Exodus 2:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Moreover, after the young women had escaped from the brutality of the malevolent shepherds, they returned to their father Raguel, also known as Jethro. It’s noteworthy how the Scripture initially names the father of the seven daughters as Jethro, before Moses intervened, and then refers to him as Raguel. Jethro signifies ‘abundance’ or ‘excess,’ as previously mentioned, whereas Raguel translates to ‘the flock of God.’ This interpretation serves a purpose. In personifying the world, we have established that engaging in worldly pleasures is truly excessive and futile. Such was the situation until the young women received aid from Christ.

Raguel, referred to here as the father of the maidens, is in fact their grandfather, as evidenced by Moses identifying their father as the son of Raguel (Num. 10:29). In Scripture, it is not uncommon for a grandfather to be referred to as "Father," in the patriarchal sense, while grandchildren may sometimes be labeled as "sons" (Genesis 29:5, Genesis 31:43, Dan. 5:2). At the time discussed, Raguel served as the priest, being the eldest in his family, while Jethro assumed the role of priest following him. Raguel’s inquiry about their prompt arrival reveals that the event Moses witnessed at the well had occurred previously with Jethro's daughters.

The confusion surrounding the names Raguel and Jethro primarily stems from the term that denotes their connection to Moses, which we translate as "father-in-law." In this chapter, while Raguel is referred to as Moses' father-in-law, the same designation is applied to Jethro in Exodus 18:1, and it is similarly used to describe Hobab, who was Moses' son-in-law, as seen in Numbers 10:29. Furthermore, the same term is used to express the relationship between Moses and his wife Zipporah in Exodus 4:25-26.