New American Standard Bible 2020
Exodus 18:19
19Now listen to 1me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. 2You be the people’s representative before God, and you 3bring the 4disputes to God,
Exodus 18:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
- New International Version (NIV)Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God.
Context of Exodus 18:19
17Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. 18You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, 20then admonish them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. 21Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Read all of Exodus 18Exodus 18:19 word by word
עַתָּ֞ה שְׁמַ֤ע בְּקֹלִי֙ אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ וִיהִ֥י אֱלֹהִ֖ים עִמָּ֑ךְ הֱיֵ֧ה אַתָּ֣ה לָעָ֗ם מ֚וּל הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהֵבֵאתָ֥ אַתָּ֛ה אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃Read the interlinear
- Nowעַתָּ֫ה‛attâh · nowH6258
- listenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
- me: I will giveיָעַץyâ‛ats · to adviseH3289
- and Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- You be the people’sעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- representative beforeמוּלmûl môl mô'l mûl · oppositeH4136
- bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- disputesדָּבָרdâbâr · word: caseH1697
Cross-references for Exodus 18:19
- Exodus 18:24So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.
- Proverbs 9:9Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser; Teach a righteous person and he will increase his insight.
- Exodus 3:12And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
- Exodus 4:12Now then go, and I Myself will be with your mouth, and instruct you in what you are to say.”
- Genesis 39:2And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
- Deuteronomy 20:1“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
- Joshua 1:9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
- 2 Samuel 14:17Then your servant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’”
- Matthew 28:20teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
- Exodus 18:15Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
- Exodus 4:16He shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.
- Exodus 20:19Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us, or we will die!”
- Deuteronomy 5:5while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up on the mountain. He said,
- Numbers 27:5So Moses brought their case before the Lord.
Commentaries on Exodus 18:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee - Jethro seems to have been a man of great understanding and prudence. His advice to Moses was most appropriate and excellent; and it was probably given under the immediate inspiration of God, for after such sacrificial rites, and public acknowledgment of God, the prophetic spirit might be well expected to descend and rest upon him. God could have showed Moses the propriety and necessity of adopting…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Counsel - 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.Read the comment
- 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. 19-22Moses needed to distinguish between his teaching function, in which he received and declared God’s decrees and instructions (18:19–20), and his administrative function, in which he applied all of those decrees and instructions (18:21–22).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 18:19
In the dictionaries
Notes
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
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