What does Exodus 2:18 mean?

The women watering their flock return home. Their father, Reuel, asks how they returned home so soon. He is surprised, perhaps knowing his daughters were often mistreated by male shepherds who watered their own flocks first. This leads to a response regarding Moses (Exodus 2:19). Moses then becomes the object of their father's questions (Exodus 2:20). Reuel—also known as Jethro—discovers that Moses has rescued his daughters from harassment at the hands of other shepherds (Exodus 2:16–17). Reuel eagerly desires to meet Moses, rewards him, and soon makes him part of the family (Exodus 2:21).

An interesting aspect of this verse is the theme of "home." Moses grows up in a household away from his birth family. Later, he flees this for exile. In contrast, Reuel and his family have a home where Moses will be welcomed and treated well. Even during his forty years of exile, God provides for Moses and his needs. This background foreshadows God's future provision for the Jewish people. God will bring the Jews out of Egypt (Exodus 12:41) and into exile for forty years (Numbers 14:33) where He will supernaturally provide for their needs before bringing them into their own land.