וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

Yitro, priest of Midyan, father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done to Moses, and to Israel His people, that the Lord took Israel out of Egypt. Due to the exceptional nature of the events, news of the ten plagues and the exodus of an entire nation from Egypt had reached Midyan, despite the fact that it was not located in close proximity to Egypt. Indeed, reports of the miraculous events spread to even more distant places. Yitro now realizes that Moses did not return to Egypt merely to visit his family.

וַיִּקַּ֗ח יִתְרוֹ֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶת־צִפֹּרָ֖ה אֵ֣שֶׁת מֹשֶׁ֑ה אַחַ֖ר שִׁלּוּחֶֽיהָ׃

Yitro, father-in-law of Moses, took Tzipora, wife of Moses, after she had been sent away, after Moses had sent her to her father’s house. Moses had not arranged for Tzipora’s return or even contacted her, but nevertheless Yitro felt that the time had come to bring Moses his wife.

וְאֵ֖ת שְׁנֵ֣י בָנֶ֑יהָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאֶחָד֙ גֵּֽרְשֹׁ֔ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֔ר גֵּ֣ר הָיִ֔יתִי בְּאֶ֖רֶץ נָכְרִיָּֽה׃

And her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, as he, Moses, said: I was a stranger in a foreign land. The name Gershom is composed of two Hebrew words: stranger [ ger ] and there [ sham ].

וְשֵׁ֥ם הָאֶחָ֖ד אֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר כִּֽי־אֱלֹהֵ֤י אָבִי֙ בְּעֶזְרִ֔י וַיַּצִּלֵ֖נִי מֵחֶ֥רֶב פַּרְעֹֽה׃

And the name of the other was Eliezer, derived from the following statement of Moses: For the God of my father was my assistance, and He delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. The name Eliezer contains the two Hebrew words: my God [ Eli ], and my help [ ezri ]. It is possible that Eliezer was born after the death of the Pharaoh who sought to kill Moses (2:15), which is how he was certain that he had been saved from Pharaoh. In naming his sons, Moses referred to critical events in his own life, indicating that he did not consider them the unwanted progeny of a brief visit in a foreign land. Yitro thus understood that it was important to reunite Moses with his sons.

וַיָּבֹ֞א יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה וּבָנָ֥יו וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֗ר אֲשֶׁר־ה֛וּא חֹנֶ֥ה שָׁ֖ם הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

Yitro, father-in-law of Moses, came with his sons and his, Moses’, wife to Moses, to the wilderness where he was encamped, which is the place of the mountain of God.

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲנִ֛י חֹתֶנְךָ֥ יִתְר֖וֹ בָּ֣א אֵלֶ֑יךָ וְאִ֨שְׁתְּךָ֔ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנֶ֖יהָ עִמָּֽהּ׃

He, Yitro, said to Moses, by means of a messenger he had sent ahead: I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you, and I bring your wife and her two sons with her.

וַיֵּצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה לִקְרַ֣את חֹֽתְנ֗וֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ וַיִּשַּׁק־ל֔וֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲל֥וּ אִישׁ־לְרֵעֵ֖הוּ לְשָׁל֑וֹם וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ הָאֹֽהֱלָה׃

Moses went out toward his father-in-law, and prostrated himself and kissed him. Although it is unclear from the Hebrew text who prostrated himself, it was likely Moses who prostrated himself in honor of his father-in-law. Although he may have been no older than Moses, Yitro was a dignitary in his own region. Despite the fact that Moses himself had become the leader of a large nation since his marriage, he continued to act deferentially toward his father-in-law, as was his practice in the past. And each man greeted the other, and they came into the tent of Moses.

וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ לְחֹ֣תְנ֔וֹ אֵת֩ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לְפַרְעֹ֣ה וּלְמִצְרַ֔יִם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֤ת כָּל־הַתְּלָאָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְצָאָ֣תַם בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃

Moses related to his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians on behalf of Israel. Until this point, Yitro had gleaned information merely from passing travelers; now he heard firsthand how the events had actually transpired. Moses also described to him all the adversity that encountered them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them from Pharaoh and his pursuing army, as well as from other dangers along the way.

וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כָּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצִּיל֖וֹ מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Yitro rejoiced over all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, that He had delivered it from the hand of Egypt.

וַיֹּאמֶר֮ יִתְרוֹ֒ בָּר֣וּךְ יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Yitro said: Blessed is the Lord, who delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh; and not just you, or a small band of individuals, but who delivered the entire people from under the hand of Egypt.

עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהוָ֖ה מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, as God saved the Israelites and punished the Egyptians in, through, the very matter that they, the Egyptians, conspired against them. Yitro considered the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea as divine retribution for their decree to cast all newborn Israelite males into the Nile (1:22). Since the Egyptians drowned Israelite children in the Nile, they themselves were drowned. This was not merely an impressive miracle that brought salvation to the Israelites, but a demonstration of God’s execution of the appropriate punishment, measure for measure, for their crime.

וַיִּקַּ֞ח יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה עֹלָ֥ה וּזְבָחִ֖ים לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וַיָּבֹ֨א אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכֹ֣ל ׀ זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֶאֱכָל־לֶ֛חֶם עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

Yitro, father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and feast offerings to God. The custom of sacrificing offerings predated the giving of the Torah. Aaron, Moses’ brother, and all the elders, dignitaries of Israel, came to break bread in the ritual consumption of the offerings with the father-in-law of Moses before God.