sa.gan denotes people of authority, named among civic, royal, and military-associated groups.

The term identifies groups of persons holding authority: civic figures in Nehemiah and Ezra, personnel associated with kings and officials in Jeremiah, and prominent figures in descriptions of Assyrian and Babylonian groups in Ezekiel. The same broad use also fits Isaiah 41:25, where such persons are portrayed as being trampled.

1. Persons holding public authority · dominant

   The plural form identifies an authoritative group alongside nobles, priests, officials, or the wider people: in Nehemiah 2:16 the APB renders a list including “the nobles, the rulers,” and in Nehemiah 5:7 it renders those confronted over lending at interest as “the nobles and with the rulers.” In Ezekiel 23:6 and Ezekiel 23:23, the term occurs in descriptions of Assyrian- and Babylonian-associated men, while Jeremiah 51:28 and Jeremiah 51:57 place the construct plural with kings, officials, and other leading men.

   Nehemiah 2:16Nehemiah 5:7Ezra 9:2Ezekiel 23:6Jeremiah 51:28Jeremiah 51:57

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB variously presents the group as “rulers,” “governors,” or “officials” in the supplied verses. These labels show the verse-level presentation rather than fixed English equivalents for each occurrence.