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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Bishop's Bible

Exodus 18:2

Therefore he toke Sephora Moyses wyfe, after he had sent her backe,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Moses;   Zipporah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Kenites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jethro;   Zipporah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Eliezer;   Pentateuch;   Zipporah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hobab;   Zipporah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gershom;   Hobab;   Jethro;   Judges;   Moses;   Zipporah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jethro ;   Zipporah ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zip'porah,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Rephidim;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   On to Sinai;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jethro;   Sent;   Wanderings of Israel;   Zipporah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eliezer;   Jethro;   Oral Law;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Yitro, Moshe' father-in-law, received Tzipporah, Moshe' wife, after he had sent her away,
King James Version
Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
Lexham English Bible
And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses after her sending away,
New Century Version
Now Moses had sent his wife Zipporah to Jethro, his father-in-law,
New English Translation
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah after he had sent her back,
Amplified Bible
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away [from Egypt],
New American Standard Bible
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took in Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Iethro the father in lawe of Moses, tooke Zipporah Moses wife, (after he had sent her away)
Legacy Standard Bible
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
Contemporary English Version
In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them. Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, "I'll name him Gershom." When his second son was born, Moses said, "I'll name him Eliezer, because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt."
Complete Jewish Bible
After Moshe had sent away his wife Tzipporah and her two sons, Yitro Moshe's father-in-law had taken them back.
Darby Translation
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
Easy-to-Read Version
So Jethro went to Moses while Moses was camped near the mountain of God. Jethro brought Moses' wife, Zipporah, with him. (Zipporah was not with Moses, because Moses had sent her home.)
English Standard Version
Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home,
George Lamsa Translation
Then Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took his daughter Zipporah, Moses wife, after he had sent her back,
Good News Translation
So he came to Moses, bringing with him Moses' wife Zipporah, who had been left behind,
Christian Standard Bible®
Now Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses’s wife, after he had sent her back,
Literal Translation
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, (after Moses had sent her away,)
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he toke Zipora Moses wife, whom he had sent backe,
American Standard Version
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Bible in Basic English
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
King James Version (1611)
Then Iethro Moses father in law tooke Zipporah Moses wife, after he had sent her backe,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jothor the father-in-law of Moses, took Sepphora the wife of Moses after she had been sent away,
English Revised Version
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Berean Standard Bible
After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he took Sefora, `the wijf of Moises, whom he hadde sent ayen,
Young's Literal Translation
and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, taketh Zipporah, wife of Moses, besides her parents,
Update Bible Version
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah Moses's wife, after he had sent her back,
World English Bible
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
New King James Version
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
New Living Translation
Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in.
New Life Bible
Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, had taken Moses' wife, Zipporah, after Moses had sent her away.
New Revised Standard
After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro took her back,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses wife, - after she had been sent home;
Douay-Rheims Bible
He took Sephora, the wife of Moses, whom he had sent back:
Revised Standard Version
Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zippo'rah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,

Contextual Overview

1 Iethro ye priest of Madian Moyses father in lawe, heard of all that god had donefor Moyses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Therefore he toke Sephora Moyses wyfe, after he had sent her backe, 3 And her two sonnes, of which the one was called Gershom: for he sayde, I haue ben an aliaunt in a straunge land: 4 The name of the other was Eliezer: for the God of my father [sayde he] was mine helpe, and deliuered me from the sworde of Pharao. 5 And Iethro Moyses father in lawe, came with his two sonnes, & his wife, vnto Moyses into ye wildernesse, where he abode by the mounte of God. 6 And he saide vnto Moyses: I thy father in lawe Iethro am come to thee, and thy wyfe also, and her two sonnes with her.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Zipporah: Exodus 2:21, Exodus 4:25, Exodus 4:26

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:24 - General Acts 7:29 - Madian

