1 Chronicles 26:29-31

26:29 As for the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were given responsibilities outside the temple ¹  as officers and judges over Israel.

26:30 As for the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 respected men, were assigned responsibilities in Israel west of the Jordan; they did the Lord’s work and the king’s service.

26:31 As for the Hebronites: Jeriah was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, they examined the records and discovered ²  there were highly respected men in Jazer in Gilead.

Deuteronomy 16:18

Provision for Justice

16:18 You must appoint judges and civil servants ³  for each tribe in all your villages ⁴  that the Lord your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 17:8-10

Appeal to a Higher Court

17:8 If a matter is too difficult for you to judge – bloodshed, ⁶  legal claim, ⁷  or assault ⁸  – matters of controversy in your villages ⁹  – you must leave there and go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. ¹⁰  17:9 You will go to the Levitical priests and the judge in office in those days and seek a solution; they will render a verdict. 17:10 You must then do as they have determined at that place the Lord chooses. Be careful to do just as you are taught.

Deuteronomy 17:2

17:2 Suppose a man or woman is discovered among you – in one of your villages ¹¹  that the Lord your God is giving you – who sins before the Lord your God ¹²  and breaks his covenant

Deuteronomy 19:8

19:8 If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors ¹³  and gives you all the land he pledged to them, ¹⁴ 

Malachi 2:7

2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him ¹⁵  because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all.

[26:29]  ¹ tn The words “the temple” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[26:31]  ² tn Heb “and they were searched and there were found in them.”

[16:18]  ³ tn The Hebrew term וְשֹׁטְרִים (vÿshoterim), usually translated “officers” (KJV, NCV) or “officials” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), derives from the verb שֹׁטֵר (shoter, “to write”). The noun became generic for all types of public officials. Here, however, it may be appositionally epexegetical to “judges,” thus resulting in the phrase, “judges, that is, civil officers,” etc. Whoever the שֹׁטְרִים are, their task here consists of rendering judgments and administering justice.

[16:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “gates.”

[16:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “with judgment of righteousness”; ASV, NASB “with righteous judgment.”

[17:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “between blood and blood.”

[17:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “between claim and claim.”

[17:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “between blow and blow.”

[17:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:8]  ¹⁰ tc Several Greek recensions add “to place his name there,” thus completing the usual formula to describe the central sanctuary (cf. Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18; 16:6). However, the context suggests that the local Levitical towns, and not the central sanctuary, are in mind.

[17:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:2]  ¹² tn Heb “does the evil in the eyes of the Lord your God.”

[19:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “fathers.”

[19:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he said to give to your ancestors.” The pronoun has been used in the translation instead for stylistic reasons.

[2:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from his mouth” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).