Jethro
    his excellence, or gain, a prince or priest of Midian, who
    succeeded his father Reuel. Moses spent forty years after his
    exile from the Egyptian court as keeper of Jethro's flocks.
    While the Israelites were encamped at Sinai, and soon after
    their victory over Amalek, Jethro came to meet Moses, bringing
    with him Zipporah and her two sons. They met at the "mount of
    God," and "Moses told him all that the Lord had done unto
    Pharaoh" (Ex. 18:8). On the following day Jethro, observing the
    multiplicity of the duties devolving on Moses, advised him to
    appoint subordinate judges, rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of
    fifties, and of tens, to decide smaller matters, leaving only
    the weightier matters to be referred to Moses, to be laid before
    the Lord. This advice Moses adopted (Ex. 18). He was also called
    Hobab (q.v.), which was probably his personal name, while Jethro
    was an official name. (See MOSES.)



 Jethro, his excellence; his posterity