Text: Deuteronomy 1:9-18
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 18:13-27
Subject: appointing judges — parallel accounts
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: These are parallel accounts of the same judicial reform. Exodus 18:13-27 narrates Jethro's advice to appoint capable men as judges (שֹׁפְטִים, shofetim) over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, while Deuteronomy 1:9-18 retells the event from Moses' perspective without mentioning Jethro. The Deuteronomic version emphasizes the criteria for selecting judges—"wise, understanding, and respected" men from each tribe—and adds Moses' charge to judge righteously (צֶדֶק, tsedeq) without partiality. The differences reflect Deuteronomy's sermonic genre: Moses addresses the next generation, focusing on the theological principle of impartial justice rather than the narrative circumstances that prompted the reform.