Leaders Appointed
Deuteronomy 1:9-18
Deu.1.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אלכם: PREP+PRON,2,m,pl
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- אוכל: VERB,qal,part,1,m,sg
- לבדי: PREP+NOUN+PRON,1,ms
- שאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Numbers 11:14-17 (verbal): Moses expresses the same inability to 'carry' the people alone; God responds by appointing leaders (70 elders) to share the burden—very close verbal and conceptual parallel.
- Exodus 18:13-26 (structural): Jethro advises Moses to appoint officials to judge the people so he will not 'wear away' under the burden—same solution and institutionalization of leadership found in Deut 1:9–18.
- Deuteronomy 1:15 (structural): Immediate parallel within Deuteronomy: Moses recounts selecting wise, understanding, and respected men as heads and judges to help bear the leadership burden described in v.9.
- Acts 6:1-7 (thematic): The apostles delegate daily administrative tasks by appointing seven to serve so the leaders can focus on prayer and ministry—a New Testament parallel of appointing others to relieve leaders' burdens.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I said to you at that time, 'I am not able to bear you by myself.'
- And I said to you at that time, 'I cannot bear you alone.'
Deu.1.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- הרבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- והנכם: PRT,behold,2mp
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ככוכבי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לרב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 15:5 (verbal): God's promise to Abraham: 'look toward heaven and number the stars... so shall your offspring be' — the prototypal 'as the stars' formula echoed in Deut 1:10.
- Genesis 22:17 (verbal): Covenantal repetition: God vows to 'multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven' — a near-verbal parallel to the image of innumerable descendants.
- Deuteronomy 10:22 (verbal): Intra-Deuteronomic echo: the same image applied to Israel—'the LORD your God has made you as the stars of heaven for multitude'—closely parallels Deut 1:10.
- Jeremiah 33:22 (thematic): Prophetic renewal of the theme: God's promise that Israel's descendants (and the host of heaven) cannot be numbered—continues the motif of divine multiplication and covenant continuity.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of the heavens for multitude.
- The LORD your God had increased you, and today you are as the stars of heaven in number.
Deu.1.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אבותכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2mp
- יסף: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- ככם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
- ויברך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 12:2-3 (thematic): God's promise to Abraham to make him a great nation and to bless him — Deut.1:11 appeals to the ancestral promise that God will 'add' and 'bless' Israel as He promised the fathers.
- Genesis 22:17 (verbal): God's pledge to 'multiply' Abraham's offspring like the stars/sand — parallels Deut.1:11's language of adding/multiplying the people and bestowing blessing.
- Genesis 26:3-4 (allusion): The promise to Isaac to give the land and to multiply his descendants echoes Deut's appeal to the LORD, the God of your fathers, who will 'add' and bless as promised.
- Deuteronomy 28:11 (structural): A later Deuteronomic blessing formula: the LORD will make you abound and bless you in fulfillment of the promise to your fathers, reflecting the same covenantal blessing motif as Deut.1:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- May the LORD, the God of your fathers, add to you a thousandfold and bless you, as he spoke to you.
- May the LORD, the God of your fathers, add to you a thousand times as many and bless you, as he has promised you.
Deu.1.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- איכה: INTJ
- אשא: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לבדי: ADV,sg,suff,1,sg
- טרחכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff,2,pl
- ומשאכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff,2,pl
- וריבכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff,2,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 18:18 (quotation): Jethro tells Moses the task is too heavy for one person and he cannot bear it alone — nearly verbatim parallel to Deut 1:12's complaint about carrying their troubles/burdens.
- Exodus 18:22 (structural): Offers the remedial instruction to appoint capable judges so Moses will not have to bear all the people's burdens himself — the solution implicit in Deut's retelling.
- Numbers 11:14 (verbal): Moses says he cannot carry all the people 'by myself' (or 'alone'), echoing the same inability to bear the people's burdens found in Deut 1:12.
- Galatians 6:2 (thematic): 'Bear one another's burdens' presents the reciprocal ethic of shared responsibility that stands in thematic contrast to Moses' statement that he cannot bear the people's burdens alone.
