Ex 4:20a
Then Moses took his wife and his sons and made them ride on an ass, and he proceeded to return to the land of Egypt.
"And he proceeded to return to the land of Egypt." "He," not "they," as if one would be right should they think Moses returned to Egypt alone. But,....
Ex 4:24,25
Now it came about on the road at the lodging place that Jehovah got to meet him and kept looking for a way to put him to death. Finally Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and caused it to touch his feet and said: "It is because you are a bridegroom of blood to me."
Making it obvious that Moses had been joined by his wife and two sons back to Egypt. Perhaps, upon haste-making it had skipped their notice to get rid of their younger son's foreskin. Circumcision. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that Moses returned to Egypt with his family--wife and two sons.
So, safe to conclude so, and, there again,....
Ex 18:2,5,6
So Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after the sending of her away,.... So Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and his sons and his wife came to Moses into the wilderness where he was camping, at the mountain of the true God. Then he sent word to Moses: "I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am come to you, and also your wife and her two sons with her."
How could Jethro have again been with Moses' family had Moses taken them with himself back to Egypt so that they had to come catch up with Moses, having got to hear that Moses and the rest of Israel were now in the wilderness? To catch up with him. To present to or hand over to him his wife and two sons; for Jethro alone went his way to his land after this.
Does the answer lie in the clause, "after the sending of her away?" Or is there some missing detail? What can it mean anyway, "after the sending of her away?"
