שמות יח, א : וַּיִשְמַּע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְי ן חֹתֵן מֹשֶה אֵת כ ל־אֲשֶר ע ש ה אֱלֹקִ ים לְמֹשֶה וּלְיִשְ ר אֵל עַּמוֹ כִי־הוֹצִיא ה ' אֶת־יִשְ ר אֵל מִמִצְר יִם:
To reconcile the difficulty וישמע “and he heard” which is used in Torah regarding something that occurred in the past, Chaza”l explain that is refers to two events which had already transpired, namely the dividing of the waters and Amalek’s attack.
The Sforno, however, explains the verse differently by interpreting the phrase כי הוציא, which indicates the ongoing journey of the Jews, as meaning כאשר הוציא “when He brought out”, indicating the past events which occurred at the time of the Jews deliverance, namely the 10 Plagues, the signs and wonders, etc.
The Sforno also makes a second point regarding the difference between Yisro and the response of the Babylonian king at the time of Chizkiyahu, the king of Yehudah. When Sancheriv, the king of Assyria, besieged Yerushalayim only to have HaShem destroy his army, the King of Babylonia sent emissaries to inquiry regarding this great wonder. He did not, however, come personally. Yisro on the other hand, came himself for he was not motivated by curiosity or by a wish to congratulate his son-in-law, but by a sincere desire to seek out HaShem and covert to the Jewish faith.
