How many times is Jethro mentioned in the Bible?
The word Jethro appears 10 times in the King James Version, in 9 verses. It is found in 1 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Jethro 10 times.
Jethro in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Jethro counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Jethro | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 10 | 10 |
What the name Jethro means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Jethro as "his excellence; his posterity".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Jethro most
Jethro appears in 1 book of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus has the most (10).
First and last mention of Jethro
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 the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.
The verse that uses it most is Exodus 4:18, 2 times:
And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
Common questions
How many times is Jethro in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 10 of the 10 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Jethro appears in 1 book of the 66 in the King James Version. Exodus has the most (10).
Where is Jethro first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 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 the mountain of God, even to Horeb." The last is Exodus 18:12.
What does the name Jethro mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Jethro as "his excellence; his posterity".
More word counts: Rahab, Deborah, Delilah, Hannah, Seth, Methuselah, Terah, Dinah, or all 484 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.