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Exodus 4:18

in Exodus 4

Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

KJV

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

This verse in Exodus 4

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Moses . . . returned to Jethro--Being in his service, it was right to obtain his consent, but Moses evinced piety, humility, and prudence, in not divulging the special object of his journey.

This site's exposition

Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro

on Exodus 4:18-19

God's word in verse 19 settles the danger: "all the men who sought to kill you are dead". Matthew 2:20 gives Joseph nearly the same words about Herod, "those seeking the Child’s life are now dead".

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Note, The honour of being admitted into communion with God, and of being employed for him, does not exempt us from the duties of our relations and callings in this world. Moses said nothing to his father-in-law (for aught that appears) of the glorious manifestation of God to him; such favours we are to be thankful for to God, but not to boast of before men.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren - Moses, having received his commission from God, and directions how to execute it, returned to his father-in-law, and asked permission to visit his family and brethren in Egypt, without giving him any intimation of the great errand on which he was going.

The words behind it

23 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.

  • וַיֵּ֨לֶךְand he went

    vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times

  • מֹשֶׁ֜הMoses

    moshehH4872 →765 times

  • וַיָּ֣שָׁב׀and he returned

    vaiyashovH7725 →1056 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • יֶ֣תֶרJethro

    yeterH3500 →

  • חֹֽתְנ֗וֹfather-in-law his

    chotenoH2859 →33 times

  • וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • לוֹ֙to <the> him

    lo

  • אֵ֣לְכָהlet me go

    ʾelekhahH1980 →1546 times

  • נָּ֗אplease

    na'H4994 →404 times

  • וְאָשׁ֙וּבָה֙so I may return

    veashuvahH7725 →1056 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אַחַ֣יrelatives my

    ʾachaiH251 →630 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־who

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם[are] in Egypt

    bemitzrayimH4714 →641 times

  • וְאֶרְאֶ֖הso I may see

    veerehH7200 →1300 times

  • הַעוֹדָ֣ם¿ [are] still they

    haodamH5750 →490 times

  • חַיִּ֑יםliving

    chaiyimH2416 →498 times

  • וַיֹּ֧אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • יִתְר֛וֹJethro

    yitroH3503 →9 times

  • לְמֹשֶׁ֖הto Moses

    lemoshehH4872 →765 times

  • לֵ֥ךְgo

    lekhH1980 →1546 times

  • לְשָׁלֽוֹם׃to peace

    leshalomH7965 →236 times

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

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

    Luke 7:50

    And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

    it leads to

    • Mark 5:34

      “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

    • Luke 8:48

      “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

    • Luke 18:42

      “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.”

    • Matthew 9:22

      Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was cured from that very hour.

    • Mark 10:52

      “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

  • Through

    1 Timothy 6:1

    All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited.

    it leads to

    • 1 Peter 2:17–20

      Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

  • Through

    Exodus 3:1

    Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 19:8

      So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

    • Exodus 17:6

      Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in…

Where this verse is studied

About Exodus

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.