Numbers 10:29-32

Moses-' Request to his Father-in-law. This section and the next (derived from JE) are parallel to, and not the sequel of, Numbers 10:11; for whereas in Numbers 10:12 the Israelites have reached Paran, in Numbers 10:33 they are only starting from Sinai. Moses-' father-in-law, called here (J) and in Judges 4:11 (mg.) Hobab, is named in Exodus 3:1; Exodus 4:18 (E) Jethro, and in Exodus 2:18 * Reuel (where, however, the name should probably be omitted). It is implied that Hobab, by accompanying Israel going north, Would be separated from the rest of the Midianites who roamed over the desert E. of Canaan (Judges 6:3, cf. Genesis 25:1); and this favours the view that Sinai was not in the S. of the peninsula; otherwise his route and Israel's would have coincided for some distance. From Judges 1:16 it may be inferred that Moses-' father-in-law (see mg.) accompanied the Israelites into Canaan, though this is denied in Exodus 18:27.