Jethro

In the Hebrew Bible, Jethro (Hebrew: יִתְרוֹ, Standard Yitro Tiberian Yiṯrô; "His Excellence/Posterity") was Moses' father-in-law, who sheltered Moses for 40 years in Midian and gave Moses Zipporah as his wife.

A priest of Midian in the account of the marriage of his daughter to Moses he is called "Reuel" ( = "God is his friend"), while 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 the Druze religion.

Biblical data

The Book of Exodus relates that Moses came to Midian after fleeing from Pharaoh at the age of 40. There, he rested at a well. Jethro's seven daughters arrived to water their flocks there, but other Midianite shepherds soon appeared on the scene and began to drive off the women. Moses, however, defended them and assisted the shepherdesses in the work of drawing water. Their maidens return to the father, identified here as Reuel, and report Moses' kindness to them. He scolds the girls for not offering proper hospitality to their deliverer and commands them to invite him to share a meal with the family.

Lacking a son to assist him, Jethro/Reuel invites Moses to stay with him indefinitely and soon offers him his daughter Zipporah in marriage. Moses accepts, and Jethro soon becomes the grandfather of Gershom. Moses lived with Jethro and his daughters throughout his 40-year course in exile apparently placed in charge of the livestock. It was while grazing Jethro's flocks that Moses beheld the burning bush and climbed the holy mountain of Horeb, where he received his calling from God (Exodus 3:1). He then asked permission of Jethro to return to Egypt, ostensibly with the purpose of visiting his remaining family there.

After Moses and the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea Jethro went to Moses with the latter's wife and two sons (Ex. xviii. 1-5). When Moses told Jethro of all the miracles done for the Israelites by Yhwh, Jethro, rejoicing, exclaimed, "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods," and offered burnt offerings and sacrifices. Jethro advised Moses to appoint deputies to assist him to judge the Israelites and render his burdens lighter. After this Jethro returned to his own country (Ex. xviii. 8-27).E. G. H. M. Sel. 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.

Rabbinical tradition

Moses' father-in-law is given several different names in the books of the Bible, specifically Jethro, Reuel, and Hobab. The different names of Jethro puzzled the rabbis of the Talmud. Some thought that his real name was Hobab, and that Reuel was his father. Others thought that his actual name was "Reuel," interpreting it "the friend of God." This idea seems compatible with the modern view that Jethro was a title meaning "his Excellency." According to Rabbi Simeon b. Yoḥai, he had two names, "Hobab" and "Jethro" (Sifre, Num. 78). However, rabbinical opinion generally accepted that he had as many as seven names: "Reuel," "Jether," "Jethro," "Hobab," "Heber," "Keni," and "Putiel." The latter name refers to the father-in-law of Eleazar, the son of Aaron (Ex. vi. 25).

Legends

According to rabbinical tradition, Jethro together with Balaam and Job was consulted by Pharaoh as to how best to eliminate the Israelites. He dissuaded the Egyptian king from his design and was rewarded by God in that his descendants, the Rechabites, sat with the Sanhedrin in the Temple of Jerusalem (Sanh. 106a; Ex. R. i. 12; comp. 1 Chron. 2:55). Another opinion holds that, before the Exodus, Jethro and Amalek were consulted by Pharaoh about how best to kill the Israelites, and that both of them advised him to throw the male children into the Nile. However, seeing that Amalek was excluded from both this and the future life, Jethro later repented (Ex. R. xxvii: 5).

Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and Rabbi Eleazar ha-Moda'i disagree as to Jethro's position in Midian. According to one, the words "kohen Midyan" mean that he was the priest of Midian; according to the other, "prince of Midian" (Mek. l.c.; Ex. R. xxvii. 2). The opinion that Jethro was a priest, however, is generally accepted (Ex. R. i. 35; Tan., Yitro, 5). It is further said (Ex. R. l.c.) that Jethro realized that worshiping an idol was foolish, abandoned this practice. The Midianites therefore excommunicated him, and none would keep his flocks. It was for this reason that his daughters were compelled to tend them and were ill-treated by the other shepherds. However, another tradition holds that Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses on condition that their first son should be brought up in the worship of idols, and that Moses swore to respect this condition (Mek. l.c.; Yalḳ., Ex. 169).

Whether Jethro went to the wilderness to meet Moses before or after the Torah was given, and consequently what it was that induced him to go to the wilderness, are disputed points among the rabbis (Zeb. 116a; Yer. Meg. i. 11; Mek. l.c.). According to some, it was the giving of the Torah that inspired his journey, while according to others, it was either the crossing of the Red Sea dry-shod, or the miraculous falling of the manna. According to Rabbi Joshua, Moses purposely sent Jethro away in order that he should not be present at the revelation of the Law.

The manner in which Jethro announced his arrival to Moses is also variously indicated. According to Rabbi Eliezer, Jethro sent a messenger. According to Rabbi Joshua, he wrote a letter and tied it to an arrow which he shot into the camp. Moses did not go out alone to meet his father-in-law, but was accompanied by Aaron and the 70 elders of Israel, in order to honor Jethro. Some say that even the Shekhinah itself went out to meet him (Mek. l.c.; Tan., Yitro, 6). The words "wa-yiḥad Yitro" (Ex. 18:9), generally translated "and Jethro rejoiced," are interpreted by some of the Talmudists as "he circumcised himself." Other interpret it as "he felt a stinging in his flesh"; that is to say, he was sorry for the loss of the Egyptians, his former coreligionists. By an interchange of the letters ח with the ה, the phrase would read "wa-yihad," meaning "he became a Jew" (Tan., Yitro, 5).

Jethro was the first to utter a benediction to God for the wonders performed by Him for the Israelites (Ex. 18:10). Such a thing had not yet been done either by Moses or by any of the Israelites (Sanh. l.c.; Mek. l.c. 2). Jethro knew that Yahweh was greater than all the gods (Ex. 18:11), because he had previously worshiped all the idols of the world (Mek. l.c.; Tan. l.c.).

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

Druze beliefs

Notes

External links

Prophet Shoaib “Jethro” Mosque and Tomb near Mahis

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