Exodus 18:26

Read in context

Exodus 18:24–27 · Berean Standard Bible

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

25 So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

26 And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Study Exodus 18:26

Read the commentary on Exodus 18

Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Exodus 18:14

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”

Exodus 18:22

Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

Exodus 18:15

“Because the people come to me to inquire of God,” Moses replied.

Deuteronomy 17:8

If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.

1 Kings 3:16

At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

1 Kings 3:17

One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.

1 Kings 3:18

On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us.

1 Kings 3:19

During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him.

1 Kings 3:20

So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.

1 Kings 3:21

The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”

1 Kings 3:22

“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.

1 Kings 3:23

Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

1 Kings 3:24

The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword,

1 Kings 3:25

and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

1 Kings 3:26

Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”

1 Kings 3:27

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”

1 Kings 3:28

When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

1 Kings 10:1

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.

Job 29:16

I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.