Ibn Ezra on Exodus 18:1:1

וזה פירש בפרשה. תחלתה דבר יתרו This⁴The above interpretations of the word yitro as meaning both bowstring and the rest. is a comment⁵Actually a play on words. upon the chapter Which opens with the word Yitro (Jethro).

וישמע יתרו. הזכיר למעלה דבר עמלק כי לרפידים בא. והיתה ראויה פרשת בחדש השלישי להיותה כתובה אחר דבר עמלק. כי שם כתוב ויסעו מרפידים ויבאו מדבר סיני. אם כן למה נכנס דברי יתרו בין שתי הפרשיות. והגאון אמר כי יתרו בא אל מדבר סיני לפני מתן תורה. ולפי דעתי שלא בא רק בשנה השנית אחר שהוקם המשכן. כי כתוב בפרשה עולה וזבחים לאלהים. ולא הזכיר שבנה מזבח חדש. ועוד כתיב והודעתי את חקי האלהים ואת תורותיו. והנה זה אחר מתן תורה והעד הנאמן על דברי. כי כן כתוב אל המדבר אשר הוא חונה שם הר האלהים. ואמר משה לחובב שהוא יתרו כאשר פירשתי בפרשת ואלה שמות. כי חתן משה לא שב אל רעואל הקרוב אליו כי אם לחובב כי כן כתוב מבני חובב חותן משה. ומשה אמר לו כי על כן ידעת חנותינו במדבר. וידענו כי ישראל עמדו במדבר סיני כמו שנה. והנה דברי משה יוכיחו שאמר בפרשת אלה הדברים. ה' אלהינו דבר אלינו בחורב לאמר רב לכם שבת בהר הזה פנו וסעו לכם הנה זה הזמן היה קרוב למסעם. והוא אמר ואומר אליכם בעת ההוא לאמר לא אוכל לבדי שאת אתכם. כי השם הרבה אתכם והנכם היום ככוכבי השמים לרוב. וטעם להזכיר זה להם. כי השם אמר ליעקב הנני מפרך והרביתיך ונתתיך לקהל עמים ונתתי את הארץ הזאת לזרעך אחריך. והנה הטעם כאשר ירבה זרעך אתן לו את הארץ. ע"כ אמר ה' אלהיכם הרבה אתכם והגיע זמן שתירשו את הארץ ובעבור שאתם רבים לא יכולתי לבדי שאת אתכם והוצרכתי לתת עליכם שרי אלפים ושרי מאות זאת היתה עצת יתרו שנתן לו ממחרת בואו למדבר סיני. על כן אמר משה לחובב שהוא יתרו. כמו שפירשנו נוסעים אנחנו. והוא השיב לא אלך כי אל ארצי ואל מולדתי אלך. וזהו וישלח משה את חותנו וילך לו אל ארצו ועתה אפרש למה נכנסה פרשת יתרו במקום הזה. בעבור שהזכיר למעלה הרעה שעשה עמלק לישראל הזכיר כנגדו הטובה שעשה יתרו לישראל. וכתוב ויחד יתרו על כל הטובה. ונתן להם עצה טובה ונכונה למשה ולישראל. ומשה אמר לו והיית לנו לעינים והטעם שהאיר עיניהם. ושאול אמר ואתה עשית חסד עם כל בני ישראל. ובעבור שכתוב למעלה מלחמה לה' בעמלק. שישראל חייבים להלחם בו כאשר יניח השם להם. הזכיר דבר יתרו כי הם היו עם גוי עמלק שיזכירו ישראל חסד אביהם ולא יגעו בזרעו. והנה ראינו הרכבים שהם בני יתרו היו עם בני ישראל בירושלים. ובימי ירמיה יונדב בן רכב. ויש פרשה אחרת דומה לזאת: NOW JETHRO HEARD. Scripture notes above⁶Ex. 17:8-16. the incident of Amalek because Amalek came to Rephidim.⁷Where Israel encamped on the way to Mount Sinai. Now the chapter that opens with the words In the third month (Ex. 19:1) should have followed the incident of Amalek,⁸Chapter 19 should have followed chapter 17. for Scripture states there, And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 19:2).⁹Translated literally. This being the case, why was the account of Jethro inserted between these two chapters?¹⁰I.E. will answer this question later on in his commentary. Saadiah Gaon says that Jethro came to the wilderness of Sinai before the giving of the Torah.¹¹This is also the opinion of Rabbi Joshua in the Talmud (Zevachim 116a), and of Rashi and Nahmanides. According to the Talmud, Jethro heard of the splitting of the sea and Israel’s war with Amalek at Rephidim. Hence the account of Jethro follows the war with Amalek. However, I believe that Jethro came to Sinai in the second year,¹²Of Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness. after the erection of the tabernacle.¹³The tabernacle was erected on the first day of Nisan at the start of the second year following the Exodus. For the chapter¹⁴Our chapter, 18. speaks of a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God (v. 12),¹⁵Which assumes the existence of an altar. and it does not mention that he built a new altar.¹⁶But used the altar he found in existence, the altar of the tabernacle. Furthermore, Scripture writes, and I make them know the statutes of God, and His laws (v. 16).¹⁷That is, the laws of the Torah. Now this¹⁸Moses’ teaching of God’s laws and statutes. took place after the giving of the Torah.¹⁹For before the revelation there were no laws and statutes to teach. True proof that my words are correct is the fact that Scripture clearly states, where he²⁰Moses. was encamped, at the mount of God (v. 5).²¹The use of the particle choneh (encamped) indicates that when Jethro came to Moses, Moses had been encamped there at Sinai for a long time. See I.E. on verse 19. Hence Jethro came after the giving of the Torah. Now Moses spoke to Hobab,²²And told him, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness (Num. 10:31). See further below. I.E. starts relating the aforementioned, then goes off on a tangent explaining who Hobab was, and then picks up the thread two sentences below. the latter being Jethro as I explained in the Torah portion These Are The Names.²³See I.E. on Ex. 2:18. For Moses’ father-in-law²⁴That is, the phrase father-in-law in Num. 10:29, which reads, And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law: ‘We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said: I will give it to you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.’ does not refer to Reuel, which precedes the term father-in-law,²⁵In Num. 10:29. but refers to Hobab.²⁶Mentioned at the beginning of the verse under discussion. Scripture clearly states, from the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses (Jud. 4:11). Moses told Hobab, [Leave us not, I pray thee] forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness (Num. 10:31). Now we know that Israel camped around Sinai for about a year. Lo and behold, Moses’ very words prove this to be so. For Moses is quoted in the Torah portion, These are the words as saying, The Lord our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying: …turn you, and take your journey (Deut. 1:6,7).²⁷From Sinai. Now this was said close to their time of journey.²⁸For And we journeyed from Horeb (Deut. 1:19) follows immediately. Moses continued, And I spoke unto you at that time saying: I am not able to bear you myself alone (Deut. 1:9); for the Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude (Deut. 1:10). The reason Moses mentioned this to them was that God told Jacob, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession (Gen. 48:4). Now the meaning of the latter is: when your seed increase I will give them the land. Moses therefore said, the Lord your God hath multiplied you and the time for you to inherit the land has come. However, since you are so numerous I was not able to carry you alone,²⁹Deut. 1:9,12. and I had to place over you captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.³⁰Deut. 1:15 Now this³¹Placing captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over the people to assist Moses in judging them. was the advice given to Moses by Jethro on the morrow following his coming to the wilderness of Sinai.³²Ex. 18:13. Moses therefore said to Hobab, who, as we explained, is to be identified with Jethro, We are journeying (Num. 10:29).³³Unto the place of which the Lord said: I will give it to you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. Hobab responded, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred (Num. 10:30). This is what And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land (v. 27) refers to. I will now explain why the chapter dealing with Jethro was inserted here. It was placed here because Scripture had just mentioned the evil that Amalek did to Israel. The Torah wants to contrast it with the good that Jethro rendered Israel. Scripture notes, And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel (v. 9) and that he gave proper and correct counsel to Moses and Israel. Moses told Jethro, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes (Num. 10:31), meaning that he enlightened their eyes.³⁴I.E. takes ve-hayita (and thou shalt be) as a perfect. He renders Num. 10:31 as: and you were to us instead of eyes; i.e., you enlightened us with your council. See I.E. on Num. 10:31 where he quotes this interpretation and prefaces it with the phrase, “many say.” King Saul similarly said,³⁵To Jethro’s descendants. for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel (I Sam. 15:6).³⁶The reference is to the good advice which Jethro gave to Israel. King Saul said ye because the good that Jethro had done accrued to the benefit of his descendants. See Kimchi on I Sam. 15:6. Now because Scripture states in the preceding chapter, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16), namely, that when God gives Israel rest they are obligated to wage war against Amalek, the Torah mentions the account of Jethro. For the descendants of Jethro lived in proximity to the nation of Amalek,³⁷See I Sam. 15:6. Literally, For they were with the nation of Amalek. Vat, Ebr. 38 reads: should they ever be found together with Amalek. It reads, k i im rather than ki hem. and the Torah wants Israel to remember the kindness that Jethro demonstrated so that they do not harm his seed. Thus we find the Rechabites, who were descended from Jethro, living among the children of Israel in Jerusalem. We find Jonadab the son of Rechab³⁸Actually the descendants of Jonadab the son of Rechab. For Jonadab the son of Rechab lived some 250 years earlier, during the reign of King Jehu. in the time of Jeremiah (Jer. 35:19).³⁹That is, we find the descendants of Jonadab ben Rechab living in Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah. The text in I.E. is a bit garbled. It reads: Now we find the Rechabites who were descended from Jethro living among the children of Israel in Jerusalem, and in the days of Jeremiah, Jonadab the son of Rechab. There is another chapter similar to the one above.⁴⁰Where Scripture interrupts a narrative by inserting a chapter which does not chronologically belong there, for purposes of contrast. The chapter that I.E. is referring to is Gen. 38. See I.E. on Gen 38:1 and the notes thereto.

