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Exodus 18:22

in Exodus 18

Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

KJV

And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

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This verse in Exodus 18

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

let them judge the people at all seasons

on Exodus 18:22-23

The plan sorts cases by weight, with every small matter settled below and every great matter carried up, and the stated aim is that they shall bear the burden with thee. Jethro then puts his own advice under review in the same breath he gives it, if thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so. He also names the destination as their place, which is the land, so a Midianite priest speaks of Canaan as Israel's home before Israel has a law.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And let them judge the people at all times,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

The head has need of the hands and feet, 1 Cor. xii. Great men should not only study to be useful themselves, but contrive how to make others useful, according as their capacity is. Such is Jethro's advice, by which it appears that though Moses excelled him in prophecy he excelled Moses in politics; yet, 3.

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.

The words behind it

20 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.

  • וְשָׁפְט֣וּand they will judge

    veshafetuH8199 →202 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָעָם֮the people

    haamH5971 →1873 times

  • בְּכָל־at every

    bekholH3605 →5413 times

  • עֵת֒time

    ʾetH6256 →296 times

  • וְהָיָ֞הand it will be

    vehayahH1961 →3559 times

  • כָּל־every

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • הַדָּבָ֤ר<the> matter

    hadavarH1697 →1440 times

  • הַגָּדֹל֙<the> great

    hagadolH1419 →526 times

  • יָבִ֣יאוּthey will bring

    yaviuH935 →2568 times

  • אֵלֶ֔יךָto you

    ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times

  • וְכָל־and every

    vekholH3605 →5413 times

  • הַדָּבָ֥ר<the> matter

    hadavarH1697 →1440 times

  • הַקָּטֹ֖ן<the> small

    hakatonH6996 →

  • יִשְׁפְּטוּ־they will judge

    yishpetu-H8199 →202 times

  • הֵ֑םthey

    hemH1992 →553 times

  • וְהָקֵל֙and lighten

    vehakelH7043 →82 times

  • מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָfrom on <the> yourself

    mealeikhaH5921 →5755 times

  • וְנָשְׂא֖וּand they will bear

    venaseuH5375 →656 times

  • אִתָּֽךְ׃with you

    ʾitakhH854 →929 times

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

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Exodus 18:26And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.7 worksDeuteronomy 1:17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”6 worksNumbers 11:17And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.5 worksNumbers 27:2the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said,3 worksNumbers 15:33Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation,3 worksNumbers 36:1Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them,3 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Leviticus 24:11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)3 worksExodus 18:18Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.2 worksDeuteronomy 17:8–9If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.2 worksRomans 13:6This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Numbers 11:17

    And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the…

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 10:6

      Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.

    • Numbers 11:25

      Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit…

    • 1 Corinthians 12:4–11

      There are different gifts, but the same Spirit.

    • 2 Kings 2:9

      After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,”…

    • 2 Kings 2:15

      When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down…

  • Through

    Exodus 18:26

    And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

    it leads to

    • Job 29:16

      I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

    • 1 Kings 3:16–28

      At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

  • Through

    Numbers 27:2

    the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said,

    it leads to

    • Deuteronomy 17:8–10

      If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will…

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 (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Exodus 18 →