Numbers 10:29 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Numbers 10:29
And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Hobab
לְ֠חֹבָבle.cho.o
H2246
Chobab · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
son
בֶּןben-
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Raguel
רְעוּאֵ֣לre.'u.'El
H7467
Reuel · proper noun, a man's name
Midianite
הַמִּדְיָנִי֮ha.mid.ya.Ni
H4084
a Midjanite or descendant (native) of Midjan · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine singular absolute
Moses’
מֹשֶׁה֒mo.Sheh
H4872
Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name
law
חֹתֵ֣ןcho.Ten
H2859
to give (a daughter) away in marriage · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular construct
journeying
נֹסְעִ֣יםno.se.'Im
H5265
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
place
הַמָּקוֹם֙ha.ma.kOm
H4725
properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
said
אָמַ֣ר'a.Mar
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
give
אֶתֵּ֣ן'e.Ten
H5414
to give · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
come
יָלַךְyâlak
H3212
to walk (literally or figuratively)
good
טוֹבṭôwb
H2895
to be (transitively
LORD
יְהוָ֥הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
spoken
דִּבֶּרdi.ber-
H1696
perhaps properly · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
good
ט֖וֹבTov
H2896
good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵֽלYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared u…
Exodus 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to…
Judges 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his t…
Genesis 32:12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Exodus 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unt…
Exodus 6:7-8 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out fr…
Judges 1:16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness o…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Numbers 10:29–end
Here is, I. An account of what passed between Moses and Hobab, now upon this advance which the camp of Israel made towards Canaan. Some think that Hobab was the same with Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, and that the story, Ex. 18, should come in here; it seems more probable that Hobab was the son of Jethro, alias Reuel, or Raguel (Exo 2:18), and that when the father, being aged, went to his own land (Exo 18:27), he left his son Hobab with Moses, as Barzillai left Chimham with David; and the same word signifies both a father-in-law and a brother-in-law. Now this Hobab staid contentedly with Israel while they encamped at mount Sinai, near his own country; but, now that they were removing, he wa…
Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite--called also Reuel (the same as Jethro [Exo 2:18, Margin]). Hobab, the son of this Midianite chief and brother-in-law to Moses, seems to have sojourned among the Israelites during the whole period of their encampment at Sinai and now on their removal proposed returning to his own abode. Moses urged him to remain, both for his own benefit from a religious point of view, and for the useful services his nomad habits could enable him to render.
John Gill on Numbers 10:29
And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite,
Moses's father in law,.... Some think this Hobab was the same with Jethro, whose father's name was Raguel or Reuel; so Jarchi and Ben Gersom; but rather Raguel or Reuel, and Jethro, seem to be the same, and was Moses's father-in-law, and this Hobab was the son of him, and brother of Zipporah, Moses's wife; and the same relation is designed whether the word is rendered his "father-in-law" or his "wife's brother", so Aben Ezra; as it may be either; if the former, then it may be joined to Raguel, if the latter, then to Hobab: Jethro or Raguel, Moses's father-in-law, came to see him as soon as he came to Horeb, and after some short sta…
We can better persuade proud men to do what is useful if we say that their setting out will profit us rather than them, or if we say that improvement will profit us rather than them and ask that the cost be on our account, not theirs. For pride is easily turned to good if it can be adapted to the profit of others. Thus Moses, with God guiding him, advanced through the desert with a column of cloud going before him. When he wished to draw his relative Hobab away from his life with the Gentiles and subject him to the lordship of almighty God, he said, "We are going to the place that the Lord will give us. Come with us, so that we can do you good, for the Lord has promised good to Israel." When Hobab answered, "I will not go with you but will return to my land, where I was born," Moses added, "Do not leave us. You know where we should make camp in the desert, and you will be our guide." Moses' mind was not limited by ignorance of the route. For knowledge of the Deity had made him familiar with prophecy. The column had gone before him. Familiar speech had taught him about all things interiorly, through careful conversation with God. But this prudent man, speaking to a proud listener, asked Hobab to give him help. Moses needed Hobab as a guide along the way, so that he could be Hobab's guide in life. So Moses acted so that the proud listener, as he urged the better way on him, would become more devoted to him if he were thought to be indispensable. He thought he outranked Moses, who asked him for help, and thus yielded to Moses' words as Moses entreated him.
