Verses 2-4 give background information about Moses’ family in order to fill in the gap from the last mention of them in 4.26. (Translator’s Old Testament places all three verses in parentheses.) They have usually been understood as a flashback, which is an account of events that had taken place earlier. But the main verb, had taken, is literally “and he took,” and it may be understood in two different ways:

Revised Standard Version interprets “and he took” as a pluperfect. This means that Jethro, her father, “had received her” (Revised English Bible), or “had taken her back into his home” (Translator’s Old Testament) after Moses had sent her away. See also New Revised Standard Version (“took her back”), New International Version (“received her”).

Good News Translation, however, interprets “and he took” as a simple past, meaning that Jethro was now “bringing” her to see Moses. See also Jerusalem Bible (“brought”), Childs (“took”), and New American Bible (“took along”). The verse is then easily rendered as “So he came to Moses, bringing with him Moses’ wife” (Good News Translation). But note that Good News Translation has borrowed the verb “he came” from verse 5, and still uses parentheses for verses 3b and 4. New American Bible simply has “So his father-in-law Jethro took along Zipporah.”

After he had sent her away is literally “after her dismissal.” Jerusalem Bible has “after she had been dismissed.” This needs to be expressed in the English pluperfect, for it indicates that Moses had evidently sent Zipporah and their sons back home after their experience at the lodging place in 4.24-26. He may have done this out of concern for their safety, or in order to be freed from family responsibilities.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

(a) with parentheses:

• (Moses had sent his wife Zipporah to stay with Jethro, who welcomed [or, received] her….)

(b) without parentheses:

• So Jethro came to Moses bringing with him Moses’ wife Zipporah, whom Moses had left behind.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .