Exodus 18:7 Meaning: The Humility of a Great Leader

The Hebrew behind "bowed" is shachah, the same word used when Abraham bowed to the three visitors or when people bowed in worship before God. Here it means deep respect, not worship, a full lowering of oneself before another person. Moses, who had faced Pharaoh and parted the sea, did not hold back.

The word for "kissed" (nashaq) appears in family reunions throughout Genesis. It is the kiss of close affection, not formal distance. Moses did not keep his father-in-law at arm's length.

Then they "asked each other of their welfare", literally, they asked each other of shalom, peace. That word carries completeness, health, wholeness. They did not rush to business. They stopped to ask: Are you whole? Is your life full? That is the foundation of real relationship.

Matthew Henry, the Presbyterian commentator, wrote of Moses showing "a very humble respect to his father-in-law." He noted that even God's prophet made conscience of honoring those to whom honor was due. Gill, a Baptist, highlighted Moses' condescension: he went out from the camp to meet Jethro when he could have sent a guard. Calvin, writing from a Reformed perspective, said they met "with mutual kindness" and performed "the duties of affection." The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges calls it "the usual Oriental etiquette." Each tradition reads the same action, the bow, the kiss, the inquiry after peace, and sees the dignity of ordinary human honor.

Some readers think Moses' bowing was a form of worship or that it showed weakness in a leader. In fact, the Hebrew word shachah is used throughout the Old Testament for respectful greeting (see Genesis 18:2, 19:1). It was not worship of a man, but honor given to a father-in-law. Moses did not lose his authority by showing respect. He gained the trust that would let Jethro speak into his leadership later in the chapter.

Think of the people in your life whom you honor in title but overlook in practice, parents, in-laws, older relatives. It is easy to be too busy, too important, or too tired for the simple gestures. Moses went out to meet Jethro before any work was done. He bowed. He kissed. He asked about peace. This week, try one concrete action: call a relative and ask not about logistics but about their well-being. Say their shalom matters to you. It costs time but builds what no efficiency can replace.