Exodus Chapter 18 verse 27 Holy Bible
And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
read chapter 18 in ASV
And Moses let his father-in-law go away, and he went back to his land.
read chapter 18 in BBE
And Moses sent away his father-in-law, and he departed into his land.
read chapter 18 in DARBY
And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
read chapter 18 in KJV
And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
read chapter 18 in WBT
Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
read chapter 18 in WEB
And Moses sendeth his father-in-law away, and he goeth away unto his own land.
read chapter 18 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 27. - DEPARTURE OF JETHRO. The time of Jethro's departure, and indeed of his entire visit, has been matter of controversy. Kurtz is of opinion that Jethro waited till the news of Israel's victory over Amalek reached him, before setting out from his own country. Hence he concludes, that "a whole month or more may easily have intervened between the victory over Amalek and the arrival of Jethro," whose arrival in that case "would not even fall into the very earliest period of the sojourn at Sinai, but after the promulgation of the first Sinaitic law." Those who identify Hobab with Jethro find in Numbers 10:29-32 a proof that at any rate Jethro prolonged his visit until after the law was given, and did not "depart to his own land" before the removal of the people from the wilderness of Sinai to that of Paran, "in the 20th day of the second month of the second year" (ib, ver. 11). The position, however, of ch. 18, together with its contents - beth what it says and what it omits - are conclusive against this view. Jethro started on his journey when he heard "that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt" (ver. 1), not when he heard that Israel had been victorious over Amalek. His conversation with Moses (vers. 7-11) ranged over the entire series of deliverances from the night of the departure out of Egypt to the Amalekite defeat, but contained no allusion to the giving of the law. The occupation of Moses on the day after his arrival (ver. 13) is suitable to the quiet period which followed the Amalekite defeat, but not to the exciting time of the Sinaitic manifestations. It may be added that the practice of inculcating general principles on occasion of his particular judgments, of which Moses speaks (ver. 16), is suitable to the period anterior to the promulgation of the law, but not to that following it. The argument from Numbers 10:29-32 fails altogether, so soon as it is seen that Jethro and Hobab are distinct persons, probably brothers, sons of Reuel (or Raguel), and brothers- in-law of Moses. Verse 27. - Moses let his father-in-law depart. Literally, "dismissed him," "sent him away." This single expression is quite enough to prove that the Hobab, whom Moses made strenuous efforts to keep with him after Sinai was left, is not the Jethro whom he was quite content to let go. He went his way into his own land. He returned to Midian, probably crossing the Elanitic gulf, which divided Midian from the Sinaitic region. The exact time of the departure is uncertain; but it was probably before the main events related in ch. 19.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(27) Moses let his father in law depart.--Heb. Moses dismissed his connection. The supposed identity of Hobab (Numbers 10:29; Judges 4:11) with Jethro seems precluded by this statement, for Hobab clearly remained with Moses till the close of the stay at Sinai, and Moses, instead of "dismissing" him, was most unwilling that he should depart.
