And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
9. rejoiced ] A very rare word in Heb., occurring besides only Job 3:6, and (in the causative conj.) Psa 21:6 b; but common in Aramaic.
delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians ] cf. Exo 3:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Exo 18:9-12
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness.
Lessons
1. The Churchs friends rejoice in all the good done for it, and deliverance of it.
2. As Jehovah is the cause of good and deliverance to His Church, so He is the object of their joy (Exo 18:9).
3. Joyful hearts for the Churchs good are thankful hearts to God for the same.
4. Deliverance of special relations, but especially of the Church, from powers of enemies is just matter of thanksgiving (Exo 18:10).
5. Experience of the mighty works of God perfects the knowledge of Himself.
6. The great works of God set Him above all that are so called.
7. The pride of enemies exalts the power of God above them (Exo 18:11).
8. Knowledge of God is best expressed in sacrificing and worship of Him.
9. Holy feasting is consistent with Gods holy worship.
10. Gods glory must terminate all sacrificing and eating among His people.
11. Eminent members of the Church may not disdain communion with true proselytes (Exo 18:12). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness] Every part of Jethro’s conduct proves him to have been a religious man and a true believer. His thanksgiving to Jehovah (Ex 18:10) is a striking proof of it; he first blesses God for the preservation of Moses, and next for the deliverance of the people from their bondage.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel,…. In giving them the manna and the well, as the above Targum, bread to eat when hungry, and water to drink when thirsty; to which Jarchi adds, and the law, for he supposes the meeting of Jethro and Moses was after the law was given on Mount Sinai, though here recorded; but this goodness may be extended to other things, as the saving of their firstborn at the time of the Lord’s passover, giving them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, of whom they borrowed or asked things of value, of gold, silver, and jewels, bringing them out of Egypt with an high hand, going before them in a pillar of cloud and fire by day and night, dividing the waters of the sea for them to pass through as on dry land, and doing for them the above things related, and giving them victory over Amalek; and it may be observed that the joy of Jethro was not merely on account of the goodness of God done to Moses, a relation of his, having married his daughter; but because of the great and good things God had done for Israel, his special and peculiar people, the worshippers of the true and living God, for whom Jethro had an affection, because they were so, and therefore rejoiced in their prosperity: whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians; whom he had wrought upon to give them leave to depart from them, and destroyed them when they pursued after them, first delivered them from their bondage, and then from their rage and wrath.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. Jethro rejoiced For he was possessed of that high, reverent spirit which gladly accepts the lessons of God’s mighty works . Although outside of the chosen people, he joyfully accepts and profits by their higher revelations .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jethro Rejoices In Yahweh With The Leaders of Israel ( Exo 18:9-12 ).
a
b Jethro says, ‘Blessed be Yahweh who has delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians’ (Exo 18:10).
c He declares his new vision of Yahweh. ‘Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods, yes, in the things in which they dealt proudly against them’ (Exo 18:11).
b Jethro takes a whole burnt offering and sacrifices for God, thus offering blessing to God (Exo 18:12 a).
a Aaron and all the elders of Israel come to eat food with Moses’ father-in-law before God (Exo 18:12 b).
Note in ‘a’ how Jethro’s acknowledgement of the goodness of Yahweh and of His doings results in the parallel in Aaron and the elders of Israel coming to eat with him. While in ‘b’ He blesses Yahweh and His declaration of the supremacy of Yahweh results in his offering a whole burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and thus in his ‘blessing’ Him. In ‘c’ He has been caught up with Israel in Israel’s God and acknowledges His overall superiority.
Exo 18:9
‘And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel in that he had delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.’
Here it is the deliverance that Jethro concentrates on. He had not seen the wonders but he does understand fully the one outstanding fact of the wonderful deliverance out of Egyptian hands. What amazed him was that Yahweh had delivered Israel from the powerful Egyptians, and he could only rejoice in it.
Exo 18:10-11
‘And Jethro said, “Blessed be Yahweh who has delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered his people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, yes in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.”