Alternative generated candidates
- How could I alone bear your trouble, your burden, and your quarrels?
- How can I alone bear your toil, your burden, and your disputes?
Deu.1.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הבו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ונבנים: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- וידעים: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לשבטיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,mp
- ואשימם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,sg,obj:3,pl
- בראשיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,mp
Parallels
- Exodus 18:21 (verbal): Jethro advises Moses to select able, God‑fearing, trustworthy men as leaders/judges to bear the people's burden—directly parallels Deut. 1:13's command to choose 'wise and understanding' men for the tribes.
- Numbers 11:16–17 (structural): God instructs Moses to gather seventy elders to share leadership and carry the burden of governance—a parallel institutional solution for appointing elders/heads over the people.
- Deuteronomy 16:18 (structural): Command to 'appoint judges and officials for your tribes' echoes Deut. 1:13's directive to set up recognized leaders to administer justice and governance.
- Proverbs 11:14 (thematic): 'Where there is no guidance the people fall; but in abundance of counselors there is safety' underscores the same principle that wise, known leaders/counselors are essential for the community's well‑being.
- Titus 1:5 (allusion): Paul's instruction to Titus to appoint elders in every town reflects the New Testament application of the Old Testament pattern of selecting qualified local leaders (elders/heads) for oversight.
Alternative generated candidates
- Choose for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and experienced from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.
- Choose for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and experienced among your tribes, and I will set them over you.
Deu.1.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותענו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- ותאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דברת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Exodus 18:24–26 (structural): Moses listens to Jethro’s counsel and implements a system of judges—parallels Deut 1:14’s communal assent to appoint magistrates and carry out the plan.
- Deuteronomy 17:11 (verbal): Commands obedience to the rulings of judges/priests (“you shall act according to the decision”)—echoes the theme of accepting and doing a proposed legal/administrative course.
- Joshua 24:24 (thematic): The people verbally assent to covenant obligations and promise obedience to God/Joshua—similar communal affirmation of a leader’s proposal in Deut 1:14.
- Nehemiah 8:6 (thematic): The assembled people respond with unified assent (“Amen, Amen,” lifting hands) after the public reading of the law—comparable communal agreement and affirmation of what has been proposed.
Alternative generated candidates
- You answered me and said, 'The thing that you have proposed to do is good.'
- You answered me, 'The thing that you propose to do is good.'
Deu.1.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואקח: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- שבטיכם: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- וידעים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ואתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ראשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עליכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- שרי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- אלפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ושרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- חמשים: NUM,card,pl
- ושרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עשרת: NUM,card,ten,cons
- ושטרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לשבטיכם: PREP,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 18:21-25 (verbal): Jethro tells Moses to choose capable men and appoint them as chiefs over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens—same administrative divisions and language as Deut 1:15.
- Numbers 11:16-17,24-25 (thematic): God instructs Moses to gather seventy elders to share his burden and govern with him; parallels the institution of delegated leadership and collective elders.
- Deuteronomy 16:18 (verbal): Command to 'appoint judges and officials' for your tribes (שפטים ושטרים), echoing the same offices and judicial/administrative role mentioned in Deut 1:15.
- 2 Chronicles 19:5-7 (thematic): Jehoshaphat appoints judges throughout the land and charges them to judge fairly for the Lord—similar concern for appointed local leaders and orderly justice administration.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I took the heads of your tribes, men who were wise and experienced, and I set them as heads over you—captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers for your tribes.
- So I took the heads of your tribes—men who were wise and experienced—and I made them heads over you: captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, captains of tens, and officers for your tribes.
Deu.1.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואצוה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שפטיכם: NOUN,m,pl,prsuf2mp
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בין: PREP
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,pl
- ושפטתם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- צדק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בין: PREP
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובין: CONJ+PREP
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ובין: CONJ+PREP
- גרו: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf3ms
Parallels
- Exodus 18:21-22 (structural): Jethro's advice to Moses to appoint capable men as judges so they can hear cases and relieve Moses; parallels Deut 1:16's commissioning of judges to decide disputes among the people.
