Exodus 18:5

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God, bringing Moses’ wife and his two sons with him.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

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

Transliteration

wə-yābōʾ yitrô ḥōtēn mōšeh and-bānāyw and-ʾištô to-mōšeh to-hammidbār which-he ḥōneh there har hāʾĕlōhîm

Grammar Details

• *wə*-*yābōʾ*: consecutive imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he came
• *yitrô*: proper noun, masculine singular - Jethro
• *ḥōtēn*: noun, masculine singular construct - father-in-law of
• *mōšeh*: proper noun - Moses
• *bānāyw*: noun, masculine plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his sons
• *ʾištô*: noun, feminine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his wife
• *hammidbār*: article with noun, masculine singular - the wilderness
• *ḥōneh*: participle, masculine singular - encamping/camping
• *har*: noun, masculine singular construct - mountain of
• *hāʾĕlōhîm*: article with noun, masculine plural - the God/the divine one

Word Meanings

• *hammidbār*: the wilderness/desert/uninhabited land
• *har* *hāʾĕlōhîm*: mountain of God/Horeb/Sinai

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mount of God.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And Iethro Moses father in lawe came wyth his two sonnes and his wife vnto Moses in to the wildernesse: where he had pitched his tente by the mounte of God.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Now wha Iethro Moses father in lawe, and his sonnes and his wife came vnto him in the wyldernes by the mount of God where he had pitched his tent,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And Iethro Moses father in law came with his two sonnes, and his wife vnto Moses into the wildernes, where he camped by ye mout of God.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  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.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, cometh, and his sons, and his wife, unto Moses, unto the wilderness where he is encamping -- the mount of God;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to where Moses had put up his tent in the waste land, by the mountain of God.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and his wife, came to Moses in the wilderness where he was camping by the mountain of God.

Referenced Verses

• Exod 3:1 : 1 Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
• Exod 3:12 : 12 God reassured him, 'I will certainly be with you. And this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.'
• Exod 19:11 : 11 They must be prepared for the third day, because on the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.
• Exod 19:20 : 20 The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Then the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
• Exod 24:16-17 : 16 The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 The appearance of the LORD's glory was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the sight of the Israelites.
• 1 Kgs 19:8 : 8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.