שמות, פרק ב׳, פסוק י״ח

The unexpected, early return of the young women to their home exposes a difficult daily routine of harassment and raises intriguing questions about the structure of their family. The identity of the household's patriarch, Reuel, presents a historical puzzle, as Moses' father-in-law is more famously known as Jethro or Hobab. The primary approach among commentators is that Reuel was actually the young women's grandfather, the father of Jethro. It was common practice in ancient times and everyday speech to refer to a grandfather simply as a father [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, תורה תמימה, ביאור ישר, פרדס יוסף]. Reuel is recognized as the head of the household here because he was still alive and actively serving as the patriarch; family leadership only transitioned to Jethro after Reuel's passing [שד״ל]. Furthermore, at that time, Reuel was a prominent political figure, whereas Jethro had not yet gained fame for his wisdom and greatness [העמק דבר]. Taking a different perspective, some suggest that Reuel was the elderly head of the family, while Jethro and Hobab were his sons, making them the brothers of the young women. According to this view, the biblical concept of a father-in-law is not strictly reserved for a wife's father, but applies broadly to all close family members connected through marriage [אם למקרא].

A completely different approach explores the profound meaning behind the name Reuel, which translates to a friend of God. According to this tradition, Reuel had openly rejected local idol worship, leading his own townspeople to excommunicate him. This social outcast status explains why the local shepherds despised him and constantly harassed his daughters. It is also the reason the young women were forced to tend the flocks themselves and were routinely driven away from the communal well [אלשיך].

The father's sheer surprise at their early arrival reveals that being chased away by the shepherds was not an isolated incident, but a harsh, fixed reality. Typically, the daughters were forced to wait until all the other men had finished watering their flocks. As a result, they would return home late every day, while their father remained completely helpless to protect them. Their sudden, early return on this specific day was highly unusual and astonishing [בכור שור, ביאור שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו]. When he questioned their early arrival, his reaction was not just a casual inquiry, but one born of total bewilderment. Rather than asking about their general purpose—which would imply he had some idea of what was happening—his phrasing indicates a complete lack of knowledge. He simply could not understand what immediate event had occurred to stop the shepherds from delaying them as they did every other day [מלבי״ם, ברכת אשר].