Deuteronomy 1:15

Deu 1:15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

Ver. 15. And officers among your tribes.] That might put the laws in execution; which is the same to the law that the clapper is to the bell. There were in good Josiah’s days’ horrible abominations. And why? By the slackness of under offices. {Zep 3:3}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Deu 1:15. So I took the chief — Not in authority, but in endowments for governing. And officers — Inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1:15 thousand . . . hundred . . . fifty . . . ten: This was standard military organization, so some of these officials were probably military officers (see 1 Sam 8:12; 22:7; 2 Sam 18:1).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Declaring what sort of men ought to have a public charge, read Exod. 18:31.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 15. Captains over thousands, c.] What a curious and well-regulated economy was that of the Israelites! See its order and arrangement:

1. GOD, the KING and Supreme Judge

2. Moses, God's prime minister;

3. The priests, consulting him by Urim and Thummim;

4. The chiefs or princes of the twelve tribes;

5. Chilliarchs, or captains over thousands;

6. Centurions, or captains over hundreds;

7. Tribunes, or captains over fifty men;

8. Decurions, or captains over ten men; and,

9. Officers, persons who might be employed by the different chiefs in executing particular commands. All these held their authority from God, and yet were subject and accountable to each other. See the notes on Num. ii.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. the heads of your tribes] LXX, from you, either represents the original Heb. reading or is the Gk translator’s emendation of a difficult text. On the ground that the present Heb. reading conflicts with Deu_1:13 and is meaningless in relation to the rest of this verse (it being unlikely that Moses would say, that he took heads of tribes to make them heads over you), some would delete the words. But the verse, though awkward, may mean that Moses took those elected within the various tribes (Deu_1:13) and made them chiefs with judicial functions in the new national organisation which he now instituted: so in E, Exo_18:25, he set them chiefs over the people, as a whole.

captains of thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens] Captains, Heb. sarîm. So E, Exo_18:21; Exo_18:25. But neither there nor here is the meaning clear. Under the monarchy there were military sarîm of thousands, hundreds, and fifties (1Sa_8:12; 1Sa_17:18; 2Sa_18:1; 2Ki_1:9 ff; 2Ki_11:4; Isa_3:3); that no sarîm of tens are mentioned does not imply that they did not exist, for the notices of the others are incidental. Did such military sarîm already exist in the time of Israel’s wanderings, and is it meant, here and in Exodus 18, that the popularly elected heads took such military titles on their appointment? Or were these military ranks first instituted under the monarchy, when an organised national army took the place of the old tribal levies, and have the writers of E and D (cp. P, Num_31:14; Num_31:28) merely reflected this institution of their own times back on the period of the wandering? Or are we to hold with Steuernagel that although Exo_18:13-26 deals throughout with the institution of judges this deuteronomic review, Deu_1:9-15, narrates the appointment not of judges but of military and administrative officers and that we reach the judges only in Deu_1:16, where their title first occurs and where a new paragraph is indicated by the recurrence of the formula, and at that time? In support of his view, Steuernagel alleges that only intellectual qualities are required for the officers dealt with in Deu_1:9-15, while in Exo_18:13 ff., where judges are intended throughout, the requirements are moral. But this point we have already answered above on Deu_1:13. Further Steuernagel’s explanation neither solves the difficulty in Exo_18:13 ff. (E) where the equation of military titles with the judicial posts is certain; nor meets the fact that this deuteronomic review is based on Exo_18:13 ff., and if it had meant to differ from the latter on so substantial a point it would certainly have indicated the difference explicitly. None of the explanations is satisfactory. The evidence that even under Moses the tribal institutions were welded into a national organisation is frequent and probable; and that main fact may be held, even if we allow, as equally probable, that E and D reflected back upon it the military titles of their own day.

