Bible Strands
Exodus 18:8
Then Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had encountered along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses speaks to his father-in-law Jethro immediately after entering his tent, following their greeting and bow (Exodus 18:7). He recounts God's actions toward Pharaoh and the Egyptians, the Israelites' journey hardships, and their deliverance.
The words — The verb וַיְסַפֵּר (va-y.se.per) literally means "and he recounted" or "and he told in detail," establishing the verse's focus on systematic reporting. The object marker אֵת (et) precedes the comprehensive scope of God's deeds.
The thread — This pattern of recounting divine deliverance and historical hardship appears in Numbers 20:14, Nehemiah 9:9, and Nehemiah 9:32, where leaders and communities systematically recall God's interventions and the people's trials.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that faithful testimony involves explicitly naming both divine intervention and human suffering. It demands a clear, unvarnished accounting of events rather than abstract theological claims.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.
Cross-references
- Numbers 20:14 From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us,
- Nehemiah 9:9 You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
- Nehemiah 9:32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
- Psalms 78:42 They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
- Psalms 81:7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
- Psalms 106:10 He saved them from the hand that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
- Psalms 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
- Psalms 145:4 One generation will commend Your works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—
- Genesis 44:34 For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”
- Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.