Moses said unto Hobab— See Exodus 2:18. It has been thought by many, that Hobab was only another name for Jethro; see Exodus 18:27. But, upon a more exact survey, I should be rather inclined to believe, that Hobab was Jethro's son; who, after Jethro had left the Israelites, continued with his brother-in-law Moses. Moses presses him very closely still to continue with him, and to partake of the good which the Lord designed for Israel; come thou with us, and we will do thee good: and, in the 31st verse, he urges the great utility whereof he would be to them in their march through this wilderness: To which some have said, What need could there be of such a guide as Hobab, when Moses knew that the cloud of glory was to be their perpetual guide? On this account some of the ancient versions give a different turn to the words of this 31st verse. Thus, the Chaldee paraphrase explains it, thou knowest how we have encamped in the wilderness, and thine eyes have seen the miracles which have been wrought for us. The Samaritan, thou knowest our encampments, and hast been to us instead of eyes: which cannot be the true rendering, as Hobab had not yet followed their camp. The Syriac has it, thou shalt be dear to us as our eyes; the LXX, thou shalt be as a senator amongst us, the counsellors of princes being sometimes called their eyes: but I apprehend that ours is the true translation; and the following remark from the author of the observations will be sufficient to obviate the difficulty respecting the divine guidance.
"When Moses," says that writer, "begged of Hobab not to leave Israel, because they were to encamp in the wilderness, and he might be to them instead of eyes, ch. Numbers 10:31 he doubtless meant, that he might be a guide to them in the difficult journeys they had to take in the wilderness; see Job 29:15. Accordingly, every body at all acquainted with the nature of such desarts as Israel had to pass through, must be sensible of the great importance of having some of the natives of that country for guides, who know where water is to be found, and can lead to places proper on that account for encampments. Without their help, travelling would be much more difficult in these desarts, and indeed often fatal. The importance of having these Arabian guides, appears from such a number of passages in books of travels, that every one, whose reading has turned this way, must have observed it. The application then of Moses to Hobab, the Midianite, that is, to a principal Arab of the tribe of Midian, would have appeared perfectly just, had it not been for this thought, that the cloud of the Divine Presence went before Israel, and directed their marches. Of what consequence, then, it maybe asked, could the journeying of Hobab with them be? A man would take more upon him than he ought, who should affirm, that the attendance of such an one as Hobab was of no use to Israel, in their removing from station to station: Very possibly the guidance of the cloud might not be so minute, as absolutely to render his offices of no value. But I will mention another thing which will put the propriety of this request of Moses quite out of dispute. The sacred history expressly mentions several journies undertaken by parties of the Israelites, while the main body lay still; see Chapter s Numbers 13:20 : xxxi, xxxii, &c. Now Moses, foreseeing something of this, might well beg the company of Hobab, not as a single Arab, but as a prince of one of their clans, that he might be able to apply to him, from time to time, for some of his people, to be conductors of those whom he should have occasion to send out to different places; while the body of the people, and the cloud of the Lord, continued unmoved. Nor was their assistance wanted only with respect to water, when any party of them was sent out upon an expedition; but the whole congregation must have had frequent need of them for directions where to find fewel. Manna continually, and sometimes water, was given them miraculously; their clothes also were exempted from decay while in the wilderness; but fewel was wanted to warm them some part of the year, and at all times to bake and seethe the manna, (according to Exodus 16:23.) and was never obtained but in a natural way, that we know of. For this, then, they wanted the assistance of such Arabs as were perfectly well acquainted with the desart. So Thevenot, describing his travelling in this very desart, says, that on the night of the 25th of January, they rested in a place where was some broom; for that their guides never brought them to rest any where, if they could help it, but in places where they could find fewel, not only to warm them, but to prepare their coffee, &c. and he complains of the want of fewel upon other occasions. Moses hoped that Hobab would be instead of eyes to the Israelites, both with respect to the guiding their parties to wells and springs in the desart; and the giving the people in general notice where they might find fewel: for though they frequently in this desart make use of camel's dung for fewel, [see Dr. Shaw's preface, p. 12.] yet this could not, we may imagine, wholly supply the wants of the Israelites: and, in fact, we find that they sought about for other firing. See chap. Numbers 15:32-33."