Exodus 18:21

King James Version 1611 (Original)

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:

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְאַתָּ֣ה תֶחֱזֶ֣ה מִכָּל־הָ֠עָם אַנְשֵׁי־חַ֜יִל יִרְאֵ֧י אֱלֹהִ֛ים אַנְשֵׁ֥י אֱמֶ֖ת שֹׂ֣נְאֵי בָ֑צַע וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ עֲלֵהֶ֗ם שָׂרֵ֤י אֲלָפִים֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מֵא֔וֹת שָׂרֵ֥י חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים וְשָׂרֵ֥י עֲשָׂרֹֽת׃

Transliteration

And-you teḥĕzeh from-all-hāʿām ʾanšê-ḥayil yirʾê ʾĕlōhîm ʾanšê ʾĕmet śōnəʾê bāṣaʿ wə-śamtā over-them śārê ʾălāpîm śārê mēʾôt śārê ḥămiššîm and-śārê ʿăśārōt

Grammar Details

• *teḥĕzeh*: imperfect, 2nd masculine singular - you shall select/see
• *hāʿām*: article with noun, masculine singular - the people
• *ʾanšê*-*ḥayil*: noun, masculine plural construct with noun - men of ability
• *yirʾê*: adjective, masculine plural construct - fearers of
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural - God
• *ʾanšê*: noun, masculine plural construct - men of
• *ʾĕmet*: noun, feminine singular - truth
• *śōnəʾê*: participle, masculine plural construct - haters of
• *bāṣaʿ*: noun, masculine singular - unjust gain
• *wə*-*śamtā*: conjunction with perfect, 2nd masculine singular - and you shall set
• *śārê*: noun, masculine plural construct - rulers of
• *ʾălāpîm*: noun, masculine plural - thousands
• *mēʾôt*: noun, feminine plural - hundreds
• *ḥămiššîm*: numeral, common plural - fifties
• *ʿăśārōt*: noun, feminine plural - tens

Word Meanings

• *teḥĕzeh*: select/provide/look out/see
• *ʾanšê*-*ḥayil*: men of ability/capable men/men of valor
• *bāṣaʿ*: unjust gain/dishonest profit/covetousness

Referenced Verses

• Acts 6:3 : 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
• 2 Chr 19:5-9 : 5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, 6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. 7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 8 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the LORD, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. 9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10 And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass.
• Deut 16:18-19 : 18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
• Gen 42:18 : 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
• Exod 18:25 : 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
• 2 Sam 23:3 : 3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
• Ezek 18:8 : 8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
• Ezek 22:12 : 12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.
• Zech 7:9 : 9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
• Zech 8:16 : 16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
• Luke 18:2 : 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
• Luke 18:4 : 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
• 1 Kgs 3:9-9 : 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
• 1 Kgs 18:3 : 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
• 1 Kgs 18:12 : 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
• Acts 20:33 : 33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
• 1 Tim 3:3 : 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
• 1 Tim 6:9-9 : 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
• 2 Pet 2:14-15 : 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
• Gen 22:12 : 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
• Exod 23:2-9 : 2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: 3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. 4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. 6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. 7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. 8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. 9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
• Num 10:4 : 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.
• Deut 1:13-17 : 13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. 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. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
• Josh 22:14 : 14 And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.
• 1 Sam 8:3 : 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
• 1 Sam 8:12 : 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
• 1 Sam 12:3-4 : 3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
• Neh 5:9 : 9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
• Neh 7:2 : 2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
• Job 29:16 : 16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
• Job 31:13 : 13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
• Ps 15:5 : 5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
• Ps 26:9-9 : 9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: 10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
• Prov 28:2 : 2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
• Eccl 12:13 : 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
• Isa 16:5 : 5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
• Isa 33:15 : 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
• Isa 59:4 : 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
• Isa 59:14-15 : 14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
• Jer 5:1 : 1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.