We can better persuade proud men to do what is useful if we say that their setting out will profit us rather than them, or if we say that improvement will profit us rather than them and ask that the cost be on our account, not theirs. For pride is easily turned to good if it can be adapted to the profit of others. Thus Moses, with God guiding him, advanced through the desert with a column of cloud going before him. When he wished to draw his relative Hobab away from his life with the Gentiles and subject him to the lordship of almighty God, he said, "We are going to the place that the Lord will give us. Come with us, so that we can do you good, for the Lord has promised good to Israel." When Hobab answered, "I will not go with you but will return to my land, where I was born," Moses added, "Do not leave us. You know where we should make camp in the desert, and you will be our guide." Moses' mind was not limited by ignorance of the route. For knowledge of the Deity had made him familiar with prophecy. The column had gone before him. Familiar speech had taught him about all things interiorly, through careful conversation with God. But this prudent man, speaking to a proud listener, asked Hobab to give him help. Moses needed Hobab as a guide along the way, so that he could be Hobab's guide in life. So Moses acted so that the proud listener, as he urged the better way on him, would become more devoted to him if he were thought to be indispensable. He thought he outranked Moses, who asked him for help, and thus yielded to Moses' words as Moses entreated him. Exposition of the Old and New Testament, Numbers
Dictionary and topics
Exodus — The great deliverance wrought for the children of Isreal when they were brought out of the land of Egypt with “a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm” (Ex 12:51; Deut. 26:8; Ps 114; 136), about…
Hobab — Beloved, the Kenite, has been usually identified with Jethro (q.v.), Ex. 18:5, 27; comp. Num. 10:29, 30. In Judg. 4:11, the word rendered “father-in-law” means properly any male relative by marriage…
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…
Kenites — Smiths, the name of a tribe inhabiting the desert lying between southern Palestine and the mountains of Sinai. Jethro was of this tribe (Judg. 1:16). He is called a “Midianite” (Num. 10:29), and…
Raguel — Friend of God, (Num. 10:29)=Reuel (q.v.), Ex. 2:18, the father-in-law of Moses, and probably identical with Jethro (q.v.).
Reuel — Friend of God. (1.) A son of Esau and Bashemath (Gen. 36:4, 10; 1 Chr. 1:35). (2.) “The priest of Midian,” Moses’ father-in-law (Ex. 2:18)=Raguel (Num. 10:29). If he be identified with Jethro (q.v.),…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · Order of marching during — Order of marching during
Hobab · General references — General references
Jethro · Moses spent forty years of exile with, and married his daughter — Moses spent forty years of exile with, and married his daughter
Kenites, The · Connected with the Midianites — Connected with the Midianites
Pilgrims And Strangers · As saints they: Invite others to go with them
on Numbers 10:29–end
Numbers 10:29-36
29. And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.
29. Dixit autem Moses ad Hobab filium Reuel Madianitae soceri sui, Nos proficiscimur ad locum de quo dixit Jehova, Illum dabo vobis: veni nobiscum, et benefaciemus tibi: quia Jehova loquutus est beneficentiam super Israelem.
30. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.
30. Respondit autem ei, Non veniam: sed ad terram meam, et ad natale solum meum ibo.
31. And he sai…
The conversation in which Moses persuaded Hobab the Midianite, the son of Reguel (see at Exo 2:16), and his brother-in-law, to go with the Israelites, and being well acquainted with the desert to act as their leader, preceded the departure in order of time; but it is placed between the setting out and the march itself, as being subordinate to the main events. When and why Hobab came into the camp of the Israelites-whether he came with his father Reguel (or Jethro) when Israel first arrived at Horeb, and so remained behind when Jethro left (Exo 18:27), or whether he did not come till afterwards-was left uncertain, because it was a matter of no consequence in relation to what is narrated here.…
After the trek toward Paran had begun, Moses took the practical step of asking his brother-in-law, Hobab (cp. Judg 4:11), to join the Israelites as their guide (literally to serve as Israel’s eyes) and so to share in their promised blessings. As a Midianite shepherd, Hobab knew the routes and possible sources of food and water in this region of the Sinai Peninsula. • Reuel the Midianite: See “Jethro (Reuel)” Profile. • my own land and family: Midian was probably in northwestern Arabia. Judges 1:16 suggests that Hobab accepted the appeal.
Rashi on Numbers 10:29
חבב is identical with Jethro, as it is said, (Judges 4:11) of the sons of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses”. (Thus חתן משה in our verse is to be connected with חבב and not with רעואל המדיני immediately preceding). — But why then does it state (Exodus 2:18) “and they (the daughters of Jethro) came to Reuel, their father”, since he was their grandfather and not their father? It teaches us that children are in the habit of calling their grandfather by the term “father”. — He (Jethro) was called by several names: Jethro, because he added (it was through him there was added) a section to the Torah (viz., Exodus 18:21 ff.); Hobab (חֹבָב) because he loved (חֹבֵב) the Torah, etc.
נוסעים אנחנו אל ה…
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
