Exodus 18:19

17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.

18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; ^ayou are not able to perform it by yourself.

19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you¹ counsel, and God will be with you: Stand ^abefore God for the people, so that you may ^bbring the difficulties to God.

20 And you shall ^ateach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and ^bthe work they must do.

21 Moreover you shall select from all the people ^aable men, such as ^bfear God, ^cmen of truth, ^dhating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

22 And let them judge the people at all times. ^aThen it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for ^bthey will bear the burden with you.

23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their ^aplace in peace.”

24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

25 And ^aMoses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26 So they judged the people at all times; the ^ahard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and ^ahe went his way to his own land.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Exodus 18:18

Exodus 18:20 >>

Exodus 18:19

Counsel - Jethro draws the distinction between the functions of the legislator and the judge.

To God-ward - Literally, "before God," standing between them and God, both as His minister or representative and also as the representative of the people, their agent, so to speak, or deputy before God.

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Exodus 18:19:

1 Chronicles 2:55

<< Exodus 18:18

Exodus 18:20 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,262+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning