Exodus 18:21
in Exodus 18Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
KJV
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
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This verse in Exodus 18
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Gregory the DialogistThe Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 7 · Written before 604.
Hence Moses, who speaks with God, is judged by the reproof of Jethro, who was of alien race, because with ill-advised labour he devotes himself to the people's earthly affairs: and counsel too is presently given him, that he should appoint others in his stead for settling earthly strifes, and he himself should be more free to learn spiritual secrets for the instruction of the people.
This site's exposition
thou shalt provide out of all the people able men
Four things are asked of the men chosen, ability, the fear of God, truthfulness and a hatred of covetousness, and three of the four describe character rather than skill. Deuteronomy 1:13 gives Moses' own account of the same appointment and has the tribes pick their own men, and Acts 6:3 puts the church under the same procedure when the apostles tell it to look out seven men of honest report. Gregory the Great built a chapter of The Book of Pastoral Rule on this passage, writing that Moses was reproved by a man of alien race for spending himself on earthly strifes with nothing left for teaching.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Moses in fact took care to appoint teachers of reading and writing for God's people before they had any written record of God's law. The Septuagint Scripture calls these instructors grammatoeisagogoı́, which is Greek for "bringers-in of letters," because they brought them, in a sense, into their students' minds or perhaps introduced their students to them.
Moses in fact took care to appoint teachers of reading and writing for God's people before they had any written record of God's law. The Septuagint Scripture calls these instructors grammatoeisagogoı́, which is Greek for "bringers-in of letters," because they brought them, in a sense, into their students' minds or perhaps introduced their students to them.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people,.... Or look out (t) from among them; see Act 6:3, able men; or "men of power" (u); meaning not so much men of strong and robust constitutions, who, as Aben Ezra says, are able to bear labour; but men that have strength of heart, as Ben Gersom expresses it, men of spirit and courage, and are not afraid to do justice, to repress vice, and countenance virtue; or, as Maimonides says (w), have a strong heart, or courage and boldness to deliver the oppressed from the hands of the oppressor.
Clear heads and stout hearts make good judges. [2.] For piety and religion-- such as fear God, as believe there is a God above them, whose eye is upon them, to whom they are accountable, and of whose judgment they stand in awe.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Able men - The qualifications are remarkably complete, ability, piety, truthfulness, and unselfishness. From Deu 1:13, it appears that Moses left the selection of the persons to the people, an example followed by the Apostles; see Act 6:3. Rulers of thousands ... - The numbers appear to be conventional, corresponding nearly, but not exactly, to the military, or civil divisions of the people: the largest division (1,000) is used as an equivalent of a gens under one head, Num 1:16; Num 10:4; Jos 22:14. The word “rulers,” sometimes rendered “princes,” is general, including all ranks of officials placed in command.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Moses sat to judge the people, &c.--We are here presented with a specimen of his daily morning occupations; and among the multifarious duties his divine legation imposed, it must be considered only a small portion of his official employments.
Able men - Persons of wisdom, discernment, judgment, prudence, and fortitude; for who can be a ruler without these qualifications? Such as fear God - Who are truly religious, without which they will feel little concerned either for the bodies or souls of the people. Men of truth - Honest and true in their own hearts and lives; speaking the truth, and judging according to the truth. Hating covetousness - Doing all for God’s sake, and love to man; laboring to promote the general good; never perverting judgment, or suppressing the testimonies of God, for the love of money or through a base, man-pleasing spirit, but expecting their reward from the mercy of God in the resurrection of the just. Rulers of thousands, etc. - Millenaries, centurions, quinquagenaries, and decurions; each of these, in all probability, dependent on that officer immediately above himself. So the decurion, or ruler over ten, if he found a matter too hard for him, brought it to the quinquagenary, or ruler of fifty; if, in the course of the exercise of his functions, he found a cause too complicated for him to decide on, he brought it to the centurion, or ruler over a hundred. In like manner the centurion brought his difficult case to the millenary, or ruler over a thousand; the case that was too hard for him to judge, he brought to Moses; and the case that was too hard for Moses, he brought immediately to God. It is likely that each of these classes had a court composed of its own members, in which causes were heard and tried. Some of the rabbins have supposed that there were 600 rulers of thousands, 6000 rulers of hundreds, 12,000 rulers of fifties and 60,000 rulers of tens; making in the whole 78,600 officers. But Josephus says (Antiq., lib. iii., chap. […]
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| תֶחֱזֶ֣ה | techezeh | you will provide | H2372 → | |
| מִכָּל־ | mikol | from all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָ֠עָם | haom | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אַנְשֵׁי־ | ʾanshei- | men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| חַ֜יִל | chayil | ability | H2428 → | 246 times |
| יִרְאֵ֧י | yirei | [those] fearing | H3373 → | |
| אֱלֹהִ֛ים | ʾelohim | <of> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אַנְשֵׁ֥י | ʾanshei | men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| אֱמֶ֖ת | ʾemet | faithfulness | H571 → | |
| שֹׂ֣נְאֵי | soneei | [who] hate | H8130 → | 146 times |
| בָ֑צַע | vatza' | <of> unjust gain | H1215 → | |
| וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ | vesamta | and you will appoint | H7760 → | 584 times |
| עֲלֵהֶ֗ם | ʾalehem | over them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שָׂרֵ֤י | sarei | officials of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| אֲלָפִים֙ | ʾalafim | thousands | H505 → | 505 times |
| שָׂרֵ֣י | sarei | officials of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| מֵא֔וֹת | meot | hundreds | H3967 → | 581 times |
| שָׂרֵ֥י | sarei | officials of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים | chamishim | fifties | H2572 → | 163 times |
| וְשָׂרֵ֥י | vesarei | and officials of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| עֲשָׂרֹֽת׃ | ʾasarot | tens | H6235 → | 176 times |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
תֶחֱזֶ֣הyou will provide
techezehH2372 →
מִכָּל־from all
mikolH3605 →5413 times
הָ֠עָםthe people
haomH5971 →1873 times
אַנְשֵׁי־men of
ʾanshei-H582 →566 times
חַ֜יִלability
chayilH2428 →246 times
יִרְאֵ֧י[those] fearing
yireiH3373 →
אֱלֹהִ֛ים<of> God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אַנְשֵׁ֥יmen of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
אֱמֶ֖תfaithfulness
ʾemetH571 →
שֹׂ֣נְאֵי[who] hate
soneeiH8130 →146 times
בָ֑צַע<of> unjust gain
vatza'H1215 →
וְשַׂמְתָּ֣and you will appoint
vesamtaH7760 →584 times
עֲלֵהֶ֗םover them
ʾalehemH5921 →5755 times
שָׂרֵ֤יofficials of
sareiH8269 →421 times
אֲלָפִים֙thousands
ʾalafimH505 →505 times
שָׂרֵ֣יofficials of
sareiH8269 →421 times
מֵא֔וֹתhundreds
meotH3967 →581 times
שָׂרֵ֥יofficials of
sareiH8269 →421 times
חֲמִשִּׁ֖יםfifties
chamishimH2572 →163 times
וְשָׂרֵ֥יand officials of
vesareiH8269 →421 times
עֲשָׂרֹֽת׃tens
ʾasarotH6235 →176 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 6:3Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 3:7–15
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.
- Deuteronomy 1:13
Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
- James 3:17–18
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- 1 Timothy 5:10
and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.
- Numbers 27:18–19
And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.
- 1 Timothy 3:7–15
Through
2 Samuel 23:3The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God,
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
- 2 Samuel 22:32
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
- Psalms 72:2
May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.
- Deuteronomy 32:4
About Exodus
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, City of God 18.39; Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 7; Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.