18:19 Now listen to me,35 I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God,36 and you bring37 their disputes38 to God;
tn The line reads “Be you to the people before God.” He is to be their representative before God. This is introducing the aspect of the work that only Moses could do, what he has been doing. He is to be before God for the people, to pray for them, to appeal on their behalf. Jethro is essentially saying, I understand that you cannot delegate this to anyone else, so continue doing it (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 219–20).
37
tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative it will be instruction as well. Since the imperative preceding this had the idea of “continue to be” as you are, this too has that force.
38
tnHeb “words”; KJV, ASV “the causes”; NRSV “cases”; NLT “questions.”