אשר עשה אלהים. השם שהיה נודע בעולם לפני בא משה שהכל מודים בו: ALL THAT GOD (ELOHIM) HAD DONE. Scripture employs the name of God⁴¹Elohim. that was known in the world before the appearance of Moses, for all admitted that God existed.⁴²See I.E. on Shemot 6:2 and the notes thereto.

ולישראל עמו. עם ה'. או עם משה. ויתכן להיות הלמ"ד. בעבור משה וישראל והטעם על המכות וטביעת פרעה: AND FOR ISRAEL HIS PEOPLE. God’s people, or the people of Moses.⁴³Amo (his people) refers either to God or to Moses. It is possible that the lamed⁴⁴The Hebrew reads, le-moshe u-le-yisra’el amo (for Moses and for Israel His people), the lamed usually means “to”. Thus the verse should be translated: to Moses and to Israel His people. I.E. suggests that the lamed here has the meaning of because. Thus our verse should be rendered: because of Moses and because of Israel His (or his) people. See note 43. should be translated as “because,” that is, because of Moses and Israel, the reference being to the plagues and the drowning of Pharaoh.

כי הוציא ה'. השם שנודע למשה כי על יד האותות יצאו: HOW THAT THE LORD (YHVH) HAD BROUGHT. Scripture employs the divine name revealed to Moses, since it was through the miracles⁴⁵Performed by YHVH the God of Israel. that Israel went out of Egypt.