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
And sayde: Lorde, yf I haue nowe founde fauour in thy sight, passe not away I praye thee from thy seruaunt.
Genesis 18:6
And Abraham went apace into the tent vnto Sara, & sayde: Make redy at once three peckes of fine meale, kneade [it] and make cakes vpon the hearth.
Genesis 18:7
And Abraham runnyng vnto his beastes, fet a calfe tender and good, and gaue it vnto a young man, and he hasted to make it redy at once.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sara were both olde, and well stryken in age: and it ceassed to be with Sara after the maner as it is with women.
Genesis 18:16
And the men rysyng vp from thence, loked toward Sodome: and Abraham went with them to bryng them on the way.
Genesis 19:1
And there came two angels to Sodome at euen, and Lot sate at the gate of Sodome: and Lot seing [them] rose vp to meete them, and he bowed hym selfe with his face towarde the grounde.
Genesis 23:7
Abraham stoode vp and bowed hym selfe before the people of the lande, that is, the chyldren of Heth.
Genesis 32:24
And Iacob was left hym selfe alone: and there wrasteled a man with hym, vnto the breakyng of the day.
Genesis 43:26
When Ioseph came home, they brought the present into the house to hym, whiche was in their handes, and bowed them selues to the grounde before him.
Genesis 43:28
They aunswered: Thy seruaunt our father is in good health, & is yet alyue. And they bowing them selues, made theyr obeysaunce.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses's wife,.... When he had heard of the above things, he determined to pay Moses a visit, and congratulate him on that account; and he took his daughter, the wife of Moses, along with him, to deliver her to her husband, to share with him in his cares and troubles; as to partake with him of his honours and dignity, so to bear part with him in his burdens, so far as she was capable of:

after he had sent her back: upon his call and mission to Egypt, he took his wife and children with him; but upon an affair which occurred in the inn by the way, he sent them back again to his father-in-law, where they had remained ever since, see Exodus 4:24. Jarchi says this was done at meeting with Aaron his brother, Exodus 4:27, and relates a conversation between them upon it. As that Aaron should say to him, who are these? to which he replied, this is my wife, I married her in Midian, and these are my sons: he further said to him, and where art thou carrying them? he replied, to Egypt; says he, by reason of those who are before there, we are in straits, and thou wilt add unto them; upon which he said to his wife, go back to thy father's house, and she took her sons and went thither. Kimchi f observes, that some render the words "after her gifts"; whose sense, according to Aben Ezra, is, after she had sent gifts to her husband; but others more probably interpret it of gifts sent by him to her to engage his father-in-law to let her come to him, as well as to prevail upon her to come; perhaps it may be better rendered, "after her messenger"; that is, either after the messenger sent to her by Moses, to acquaint her and her father of what had been done for him, or after the messenger she sent to him, to let him know that she intended shortly to be with him; though perhaps, after all, nearer to our version and others, it may be rendered, "after her dismissions" g; the dismission or sending away of her and her sons, as before related; for this is by no means to be interpreted of a divorce of her; after which she was brought again to her husband; for there is no reason to believe that ever anything of that kind had passed, as some have thought h: the plain case seems to be this, that Moses finding his family would be exposed to danger, or would be too great an incumbrance upon him in the discharge of his great work he had to do in Egypt, sent them back to his father-in-law until a fit opportunity should offer of their coming to him, as now did.

f Sepher Shorash. rad. שלח "post dona vel donationes ejus"; so some in Vatablus and Drusius. g אהר שלוחיה "post dimissiones ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. h Vid. Selden. Uxor. Hebr. p. 629.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 18:2. After he had sent her back — Why Zipporah and her two sons returned to Midian, is not certainly known. From the transaction recorded Exodus 4:20; Exodus 4:24, it seems as if she had been alarmed at the danger to which the life of one of her sons had been exposed, and fearing worse evils, left her husband and returned to her father. It is however possible that Moses, foreseeing the troubles to which his wife and children were likely to be exposed had he taken them down to Egypt, sent them back to his father-in-law till it should please God to deliver his people.

Jethro, now finding that God had delivered them, and totally discomfited the Egyptians, their enemies, thought it proper to bring Zipporah and her sons to Moses, while he was in the vicinity of Horeb.


 
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