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JETHRO

(Heb. yiṯrô)

A priest in Midian and father-in-law of Moses (Exod. 3:1; 4:18). During his flight from Egypt Moses took refuge with Jethro in Midian. Upon hearing that Moses had defended his daughter Zipporah at the well, Jethro invited Moses into his household and gave him his daughter as a wife (Exod. 2:15-21).

Jethro is also known in the OT by the related form Jether (Exod. 4:18 MT), and as Reuel (2:18) and Hobab (Judg. 4:11). The connection with the names Reuel and Hobab is unclear (cf. Num. 10:29). Scholars are divided as to whether Hobab was the son of Moses’ father-in-law, or if Reuel was the father of Moses’ father-in-law. Source theory attributes Jethro to E and Reuel/Hobab to J. Other scholars attempt to distinguish three different people, try to establish different tribal names or titles for each individual, or interpret Reuel as a clan name for both Reuel and Hobab.

It is unclear which god Jethro served at Midian. Some scholars contend that Yahweh was unknown to Israel prior to Moses’ encounter with the burning bush on the mountain of God in Midian (cf. Exod. 6:3) and that Jethro thus introduced the worship of Yahweh to Israel; Exod. 18 is interpreted as the initiation of Aaron and the elders into the cult. It is further postulated that, given the later antagonism between Midian and Israel, the text was revised to disassociate Yahweh from Midian. However, the majority of Jewish and Christian tradition and scholarship sees Jethro as a convert to Yahwism (cf. Exod. 18:11), although the nature of his conversion is debated.

Bibliography. W. F. Albright, “Jethro, Hobab and Reuel in Early Hebrew Tradition,” CBQ 25 (1963): 1-11; B. Mazar, “The Sanctuary of Arad and the Family of Hobab the Kenite,” JNES 24 (1965): 297-303.

Cheryl Lynn Hubbard

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

JETHRO

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)