- Deuteronomy 16:18-20 (verbal): Within the same legal corpus: explicit command to appoint judges and to 'judge righteously' and 'pursue justice,' closely echoing Deut 1:16's instruction.
- Leviticus 19:15 (verbal): Law forbidding partiality in judgment—'You shall do no injustice in judgment'—reflects the same concern for impartial, righteous adjudication addressed in Deut 1:16.
- Exodus 23:6-8 (thematic): Prohibitions against perverting justice, denying justice to the poor, and accepting bribes: legal safeguards that correspond to the impartial judging Deut 1:16 requires.
- Psalm 82:3-4 (thematic): A prophetic call to give justice to the weak and needy and to rescue them from the wicked—echoes the social-ethical purpose behind appointing judges to adjudicate fairly in Deut 1:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I charged your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother and the stranger who is with him.'
- And I charged your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear between your brothers; judge righteously between a person and his neighbor and the stranger.'
Deu.1.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכירו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במשפט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כקטן: PREP+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כגדל: PREP+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- תשמעון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- תגורו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- מפני: PREP
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- המשפט: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- והדבר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יקשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- תקרבון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ושמעתיו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 19:15 (verbal): Explicitly forbids partiality in judgment and commands fair hearing for small and great—close verbal parallel to Deut. 1:17's prohibition of showing faces in judgment.
- Deuteronomy 16:18 (structural): Gives the broader judicial framework—appointing judges and officers to render righteous, impartial judgment, the same legal instruction context as Deut. 1:17.
- 2 Chronicles 19:6-7 (verbal): Jehoshaphat charges judges that they do not judge for man but for the LORD—echoes Moses' warning not to fear anyone because judgment belongs to God.
- Proverbs 24:23 (verbal): A wisdom saying that ‘partiality in judging is not good,’ directly reflecting the moral/legal principle asserted in Deut. 1:17.
- James 2:1 (thematic): New Testament injunction against showing favoritism in assemblies mirrors the Torah's concern for impartial treatment in judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not show partiality in judgment: hear the small and the great alike; do not be afraid of any man, for the judgment belongs to God. Any case too difficult for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.'
- You shall not show partiality in judgment; whether small or great you shall hear. You must not be intimidated by anyone, for the case is God's. The hard matter that is too difficult for you shall you bring to me, and I will hear it.
Deu.1.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואצוה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תעשון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deut.6.1 (verbal): Like 1:18, 6:1 introduces the concrete ‘commandments, statutes, and judgments’ the people are to observe—same hortatory/legal function of instructing Israel what to do.
- Deut.4.1 (thematic): Both verses open a call to hear and obey the laws Moses has delivered; 4:1 frames the instruction as a summons to observe the statutes and judgments just given.
- Deut.5.1 (structural): Here Moses assembles all Israel and repeats the words of the covenant/law—paralleling 1:18’s report that Moses commanded the people the things they should do.
- Exod.24.3 (structural): Moses 'told the people all the words of the LORD' and the people committed to obey—parallel in function to Moses commanding the people what they were to do.
- Josh.1.7 (thematic): Joshua’s injunction to 'observe to do according to all the law' echoes the same imperative emphasis as Moses’ command in 1:18 to do the things prescribed.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I charged you at that time concerning all the matters you were to do.
- And I charged you at that time concerning all the matters that you were to do.
And I said to you at that time, 'I cannot bear you by myself.'
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens in number.
May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you, as he has spoken to you.
How can I alone bear your toil, your burden, and your disputes?
Choose for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and experienced from your tribes, and I will set them over you. And you answered me, 'The thing that you have proposed to do is good.' So I took the heads of your tribes—men wise and experienced—and appointed them as heads over you: captains of thousands, captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers for your tribes. And I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the case between your brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother and the sojourner who is with him.'
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of any man, for the judgment belongs to God. The hard matter that is too difficult for you you shall bring to me, and I will hear it. And I charged you at that time concerning all the matters that you were to do.