and officers] Heb. shôṭerîm, with the original meaning either of rangers, organisers (so Dri. after Nöldeke, citing Ar. saṭara ‘to rule’ a book, ‘write,’ and saṭr ‘line’ or ‘row,’ cp. Heb. mishṭar, Job_38:33), or of writers (Ass. shatâru ‘write’). Both meanings are attached to the name in the O.T. In Deu_20:5; Deu_20:8 f., as in E, Jos_1:10; Jos_3:2, shôṭerîm are army officers who pass on the general orders through the ranks; cp. J, Exo_5:6, etc., native officers of Israel under Pharaoh’s taskmasters. But here, as in Deu_16:18, they are associated with judges, Deu_29:10, with elders exercising judicial functions: cp. deuteron., Jos_8:33; Jos_23:2; Jos_24:1; and E, Num_11:16; Pro_6:7. Sam. has here scribes; LXX γραμματοεισαγωγεῖς. They were either the secretaries or professional assessors of the lay judges.

according to your tribes] So Heb. and Sam.; LXX τοῖς κριταῖς ὑμῶν, to your judges, which Berth. emends to judge you.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known,.... The principal persons among them, that were remarkable and well known for their wisdom and understanding, whom the people presented to him:

and made them heads over you; rulers of them, as follows:

captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens; see Exo 18:21.

and officers among your tribes; which Jarchi interprets of such that bind malefactors and scourge them, according to the decree of the judges, even the executioners of justice; and so the Jews commonly understand them to be, though some have thought they were judges also.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Who, &c. Hebrew, "and shoterim (officers like our serjeants, designed to publish and execute the sentence of the judges) over or among your tribes." The Persians still call such officers chaters. The Rabbins say, that the shoterim were generally selected from among the Cinites, the descendants of Jethro, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 55. But we find that the Levites were also chosen, 2 Paralipomenon xix. 11. They seem to have had sometimes the authority of judges, princes, or doctors for the instruction of the people, as the Vulgate here expresses it. (Calmet)

Ver 17. Respect. Hebrew, "fear." (Menochius) --- Those who judge ought to be quite impartial, and never suffer their sentence to be dictated either by love or by fear. (Haydock) (Ecclesiasticus vii. 6.) --- Of God, to whom you must give an account of your conduct, Wisdom vi. 4. Speak therefore in his name, and imitate his justice and other perfections. See Psalm lxxxi 1. (Calmet) --- If any one absolve an oppressor because he is rich, that judge is guilty of partiality. (Du Hamel) (Isaias i. 23.) --- Hear it, as the supreme judge. (Menochius) --- The people selected such as might be most proper, out of whom Moses made his choice. (Salien) --- An appeal might be made to himself. (Abulensis, q. 11.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The chief, not in authority, which yet they had not, but in endowments for good government.

And officers; inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Officers - Inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Moses continues to speak to the people of Israel.

men of good repute

"men whom your people respected." See how this is translated in Deuteronomy 1:13.

of thousands ... of hundreds ... of fifties ... of tens

"of groups of 1,000 ... of groups of 100 ... of groups of 50 ... and groups of 10" (See: Numbers)

captains ... officers

These are titles for different leaders in Israel's government.

tribe by tribe

"from each of your tribes"

judge righteously between a man and his brother

"make right and fair decisions about the disputes Israelites have with each other"

translationWords

head

tribe

wise

command

judge, judges

brother

righteous

alien

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ואקח את ראשי שבטיכם SO I TOOK THE HEADS OF YOUR TRIBES — I took them by fine words: Happy are you! Over whom are you about to be appointed? Over the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — over the sons of people who are called God's brethren and friends, God's portion and inheritance and to whom is applied every other expression denoting affection (Sifrei Devarim 15:1; cf. Targum Jonathan).

אנשים חכמים וידעים [AND I TOOK] MEN, WISE AND KNOWN — but understanding men I could not find (Nedarim 20b). This, too, was one of the seven qualifications which Jethro mentioned to Moses, but he found only three: men, i.e. righteous men, wise and known (Sifrei Devarim 15:2).

ראשים עליכם [AND I MADE THEM] HEADS OVER YOU — i.e. that you should pay them respect — regard them as first in buying, first in selling, first in all matters of business — coming into the Synagogue and House of Study last and leave first (so that all should rise out of respect) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 15:3).

שרי אלפים means, one officer who is appointed over one thousand.

שרי מאות means, one who is appointed over one hundred.

ושטרים AND COURT-OFFICERS — i.e., and also I appointed court-officers over you, לשבטיכם ACCORDING TO YOUR TRIBES — these are they who bind and flog with the lash at the bidding of the judges (cf. Sifrei Devarim 15:5).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.