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Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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THE MESSAGE

Exodus 18:18

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Moses;   Prudence;   Thompson Chain Reference - Courts;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Kenites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jethro;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judge;   Moses;   Ruler;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Biblical Theology;   Elder;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Glory;   Rephidim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jethro;   Judges;   Justice;   Moses;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Decision;   Heavy;   Jethro;   Judge;   Judging;   Moses;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Appeal;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jethro;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
King James Version
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Lexham English Bible
Surely you will wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because the thing is too difficult for you. You are not able to do it alone.
New Century Version
You and the people who come to you will get too tired. This is too much work for you; you can't do it by yourself.
New English Translation
You will surely wear out, both you and these people who are with you, for this is too heavy a burden for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.
Amplified Bible
"You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone.
New American Standard Bible
"You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou both weariest thy selfe greatly, & this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heauie for thee: thou art not able to doe it thy selfe alone.
Legacy Standard Bible
You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
Contemporary English Version
You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out. The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone.
Complete Jewish Bible
You will certainly wear yourself out — and not only yourself, but these people here with you as well. It's too much for you — you can't do it alone, by yourself.
Darby Translation
Thou wilt be quite exhausted, both thou and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee: thou canst not perform it alone.
Easy-to-Read Version
It is too much work for you to do alone. You cannot do this job by yourself. It wears you out. And it makes the people tired too.
English Standard Version
You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.
George Lamsa Translation
You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and all this people that is with you; for this thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to do it alone.
Good News Translation
You will wear yourself out and these people as well. This is too much for you to do alone.
Christian Standard Bible®
“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.
Literal Translation
Wearing you will wear out, both you and this people with you. For the thing is heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou weeriest thy self, and the people that is with the. This busynesse is to sore for the, thou canst not perfourme it alone.
American Standard Version
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Bible in Basic English
Your strength and that of the people will be completely used up: this work is more than you are able to do by yourself.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou both weryest thy selfe, and this people that is with thee: For this thing is of more wayght, then thou art able to perfourme thy selfe alone.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
King James Version (1611)
Thou wilt surely weare away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heauy for thee; thou art not able to performe it thy selfe alone.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
thou wilt wear away with intolerable weariness, both those and all this people which is with thee: this thing is hard, thou wilt not be able to endure it thyself alone.
English Revised Version
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Berean Standard Bible
Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
thou art wastid with a fonned trauel, bothe thou and this puple which is with thee; the werk is a boue thi strengthis, thou aloone maist not suffre it.
Young's Literal Translation
thou dost surely wear away, both thou, and this people which [is] with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou art not able to do it by thyself.
Update Bible Version
You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you: for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it yourself alone.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that [is] with thee: for this thing [is] too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
World English Bible
You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
New King James Version
Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.
New Living Translation
"You're going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.
New Life Bible
You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone.
New Revised Standard
You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou wilt get quite worn out, both thou and this people that is with thee, - for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou canst not do it, alone.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou art spent with foolish labour, both thou, and this people that is with thee; the business is above thy strength, thou alone canst not bear it.
Revised Standard Version
You and the people with you will wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Contextual Overview

13The next day Moses took his place to judge the people. People were standing before him all day long, from morning to night. When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What's going on here? Why are you doing all this, and all by yourself, letting everybody line up before you from morning to night?" 15Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me with questions about God. When something comes up, they come to me. I judge between a man and his neighbor and teach them God's laws and instructions." 17Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also." 24Moses listened to the counsel of his father-in-law and did everything he said. Moses picked competent men from all Israel and set them as leaders over the people who were organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They took over the everyday work of judging among the people. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but in the routine cases they were the judges. Then Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law who went home to his own country.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thou wilt surely wear away: Heb. Fading thou wilt fade, 2 Corinthians 12:15, Philippians 2:30, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:9

thou art: Numbers 11:14-17, Deuteronomy 1:9-12, Acts 6:1-4

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:22 - they shall Exodus 18:23 - God Deuteronomy 1:17 - the cause

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."
Genesis 18:17
Then God said, "Shall I keep back from Abraham what I'm about to do? Abraham is going to become a large and strong nation; all the nations of the world are going to find themselves blessed through him. Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God 's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him."
Genesis 18:26
God said, "If I find fifty decent people in the city of Sodom, I'll spare the place just for them."
Ephesians 1:3
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou wilt surely wear away,.... His natural strength and animal spirits, and so his flesh; he feared his constant application and attendance to business would impair his health, break his constitution, and bring him into a consumption. Moses was naturally of a strong and vigorous constitution; for, forty years after this, even to the time of his death, his natural force was not abated; or "fading thou wilt fade", or, "falling thou wilt fall" r; in allusion to the leaves of trees in autumn, which fade, and wither, and fall:

both thou and this people that is with thee; it was tiresome to the people, as well as fatiguing to Moses, who, because of the multitude of cases, were obliged to wait a long time, some of them from morning to night, and yet could not get their suit to come and so were obliged to attend next day, and perhaps day after day. The Targum of Jonathan is,

"even thou also, Aaron and his sons, and the elders that are with them;''

and so Jarchi; but these do not seem to have been assisting to him at all, as appears by what follows:

for this thing is too heavy for thee: it was too great a burden upon his shoulders, what his strength was not equal to; for though his internal abilities were exceeding great, and he had a good will to the work, to serve God and his people, yet it was more, humanly speaking, than his bodily strength would admit of, or any mortal man could go through:

thou art not able to perform it thyself alone; and this Moses was sensible of himself afterwards, and says the same thing, Deuteronomy 1:9.

r נבל תבל "marcescendo marcesses", Montanus; so Ainsworth; "cadendo cades", Pagninus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou wilt surely wear away - From decay and exhaustion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 18:18. Thou wilt surely wear away — נבל תבל nabol tibbol, in wearing way, thou wilt wear away - by being thus continually employed, thou wilt soon become finally exhausted. And this people that is with thee; as if he had said, "Many of them are obliged to wait so long for the determination of their suit that their patience must be soon necessarily worn out, as there is no one to hear every cause but thyself."


 
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