In the city of Midian, named thus for a son of Abraham by Keturah,[81]
the man Jethro had lived for many years, doing a priest's service
before the idols. As time went on, he grew more and more convinced of
the vanity of idol worship. His priesthood became repugnant to him, and
he resolved to give up his, charge. He stood before his townsmen, and
said, "Until now I performed your service before the idols, but I have
grown too old for the duties of the office. Choose, therefore, whomever
you would choose in my place." Speaking thus, he delivered to the
people all the paraphernalia appertaining to the idol worship, and bade
them transfer them to the one to whom in their discretion they should
entrust his position. Suspecting Jethro's hidden motives, the people
put him under the ban, and none might venture to do him the slightest
service. Not even would the shepherds pasture his flocks, and there was
nothing for him to do but impose this work upon his seven
daughters.[82]
Jethro's transformation from an idolatrous priest into a God-fearing
man is conveyed by his seven names. He was called Jether, because the
Torah contains an "additional" section about him; Jethro, he
"overflowed" with good deeds. Hobab, "the beloved son of God"; Reuel,
"the friend of God"; Heber, "the associate of God"; Putiel, "he that
hath renounced idolatry"; and Keni, he that was "zealous" for God, and
"acquired" the Torah.[83]
In consequence of the hostile relation between Jethro and the
inhabitants of the city, his daughters were in the habit of making
their appearance at the watering troughs before the other shepherds
came thither. But the ruse was not successful. The shepherds would
drive them away, and water their own flocks at the troughs that the
maidens had filled. When Moses arrived in Midian, it was at the well
that he made halt, and his experience was the same as Isaac's and
Jacob's. Like them he found his helpmeet there. Rebekah had been
selected by Eliezer as the wife of Isaac, while she was busy drawing
water for him; Jacob had seen Rachel first, while she was watering her
sheep, and at this well in Midian Moses met his future wife Zipporah.
The rudeness of the shepherds reached its climax the very day of Moses'
arrival. First they deprived the maidens of the water they had drawn
for themselves, and attempted to do violence to them, and then they
threw them into the water with intent to kill them. At this moment
Moses appeared, dragged the maidens out of the water, and gave the
flocks to drink, first Jethro's and then the flocks of the shep- herds,
though the latter did not deserve his good offices. True, he did them
the service with but little trouble to himself, for he had only to draw
a bucketful, and the water flowed so copiously that it sufficed for all
the herds,[84] and it did not cease to flow until Moses withdrew from
the well,[85] —the same well at which Jacob had met Rachel, his future
wife, and the same well that God created at the beginning of the world,
the opening of which He made in the twilight of the first Sabbath
eve.[86]
Jethro's daughters thanked Moses for the assistance he had afforded
them. But Moses warded off their gratitude, saying, "Your thanks are
due to the Egyptian I killed, on account of whom I had to flee from
Egypt. Had it not been for him, I should not be here now."[87]