Jethro

In the Hebrew Bible, Jethro (Hebrew: יִתְרוֹ, Standard Yitro Tiberian Yiṯrô; "His Excellence/Posterity") is Moses' father-in-law, a Kenite shepherd and priest of El Shaddai. In the book of Judges, Moses's father-in-law is recorded as having the name Hobab. In Islam, Jethro is identified with Shoaib, one of the prophets in the Qur'an. He is also revered as a prophet in his own right in the Druze religion.

In Exodus

Jethro, also known as Reuel, is called a priest of Midian and became father-in-law of Moses. He is recorded as living in Midian, a territory stretching from east of the Dead Sea south onto the Sinai.

Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, became Moses's wife after Moses had fled Egypt, having killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Moses is said to have worked as a shepherd for Jethro for 40 years before returning to Egypt to lead the Hebrews to Canaan, the "promised land." It was Jethro that encouraged Moses to appoint others to share in the burden of ministry to the Jewish nation by allowing others to help in the judgement of smaller matters coming before him.

Yitro is the name of one of the 54 weekly Torah readings or Parshiot (Exodus 18:1-20:23). In it, Jethro advises Moses to establish a system of courts to relieve Moses of the crushing burden of judging all disputes. The portion also contains the Ten Commandments.

In the Qur'an

Jethro is considered by many to be synonymous with the Qur'ānic prophet Shuˤayb (Shoaib). In the Qur'an, Shoaib is Moses' father-in-law. Prophet Shoaib “Jethro” Mosque and Tomb is located near the Jordanian city of Mahis.

Prophets of Islam in the Qur'an
Adam	Idris	Nuh	Hud	Saleh	Ibrahim	Lut	Ismail	Is'haq	Yaqub	Yusuf	Ayub
آدم	ادريس	نوح	هود	صالح	إبراهيم	لوط	اسماعيل	اسحاق	يعقوب	يوسف	أيوب
Adam	Enoch	Noah	Eber	Shelah	Abraham	Lot	Ishmael	Isaac	Jacob	Joseph	Job
Shoaib	Musa	Harun	Dhul-Kifl	Daud	Sulayman	Ilyas	Al-Yasa	Yunus	Zakariya	Yahya	Isa	Muhammad
شعيب	موسى	هارون	ذو الكفل	داود	سليمان	إلياس	اليسع	يونس	زكريا	يحيى	عيسى	محمد
Jethro	Moses	Aaron	Ezekiel	David	Solomon	Elijah	Elisha	Jonah	Zechariah	John	Jesus	Paraclete

See also

• Jethro in Rabbinic Literature
• Moses in rabbinic literature
• Bithiah

External links

• Prophet Shoaib “Jethro” Mosque and Tomb near Mahis

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