Exodus 18:7
in Exodus 18So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and went into the tent.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.
KJV
And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.
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This verse in Exodus 18
Commentary
2 notes on this verseAnd did obeisance - וישתחו vaiyishtachu, he bowed himself down, (See Clarke’s note on Gen 17:3, and See Clarke’s note on Exo 4:31); this was the general token of respect. And kissed him; the token of friendship. And they asked each other of their welfare; literally, and they inquired, each man of his neighbor, concerning peace or prosperity; the proof of affectionate intercourse. These three things constitute good breeding and politeness, accompanied with sincerity.
This site's exposition
Moses went out to meet his father in law
on Exodus 18:7-8
Moses bows and kisses a Midianite shepherd in front of the camp he leads, which is the courtesy of a son in law rather than the bearing of a national head. Matthew Henry takes the scene as a rule about relatives, that a man whom God has advanced still owes what he owed before. What Moses then hands over is a report that includes the hard road as well as the victory, all the travail that had come upon them by the way.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּצֵ֨א | vaiyetze' | and he went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֜ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| לִקְרַ֣את | likrat | to meet | H7122 → | 139 times |
| חֹֽתְנ֗וֹ | choteno | father-in-law his | H2859 → | 33 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ | vaiyishtachu | and he bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| וַיִּשַּׁק־ | vaiyishak- | and he kissed | H5401 → | |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | <to> him | ||
| וַיִּשְׁאֲל֥וּ | vaiyishalu | and they asked | H7592 → | 171 times |
| אִישׁ־ | ʾish- | each | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לְרֵעֵ֖הוּ | lereehu | of neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| לְשָׁל֑וֹם | leshalom | to welfare | H7965 → | 236 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ | vaiyavou | and they went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הָאֹֽהֱלָה׃ | haohelah | the tent towards | H168 → | 345 times |
וַיֵּצֵ֨אand he went out
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
מֹשֶׁ֜הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
לִקְרַ֣אתto meet
likratH7122 →139 times
חֹֽתְנ֗וֹfather-in-law his
chotenoH2859 →33 times
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙and he bowed down
vaiyishtachuH7812 →172 times
וַיִּשַּׁק־and he kissed
vaiyishak-H5401 →
ל֔וֹ<to> him
lo
וַיִּשְׁאֲל֥וּand they asked
vaiyishaluH7592 →171 times
אִישׁ־each
ʾish-H376 →1663 times
לְרֵעֵ֖הוּof neighbor his
lereehuH7453 →188 times
לְשָׁל֑וֹםto welfare
leshalomH7965 →236 times
וַיָּבֹ֖אוּand they went
vaiyavouH935 →2568 times
הָאֹֽהֱלָה׃the tent towards
haohelahH168 →345 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Genesis 18:2And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
- Genesis 18:22
And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
- Genesis 19:1
Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
- Judges 13:3
The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
- Genesis 23:7
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
- Hebrews 13:2
Through
1 Kings 2:19So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne…
it leads to
- Psalms 45:9
The daughters of kings are among your honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
- Psalms 45:9
Through
Genesis 29:13When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that…
it leads to
- Genesis 24:29
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.
- Genesis 24:29
Through
Genesis 14:17After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 18:18
During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the…
- 2 Samuel 18:18
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.