Exodus 18:15
ESV
And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God;
NIV
Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.
NASB
Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
CSB
Moses replied to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
NLT
Moses replied, 'Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.
KJV
And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
NKJV
And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
What does Exodus 18:15 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Exodus 18; verse-level content coming soon!Exodus 18:13–27 contains Jethro's helpful advice to Moses. Jethro advises his son-in-law not to take on the burden of resolving every dispute or question among the Israelites. Instead, he advises Moses to appoint a series of leaders. Each can pass a difficult judgment up to the next level. Only those which cannot be resolved by the lower levels should be brought to Moses. This frees Moses from trivial questions and lets him focus on larger concerns.
Moses' father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 4:18) has heard everything which happened to free the Hebrews from slavery (Exodus 12:40–41). He visits Israel, bringing Moses' family along. The two men share a happy reunion. After hearing more about the Lord's work, Jethro offers sacrifices. The next day, he notices that Moses is overwhelmed by making decisions for the people. Jethro suggests Moses appoint levels of leaders who can make lesser verdicts. Moses can then focus on teaching the people God's primary commands and resolving disputes which others cannot judge. This frees Moses to only arbitrate difficult situations.
