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Exodus 18:14

in Exodus 18

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?

KJV

And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

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This verse in Exodus 18

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

Moses sat to judge the people

on Exodus 18:13-14

This is the first court in Israel and it has one judge in it, with the people standing from the morning unto the evening. The cases themselves are never described, and chapter 17 has just recorded a battle with Amalek and the division of what came out of it. Jethro's question is about the shape of the arrangement rather than the rulings, why sittest thou thyself alone.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Those think of themselves above what is meet who think it below them to do good. It is the honour even of angels themselves to be serviceable. [3.] Though the people had been provoking to him, and were ready to stone him ( ch. xvii.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Wisdom is profitable to direct, that we may neither content ourselves with less than our duty nor over-task ourselves with that which is beyond our strength. He advised him to such a model of government as would better answer the intention, which was, (1.) That he should reserve to himself all applications to God (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

And when Moses's father in law saw all that he did to the people,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Moses sat to judge the people, &c.--We are here presented with a specimen of his daily morning occupations; and among the multifarious duties his divine legation imposed, it must be considered only a small portion of his official employments.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE MORROW, i.e., on the morrow of the day on which they held the above-mentioned [feast], THAT MOSES SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE. In the Mechilta, the Rabbis have said: 81 Mechilta on the verse here. “ On the morrow.
Ramban: Spain, 1194–1270 · Ramban on Exodus 18:13:1, via Sefaria, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

29 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיַּרְא֙and he saw

    vaiyar'H7200 →1300 times

  • חֹתֵ֣ן[the] father-in-law of

    chotenH2859 →33 times

  • מֹשֶׁ֔הMoses

    moshehH4872 →765 times

  • אֵ֛ת<obj.>

    ʾetH853 →10935 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־that

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • ה֥וּאhe

    hu'H1931 →1879 times

  • עֹשֶׂ֖ה[was] doing

    ʾosehH6213 →2628 times

  • לָעָ֑םfor the people

    laamH5971 →1873 times

  • וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • מָֽה־what?

    mah-H4100 →752 times

  • הַדָּבָ֤ר[is] the thing

    hadavarH1697 →1440 times

  • הַזֶּה֙<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • אַתָּ֤הyou

    ʾatahH859 →1094 times

  • עֹשֶׂה֙[are] doing

    ʾosehH6213 →2628 times

  • לָעָ֔םfor the people

    laamH5971 →1873 times

  • מַדּ֗וּעַwhy?

    madua'H4069 →72 times

  • אַתָּ֤ה[are] you

    ʾatahH859 →1094 times

  • יוֹשֵׁב֙sitting

    yoshevH3427 →1079 times

  • לְבַדֶּ֔ךָto alone you

    levadekhaH905 →200 times

  • וְכָל־and all

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • הָעָ֛םthe people

    haamH5971 →1873 times

  • נִצָּ֥ב[is] standing

    nitzavH5324 →75 times

  • עָלֶ֖יךָat you

    ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • בֹּ֥קֶרmorning

    bokerH1242 →214 times

  • עַד־until

    ʾad-H5704 →1261 times

  • עָֽרֶב׃evening

    ʾarevH6153 →134 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

1 in all, six open

About Exodus

The Giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Exodus: the study guide →Read Exodus 18 →

This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Exodus 18 →