When Moses fled Egypt as a murderer, he sat down by a well in Midian and defended seven sisters from shepherds. Their father, a priest named Reuel or Jethro, asked why they had left the man behind and invited him to eat. Moses stayed forty years, married his daughter Zipporah, and kept Jethro's flocks. That is where God met him at the burning bush.
After the exodus Jethro came to the camp. He listened to everything God had done, rejoiced, and said, Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods. The next day he watched Moses judge the people from morning to evening and told him plainly it was too much. His advice to appoint leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens shaped Israel.
“
What you are doing is not good.
Name means
“Excellence”; also called Reuel, “friend of God”
Home
Midian
Role
Priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law
Read in
Jethro's story
Counsel at the tent
Beginning
A stranger at the well
He welcomes Moses, a fugitive, and gives him a home and a wife.
Turning point
Go in peace
He sends Moses back to Egypt with his blessing.
High point
Hearing the story
He comes to the camp and rejoices at what the LORD has done.
High point
The LORD is greater
He confesses the LORD and offers sacrifices with Israel's elders.
Ending
Share the load
He counsels Moses to appoint judges, then goes home.
Starts as a priest of Midian. Ends as a man who confessed the LORD and shaped Israel's leadership.
Where Jethro lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
How Jethro is wired
Why there's no type here
Jethro appears in only a few scenes, so his temperament is too thinly recorded to type honestly.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Jethro
Hospitable to a stranger (). Generous, letting Moses go with his blessing (). Rejoiced in what God did for another people (). Wise, practical and honest in counsel ().
Where Jethro struggles
Scripture records no failing.
What Jethro wanted most
Scripture does not say. He wanted Moses not to wear himself out ().
Jethro, an outsider, came to know the LORD. Jesus opened the door wide for outsiders.
A Midianite priest heard what God had done and said, Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods (). Jesus said people would come from east and west to recline at the table in the kingdom (). Jethro's meal with Israel's elders before God was a small preview.
Questions to sit with
1
Jethro told Moses the truth: this is too much for you. Who in your life needs that kind of honesty, or who can give it to you?
2
He rejoiced at what God did for someone else. Whose story could you celebrate this week?
Study Jethro with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
