official
sho.ter denotes appointed officers who oversee, communicate orders, or stand among a people’s leaders.
The term most often identifies appointed officers within Israel’s civic and communal leadership, appearing alongside elders, judges, rulers, and tribal heads. It also occurs for officers who address troops or move through the camp, and for Israelite overseers placed under Pharaoh’s taskmasters.
Senses in use
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Civic and communal officers · dominant
Plural forms identify people appointed within Israel’s leadership structure: in Deuteronomy 16:18 the APB renders judges and officials appointed in the gates to judge the people, while Deuteronomy 1:15 places them with commanders over the tribes. In Joshua 23:2 and Joshua 24:1, they are named with elders, heads, and judges when Joshua addresses or summons Israel.
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Officers conveying camp and military instructions · common
In Deuteronomy 20:5 and Deuteronomy 20:8, the plural active participles designate those who speak to the people about returning from battle; Deuteronomy 20:9 continues the same sequence after they finish speaking. In Joshua 3:2 the APB renders the plural noun as officials who passed through the camp.
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Israelite overseers under Pharaoh’s taskmasters · occasional
The construct plural forms in Exodus 5:14, Exodus 5:15, and Exodus 5:19 identify officials of the sons of Israel who were beaten over brick quotas, appealed to Pharaoh, and recognized their trouble. Exodus 5:10 and Exodus 5:6 distinguish Pharaoh’s taskmasters from his officials in the announcement concerning straw.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “officials,” including civic lists and the speeches before battle; it also uses “officers” in Joshua 1:10 and “officer” in 2 Chronicles 26:11. These renderings reflect the verses’ settings to the Hebrew term.