Now Moses is one word in the Hebrew and comes first in the sentence. This sharply contrasts the quiet life of the shepherd with that of the oppressed Israelites mentioned in 2.24-25. Some transitional marker seems necessary at the beginning of this new chapter, such as Now, or “One day” (Good News Translation), or “Meanwhile” (New American Bible). Moses was keeping the flock suggests a continuing activity of “taking care of” (Good News Translation) the flock. The flock included “sheep and goats” only. Jethro, the priest of Midian, is clearly identified as Moses’ father-in-law, the same man who is called “Reuel” in 2.18. (See the comment there.) Most languages will have a specific term for father-in-law, but if such a term does not exist, one can translate his father-in-law, Jethro as “his wife’s father, Jethro,” “Jethro, the father of the woman he married,” or even “Jethro, the father of Zipporah.” (For flock and priest of Midian, see the comment at 2.16.)

He led his flock describes the responsibility of the shepherd in guiding the animals to new patches of grazing land. The verb does not specify whether Moses led them or “drove” them (New Jerusalem Bible), but most translations favor the former. The Hebrew for the west side of the wilderness should not be understood geographically. The word translated as west side is really the word meaning “behind” or “after.” The ancient Hebrews often thought of the east in terms of a person facing the rising sun, in which case the west would be behind him. Most translations interpret the word here to refer to the area beyond or “after” the wilderness through which Moses was leading the flock. Since the precise location of Horeb (“Sinai”) is uncertain, it is better to interpret this as “the far side of” (New Jerusalem Bible), “a distant part of” (Translator’s Old Testament), or even “beyond the wilderness” (New Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation has “across the desert,” a more neutral translation that does not indicate any particular direction. This is a good alternative translation.

The wilderness was not a wide, flat area of nothing but sand, as the word “desert” (Good News Translation) may imply. Rather it was a mostly dry and barren region through which Moses was leading the flock in search of seasonal pasturage. There would, however, be occasional patches of moisture and vegetation; but for the most part it was uncultivated. Nomads and their herds inhabited certain areas of the wilderness. In cultures where a wilderness is unknown, one may translate the term with a descriptive phrase; for example, “a dry, barren land,” “a rocky region,” “a place where people don’t settle,” “a place where no house is,” and so on. Translators may prefer to borrow a term from a national language and explain it in a footnote.

Horeb, the mountain of God may be understood as “Sinai, the holy mountain.” Good News Translation uses the more familiar “Sinai” throughout, but most translations retain the name Horeb. If, however, translators use the name Horeb, it will be helpful to include a footnote stating that this mountain was probably the one referred to later as Sinai. The names “Sinai” and Horeb reflect different traditions of the mountain where God appeared to Moses. “Sinai” is preferred by the Yahwist and Priestly traditions (“J” and “P”), while Horeb is used by the Elohist and Deuteronomistic traditions (“E” and “D”). (See the discussion on “Sources” in “Translating Exodus,” page 2.)

The mountain is usually identified with Jebel Musa, which is located in the southern part of the Sinai peninsula. Other locations have been suggested, but there is insufficient archaeological evidence to support any of these. This is due largely to the difficulty of locating most of the places mentioned in the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. The phrase the mountain of God, with the definite article, certainly describes this mountain as “holy” (Good News Translation), or “sacred” (Translator’s Old Testament), but it may also suggest that it is the possession or dwelling place of God. “Holy” or “sacred” in this context means “dedicated [or, set apart] for God’s use.” So one may translate “Horeb, the mountain dedicated to God.” In some languages, however, the idea of positive taboo will be helpful; for example, “Horeb, the [positive] taboo mountain.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .