Exodus

Exodus 18:2–4

²After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her, ³along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom,^b for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” ⁴The other son was named Eliezer,^c for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Footnotes

b 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner.
c 18:4 Eliezer means God is my helper.

Read all of Exodus 18

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Exodus 18:2

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
After	אַחַ֖ר	’a·ḥar	Adverb	H310 behind
Moses	מֹשֶׁ֑ה	mō·šeh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H4872 Moses
had sent back	שִׁלּוּחֶֽיהָ׃	šil·lū·ḥe·hā	Noun - masculine plural construct; third person feminine singular	H7964 dismissal, divorce, dower
his wife	אֵ֣שֶׁת	’ê·šeṯ	Noun - feminine singular construct	H802 woman, wife, female
Zipporah	צִפֹּרָ֖ה	ṣip·pō·rāh	Noun - proper - feminine singular	H6855 Tsipporah
father-in-law	חֹתֵ֣ן	ḥō·ṯên	Noun - masculine singular construct	H2859 wife's father
Jethro	יִתְרוֹ֙	yiṯ·rōw	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3503 Jethro
had received her	וַיִּקַּ֗ח	way·yiq·qaḥ	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H3947 take

Exodus 18:3

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
along with	וְאֵ֖ת	wə·’êṯ	Conjunctive waw; Direct object marker	H853 mark of the accusative
her two	שְׁנֵ֣י	šə·nê	Number - masculine dual construct	H8147 two
sons	בָנֶ֑יהָ	ḇā·ne·hā	Noun - masculine plural construct; third person feminine singular	H1121 son
One	הָֽאֶחָד֙	hā·’e·ḥāḏ	Article; Number - masculine singular	H259 one
was named	שֵׁ֤ם	šêm	Noun - masculine singular construct	H8034 name
Gershom	גֵּֽרְשֹׁ֔ם	gê·rə·šōm	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H1647 Gereshom
for	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
Moses had said	אָמַ֔ר	’ā·mar	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H559 utter, say
I have been	הָיִ֔יתִי	hā·yî·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
a foreigner	גֵּ֣ר	gêr	Noun - masculine singular	H1616 sojourner
in a foreign	נָכְרִיָּֽה׃	nā·ḵə·rî·yāh	Adjective - feminine singular	H5237 foreign, alien
land	בְּאֶ֖רֶץ	bə·’e·reṣ	Preposition-b; Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land

Exodus 18:4

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
The other	הָאֶחָ֖ד	hā·’e·ḥāḏ	Article; Number - masculine singular	H259 one
was named	וְשֵׁ֥ם	wə·šêm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct	H8034 name
Eliezer	אֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר	’ĕ·lî·‘e·zer	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H461 Eliezer
for	כִּֽי־	kî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
The God	אֱלֹהֵ֤י	’ĕ·lō·hê	Noun - masculine plural construct	H430 God
of my father	אָבִי֙	’ā·ḇî	Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H1 father
was my helper	בְּעֶזְרִ֔י	bə·‘ez·rî	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct; first person common singular	H5828 help, succour
and delivered me	וַיַּצִּלֵ֖נִי	way·yaṣ·ṣi·lê·nî	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular; first person common singular	H5337 strip, plunder
from the sword	מֵחֶ֥רֶב	mê·ḥe·reḇ	Preposition-m; Noun - feminine singular construct	H2719 sword
of Pharaoh	פַּרְעֹֽה׃	par·‘ōh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H6547 Pharaoh

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Exodus 18:2 Exodus 2:21

Exodus 18:3 Exodus 2:22 · Acts 7:29 · Hebrews 11:13 · Psalm 39:12 · Exodus 4:20

Exodus 18:4 2 Corinthians 1:8–10 · Acts 12:11 · Hebrews 13:6 · 2 Timothy 4:17 · Daniel 6:22 · 1 Chronicles 23:15 · Isaiah 50:7–9 · Psalm 34:4 · Psalm 46:1 · Psalm 18:1 · Exodus 2:15

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.