Deuteronomy 1:13
Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's truly striking here is that the selection process for these leaders wasn't solely Moses' decision; the people were meant to choose them. This highlights God's intention for governance to be rooted in the community's trust and recognition of wise, capable individuals within their own tribes.
Moses is addressing the Israelites at the border of the Promised Land, reflecting on their recent difficult journey and the overwhelming burden of leading them. He explains that he can no longer bear this responsibility alone due to their vast numbers and the constant need for justice and order. Therefore, he instructs them to select capable leaders from each tribe, whom he will then officially appoint to help govern and judge the people.
What kind of leaders does God call for? It's not just about having a title, but about possessing specific, vital qualities.
Moses is instructed to select leaders for Israel based on three key characteristics:
These qualities are essential for effective leadership, ensuring that those in charge can manage the people justly and competently, as exemplified in Exodus 18:21 which adds 'men of truth' and 'hating covetousness' to these qualifications.
Did leaders just appear, or did the people have a say? This verse reveals an important dynamic in how leadership was established.
Interestingly, Moses doesn't just appoint leaders arbitrarily. The directive is 'Choose for your tribes...' This indicates that the people themselves were to participate in the selection process. They were to identify and present these qualified individuals.
This model emphasizes a form of communal responsibility and accountability. Leaders weren't imposed from above without community input. Instead, the community was tasked with discerning and bringing forward those they recognized as fit for leadership. God then officially appointed those chosen by the people, signifying a partnership between divine authority and human participation.
Understand the original words
chakam · Hebrew Adjective
An attitude or capacity for discernment, prudence, and practical application of knowledge in life, often associated with a heart that fears God. It implies the ability to perceive reality correctly and act in accordance with divine wisdom.
bin · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
The intellectual and spiritual capacity to perceive, recognize, or discern between things, often involving a deep insight into the nature of circumstances or people. It is foundational for making godly judgments.
yada · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
Those who possess knowledge gained through practical experience, time, and observation. In the context of leadership, it implies maturity and established competency.
ro'sh · Hebrew Noun
This instruction comes as Moses is preparing the Israelites for leadership transition and entry into the Promised Land, highlighting the need for experienced and wise governance from the outset.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites, after centuries of slavery, are miraculously led out of Egypt by Moses, beginning their journey to the Promised Land.
c. 1446-1406 BC
Wilderness Wanderings
For 40 years, the Israelites travel through the Sinai wilderness, facing challenges of leadership, law, and faith. During this time, Moses established a system of judges.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Moses Appoints Judges
Moses, following God's counsel (influenced by Jethro's advice in Exodus 18), delegates judicial authority to chosen men from the tribes. This verse recounts that decision.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Transjordan
Prior to entering the Promised Land west of the Jordan River, the Israelites conquer the territories of the Amorite kings Sihon and Og.
This passage from Exodus provides a similar directive for selecting leaders, emphasizing qualities like fearing God, loving truth, and hating greed, which complements Deuteronomy's focus on wisdom and experience.
Numbers 11:16Here, Moses is instructed to gather elders of Israel to share the burden of leadership, highlighting God's provision for capable leaders to assist in governing the people.
1 Samuel 16:7This verse contrasts human perception with God's perspective on leadership, reminding us that while outward appearances matter (like being 'known'), God looks at the heart and true character, which is essential for wise leadership.
2 Chronicles 19:6-7King Jehoshaphat instructs his judges to act with integrity, stating that judgment belongs to the Lord, echoing Deuteronomy's emphasis on righteous judgment and the divine accountability of leaders.
Acts 6:3The early church faced a similar need for capable leaders, choosing 'seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom,' demonstrating the enduring principle of selecting leaders based on character and competence.
gillDeuteronomy 1:13: "Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you."
Take ye wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes,.... Not only whose persons were well known, but their characters and qualifications, for their probity and integrity, for their wisdom and prudence in the management of affairs, for their skill and knowledge in things divine and human, civil and religious, and for their capacity in judging and determining m…
calvinDeuteronomy 1:9-18: "And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:"
So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains ever thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.
Tulique principes tribuum vestrarum, viros sapientes et peritos, ac constitui eos principes super vos, tribunos, et centuriones, et quinquagenarios, et decuriones…
What's truly striking here is that the selection process for these leaders wasn't solely Moses' decision; the people were meant to choose them. This highlights God's intention for governance to be rooted in the community's trust and recognition of wise, capable individuals within their own tribes.
Moses is addressing the Israelites at the border of the Promised Land, reflecting on their recent difficult journey and the overwhelming burden of leading them. He explains that he can no longer bear this responsibility alone due to their vast numbers and the constant need for justice and order. Therefore, he instructs them to select capable leaders from each tribe, whom he will then officially appoint to help govern and judge the people.
Moses is addressing the Israelites at the border of the Promised Land, reflecting on their recent difficult journey and the overwhelming burden of leading them. He explains that he can no longer bear this responsibility alone due to their vast numbers and the constant need for justice and order. Therefore, he instructs them to select capable leaders from each tribe, whom he will then officially appoint to help govern and judge the people.
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The designated leaders or chiefs of a group, clan, or tribe. In biblical hierarchy, they hold authority to represent and govern the people under divine authority.
c. 1406 BC
Moses' Farewell Speeches
As the Israelites prepare to enter Canaan, Moses delivers powerful speeches, recounting their history, reiterating God's laws, and exhorting them to faithfulness. Deuteronomy is comprised of these speeches.
"Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’" — What's truly striking here is that the selection process for these leaders wasn't solely Moses' decision; the people were meant to choose them. This highlights God's intention for governance to be…
