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Bible Encyclopedias
Hobab
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or Name occurring twice in the Bible, and borne either by Moses' father-in-law or by his brother-in-law. In the first passage (Numbers 10:29),Hobab is said to have been the son of Raguel (R. V. "Reuel"), the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law (comp. Exodus 2:18), while in Judges 4:11 Hobab himself is called Moses' father-in-law. The Jewish commentators, as Rashi and Naḥmanides, are inclined to agree with the latter passage. They explain (Exodus 2:18) that Raguel, who was Zipporah's grandfather, was called "father" by his grand-daughters. Ibn Ezra, however, favored the interpretation of "ḥoten Mosheh" (Judges 4:11) as "Moses' brother-in-law." Hobab, whoever he was, seems to have been well acquainted with the desert, for Moses requested him to stay with the Israelites and serve them as their "eyes" (Num. c.).
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Hobab'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/h/hobab.html. 1901.
