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 Living Translation (NLT)These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.

Context of Exodus 18:26

24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25And Moses 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. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. 27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they judgedשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• at all seasonsעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• the hardקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
• causesדָּבָרdâbâr · word: caseH1697
• they broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• unto Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• but every smallקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• matterהֵ֫מָּהhêm hêmmâh · they(masc.)H1992

Cross-references for Exodus 18:26

• Exodus 18:14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
• Exodus 18:15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
• Deuteronomy 17:8“If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
• 1 Kings 3:16Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
• 1 Kings 10:1Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.
• Job 29:16I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know.

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