The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening.
Parallel translations
- WEB On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
- KJV And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
- NKJV And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.
- NASB And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening.
- NLT The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The next day Moses sat alone to judge the people from morning to evening. The burden of leadership fell heavily on Moses.
Overview
Moses bears the full weight of settling Israel's disputes single-handedly, occupying the entire day. This unsustainable arrangement sets up Jethro's coming counsel about shared leadership. The scene shows Moses' devotion but also the limits of one leader carrying responsibilities God intends to be distributed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 23:2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
- Isa 16:5in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.
- Rom 13:6This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
- Judg 5:10You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
- Rom 12:8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
- Job 29:7When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,
- Joel 3:12Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 18:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.