Week 6 Numbers 10
A few days ago I was thinking about a man named Jethro and today I was reminded that there’s a bit of a name problem with Jethro.
Back in Exodus the story says that when Moses moved to Midian he met a girl named Zipporah & her sisters. They introduced Moses to Reuel their father. Reuel welcomed Moses and eventually Moses married Reuel’s daughter Zipporah. So that made Reuel Moses’ father-in-law.
But in the very next chapter – five verse later – it says: Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law. So that made Jethro Moses’ father-in-law.
A while later a man comes to Israel’s wilderness camp (just before the Ten Commandments chapter). He’s identified as Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law. So Jethro is Moses’ father-in-law
But then much later – about 75 chapters later when Israel is in the wilderness – a man named Hobab appears: Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in -law. So Reuel is Moses’ father-in-law.
That might mean that Reuel & Jethro were Moses’ fathers-in-law because Moses was married to two women.
Or…Reuel-Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law because Reuel-Jethro were two names of the same person.
I did a quick check of a couple of dozen bible versions. Most of them said: Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law – or something very similar.
At this point I’m thinking that Reuel & Jethro were one-and-the-same person.
Note: quotes from Exodus 2:18 2:21 3:1 18:1 Numbers 10:29 (NASB). See January 26/25 post “Jethro”