Exodus 18:26

Exodus 18:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
• New International Version (NIV)They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

Context of Exodus 18:26

24Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves. 27Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.

Exodus 18:26 word by word

וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם בְּכָל־עֵ֑ת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֤ר הַקָּשֶׁה֙ יְבִיא֣וּן אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה וְכָל־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַקָּטֹ֖ן יִשְׁפּוּט֥וּ הֵֽם׃Read the interlinear

• And they judgedשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• at allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• timesעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• they would bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• the difficultקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
• casesדָּבָרdâbâr · word: caseH1697
• toאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• minorקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• themselvesהֵ֫מָּהhêm hêmmâh · they(masc.)H1992

Cross-references for Exodus 18:26

• Exodus 18:14When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”
• Exodus 18:15“Because the people come to me to inquire of God,” Moses replied.
• Deuteronomy 17:8If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.
• 1 Kings 3:16At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
• 1 Kings 10:1Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.
• Job 29:16I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

Commentaries on Exodus 18:26

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-27Verses 13-27 Here is the great zeal and the toil of Moses as a magistrate. Having been employed to redeem Israel out of the house of bondage, he is a further type of Christ, that he is employed as a lawgiver and a judge among them. If the people were as quarrelsome one with another as they were with God, no doubt Moses had many causes brought before him. This business Moses was called to; it appears that he did it with great care and kindness. The meanest…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-27Jethro’s wise advice shows another example of God’s care and guidance. This time, God did not act through a miracle. Instead, He used practical wisdom. Jethro taught Moses a new way to lead. He told Moses to share his authority with other capable leaders. This way of leadership is called delegation. It means giving responsibility to others. Before this, Moses seems to have followed an Egyptian style of leadership. That system was very strict and top-down…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2613-26. on the morrow ... Moses sat to judge the people, &c.--We are here presented with a specimen of his daily morning occupations; and among the multifarious duties his divine legation imposed, it must be considered only a small portion of his official employments. He appears in this attitude as a type of Christ in His legislative and judicial characters. the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening, &c.--Governors in the East seat…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 18:26

• Court
• Government
• Moses

In the dictionaries

• Moses
• Appeal
• Goodness
• Hard
• Heavy
• Jethro
• Matter
• Wear
• Blindness, Judicial
• Courts, Judicial

Commentaries on Exodus 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings