised Land. The Hebrew, Chothen², which St. Jerom translates cognatus, kinsman, is made use of in Numb. x. 29. to denote the degree of relation which was between Moses and Hobab. And in another place the same term is used to signify the same thing, Exod. xviii. 1, 27. Nevertheless in this place cited from Numbers, Hobab is called the son of Raguel. For which reason some others are of opinion, that Raguel is the father of Jethro, and Jethro the father of Hobab. On the other side, Raguel gives Zipporah to Moses in marriage, Exod. ii. 18, 21. The signification of the Hebrew, Chothen, not being fixed, it is impossible to be at any certainty in this question.

The occasion which gave Moses the opportunity of making an alliance with Jethro’s family, was this: Moses having killed an Egyptian, who abused an Hebrew, was obliged to fly out of Egypt. He retired into the land of Midian, to the East of the Red Sea, between the gulph of Elam and Heroopolis. As he sat down near a well where Jethro’s daughters were watering their cattle, there came some shepherds, who forced them away. Moses defended the young women, and watered their flock. Their father being informed of what had passed, sent for Moses to his house, and gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage. By Exod. ii. 15, 16, 17, &c. From the year of the World 2473 to 2513, before J. C. 1487, before the Vulgar Æra 1491.her Moses had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. After he had been forty years at Jethro’s, he had the vision of an Angel, who spoke to him in a burning bush, and enjoined him to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Jethro understanding what the Will of God was in this particular, permitted him to return into his own country with his wife and children. But Zipporah having been obliged to return to her father’s house in Midian, before she went into Egypt, Jethro brought her back to Moses, who was then incamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, about a year after the Hebrews came out of Egypta.

Jethro sending notice to Moses of his arrival, Exod. xviii. 1, 2, 3, &c.Moses went out of the camp, met him, fell prostrate before him, embraced him, introduced him into his tent, and related to him all that the Lord had done for the Israelites. Jethro blessed God for it, offered Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings, and ate with Moses, Aaron, and the Elders of Israel, in the presence of the Lord. The next day, Moses taking his seat in order to judge Israel, continued from morning to evening employed in this manner. Jethro remonstrated to him, that this was a fatigue above his strength to undergo, and would be tiresome both to himself and his people; that therefore he should chuse some men of firmness and fortitude, who feared God, and hated covetousness, that they might share with him in the weight of Government; that the cognizance of lesser affairs should be referr’d to them, and those of more consequence should be reserved to himself. Moses submitted easily to this advice, and chose certain men of merit out of all Israel, whom he appointed to have rule over the people; some over a thousand, others over an hundred, fifty, and ten. They administred justice to the people, and when any thing of greater difficulty than ordinary occurr’d, they referred it to Moses.

When the Israelites were upon the point of decamping from the Wilderness of Sinai, and proceeding on their journey towards the Land of Promise, Moses desired Jethro to continue with the people, that he might Exod. xviii. 27.be a guide to them: but Jethro refused, and returned to Midian, leaving, as some believe, Hobab his son, to conduct the IsraelitesNumb. x. 29. in the Wilderness. Hobab went with them to the Land of Promise, and had a share in the division of it made by Joshua. We do not know what befell Jethro after that time.

The Jews have published several fabulous accounts relating to Jethro, which we shall just touch upon by the way.³ They tell us in the first place, that he had six names; Jethro or Jether, Raguel, Chobab, Peni, Phutiel, and Chebar. They add, that being one of Pharaoh’s principal Counsellors, and giving moderate counsels, and such as were favourable to the Hebrews, whereas Balaam, another of this Prince’s Counsellors, was for taking measures that were quite contrary, he was obliged to fly from Pharaoh’s court, and retire to Midian. Thither he carried with him a rod of Saphire, which was created on the sixth day of the World, and had been delivered down from time to time successively from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; and last of all to Pharaoh. Jethro found the secret of carrying it off to Midian; and having fixed it in the ground in his own garden, he could never pluck it out: but Moses by the help of God’s name, the pronunciation whereof he understood, pulled it up very easily; and to this he owed his marriage with Zipporah. And with this same rod it was, that he afterwards wrought so many miracles. They believe that he wrote that section in the Pentateuch, which they call Jethro. The Mahometans call him Soaib; a name observed to be in Saadias, and the Arabic version of Exodus.

You have in the following account several curious, but uncertain particulars, of Jethro’s life, which have been handed Bibl. Orient. p. 790. Schoalb.down to us by the Arabians. They say one Michael the son of Taskir, and grandson of Midian, was his father: this last was the immediate son of Ishmael, according to the Author of Leb-Tarik; for Moses makes no mention of Midian among the sons of IshmaelGen. xxv. 13, 14.. Jethro gave his son-in-law Moses the miraculous rod, with which he performed so many prodigies. He was favoured with the gift of prophecy, and God sent him to his countrymen the people of Midian, to preach the Unity of God, and withdraw them from idolatry. Mahomet says, that he wrought miracles⁴ to convert this nation; and one of his Commentators affirms, that whenever Jethro had a mind to perform his devotions on the top of a certain Mountain, the Mountain became lower, in order to render the ascent more easy to him.

Another Commentator on the Alcoran says, that Jethro took pains principally to reform the bad custom which the Midianites had, of stealing, of having two sorts of weights and measures; of buying by the larger, and selling by the smaller. He was often used to say to them, Get just weights and measures, and defraud no man of what belongs to him. Besides these frauds which the Midianites committed in their way of trading, they offered violence to travellers, and robb’d them with impunity on the high-ways. They threatned even Jethro to drive him out of their country, together with his disciples, if they did not all return to those wicked practices which were in vogue among them.

Euseb. de nomin. Hebr.This insolence obliged God to manifest his wrath, in shewing them an example of his just severity. He sent the Angel Gabriel, who, with a voice like thunder, and a dreadful cry, set the Earth a trembling, and this Earthquake was the destruction of them all, except Jethro, and them, who like him, believed the Unity of God. It was after this punishment that Jethro went to his son-in-law Moses, as is related in Exodus xviii. 1, 2, 3. and following verses. The advice which Jethro gave Moses upon this occasion, made the Mussulmen call him, The Preacher of the Prophets.

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