Jethro praises Yahweh for what He has done in delivering Israel. The repetition of ‘who has delivered’ emphasises his wonder at what has happened. With Exo 18:9 the deliverance is emphasised three times. Egypt was notorious as the region’s super-power, ruled by a god and with powerful gods. But this has not prevented Yahweh from setting them at nought. Note the contrast with Exo 18:8. Here it is ‘delivered — Egyptians — Pharaoh.’ There it is ‘Pharaoh — Egyptians — delivered.’ The unity of these verses is clear.
“Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods.” Here he means the gods of Egypt, not his own god whom he possibly equates with Moses’ God, Yahweh (compare the situation with El Elyon – Gen 14:18-22). We cannot, however, see him as directly a worshipper of Yahweh or Exo 18:12 would say so. Here Jethro speaks of Yahweh and not Elohim (God) because he has been told what Yahweh had done.
“Yes in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.” Neh 9:10 suggests that this means ‘in the things in which the Israelites, through their God Yahweh, dealt proudly (with superiority) against the Egyptians’, but in context here it must include the Egyptians and their gods as having acted proudly against Israel.
Exo 18:12
‘And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat food with Moses’ father-in-law before God.’
This is in Jethro’s territory and he is Moses’ clan leader and priest of the area, ‘the priest of Midian’ (Exo 18:1). It was therefore natural that Jethro should offer the sacrifices, both of the whole burnt offering which was presumably (as later) wholly burnt up and of other sacrifices, thank offerings, of which the flesh was available to eat. Note that these are offered to ‘Elohim’ not Yahweh. The Midianites may well have worshipped El under some title, whom they could all equate with Yahweh, as Abraham equated El Elyon with Yahweh (Gen 14:22).
“To eat food with — before God”. This was an act of worship and acknowledgement of submission to ‘Elohim’ (God). There is no suggestion that Jethro taught them anything. When he did, as his clan leader, seek to guide Moses, we are specifically told so, but it had nothing to do with religion. It was the senior administrator passing on his advice to his son-in-law. Moses who had been with the tribe of Jethro for many years, and seemingly had worshipped with him, clearly saw the God whom Jethro worshipped as equatable with Yahweh.
We can compare how Melchizedek, who as king of Salem and its surrounding area would have rights over Abraham, who paid him tithes as a user of his lands, provided the food and wine for a feast on the return of Abraham, he did so as a priest of El Elyon, and Abraham received them in the name of ‘Yahweh, El Elyon’. (Gen 14:18-24). The situation is somewhat similar.
Note how here the text has changed from using ‘Yahweh’ to using ‘God’. A ‘stranger’ is among them. To him Yahweh is not all. Thus while making quite clear to Jethro that it is Yahweh Who has delivered Israel, he condescends to his father-in-law by mainly speaking of ‘God’ throughout the passage.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Exo 18:9. And Jethro rejoiced The Hebrew word chidah, signifies to be transported with great joy: the LXX, therefore, translate it, very properly, , he was in an exstacy. Jethro appears to have been a good man, and a believer: the context seems to prove this, as well as the marriage of Moses into his family; nor can we be of the opinion of those who think that he was now made a proselyte to the Jewish faith. He speaks of Jehovah as a Being well known to him, Exo 18:10. Jethro said, blessed be Jehovah, who hath delivered you, &c. And when he says, Exo 18:11 now know I that Jehovah is greater than all gods; he may be well understood to express no more than what any Jew, or true believer, might express; that now, from this miraculous display of power, he had a full and convincing testimony of the omnipotence and all-ruling superiority of Jehovah. See Psa 135:5; Psa 95:3; Psa 97:9 and note on ch. Exo 15:11.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jethro though a Midianite, could not but be led to discover the hand of God in guiding Israel. The church makes the same beautiful observation at the close of a long discourse of divine mercies. Psa 107:43 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 18:9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Ver. 9. And Jethro rejoiced. ] So must all Sion’s sons. Isa 66:10
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 44:23, Isa 66:10, Rom 12:10, Rom 12:15, 1Co 12:26
Reciprocal: 1Sa 15:6 – ye showed Dan 6:23 – was 1Co 13:6 – rejoiceth 1Th 1:8 – General