(א) אני חותנך וגו' ואשתך וגו'. טעם ששינה הכתוב סדרם כאן מסדר שכתב בפסוק שלפני זה שהקדים הבנים לאשה, יתבאר על פי דבריהם ז''ל (מכילתא, שמו''ר כאן) שאמרו אם אין אתה יוצא בגיני וכו', אם כן ממטה למעלה סדרם הכתוב, לזה הקדים האשה לבנים שאם לא יעשה בשבילה יעשה בשביל הבנים,
(1) "I, your father-in-law as wella s your wife and her two sons, etc." -- Why did the Torah change the order in which Moses' wife and children are mentioned from the order in which they were mentioned in verse 5? In verse 5, the sons are described as belonging to Moses and are mentioned first, whereas here Tzipporah is mentioned first and the sons are described as being hers! Mechita (Exodus Rabbah 18:6) explains that Yitro sent word to Moses that if he would not come out to meet him because he was his father-in-law, at least he should come out to meet and to welcome his wife and children. We may therefore assume that the Torah used the same approach in once mentioning Tzipporah before the children and once after the children. If Moses would not come out to welcome Tzipporah as his wife, at least he should welcome her as the mother of his children.
(7) And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. (8) And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them. (9) And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in that He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
מדרש זוטא - רות (בובר) פרשה א סימן ד
[ד] וישאו להם נשים מואביות. מי גרם לשבט יהודה לישא אשה מואביה, על שעשו מעשה עמון ומואב. [על דבר אשר] לא קדמו אתכם בלחם ובמים (דברים כ"ג ה'). שם האחת ערפה, שהיה לה לערף כעגלה ערופה. ושם השנית רות שהיתה מרתחת עצמה מן העבירה לעשות רצון אביה שבשמים.
Midrash Zuta on Ruth 1:4
4) And they took for themselves Moabite wife -- Who allowed the tribe of Judah to take Moabite wives, because of what the Ammonites and the Moabites did? [i.e. on the matter as it says] "They did not bring bread and water [to the Israelites]" (Deuteronomy 23:5). The first one's name is "Orpah" ('rpah) that she would "break" ('ref) like heifer whose neck was broken. And the second one was Ruth (Rut) who "agitated" (m'ratechet) against the sin [of the Moabites] to do do the will of her Father in Heaven.
“The God in whose ways my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day—
(16) The Messenger who has redeemed me from all harm—
Bless the lads.
In them may my name be recalled,
And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
And may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth.” (17) When Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it wrong; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. (18) “Not so, Father,” Joseph said to his father, “for the other is the first-born; place your right hand on his head.” (19) But his father objected, saying, “I know, my son, I know. He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great. Yet his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall be plentiful enough for nations.” (20) So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.