Jethro, first mentioned in 3.1, is the same man as Reuel, mentioned in 2.18. The priest of Midian identifies him as a religious leader of the Midianites. (See 2.16.) Moses’ father-in-law identifies him as the one whom Moses would have to respect through family ties. Father-in-law is a term related to the word for “circumcise,” as explained at 4.25. It is used eleven times in this chapter, which seems unnatural even in the Hebrew. We cannot be certain why it is used repeatedly, but it need not be repeated after this first instance in translation, if it seems unnatural to do so. (But see the comment at verse 12.)

Heard of all that God had done does not indicate just how Jethro learned of this. God is the word ʾelohim, which is used twelve times in this chapter. This term should be carefully distinguished from the name Yahweh (LORD), which is used here only six times. Had done is simply “did” in the Hebrew, meaning to make, produce, or perform. This refers to all the plagues as well as to the miraculous crossing at the Red Sea. For Moses and for Israel his people refers to the Israelites as Yahweh’s people, and translators should make this explicit.

How the LORD now switches from ʾelohim to Yahweh, but this should not suggest that Jethro is speaking of two different deities. Good News Translation omits LORD in favor of God in order to avoid such a misunderstanding. Contemporary English Version combines the two terms as follows: “And he heard what the LORD God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.” If translators choose to follow Contemporary English Version‘s model, “the LORD God” may also be rendered as “the LORD who is God,” or even “Yahweh who is God.” Had brought Israel out of Egypt is literally “that Yahweh [was] the one who caused to go out the Israelites from Egypt.”

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 .