Original Word: שֹׁטֵר
Part of Speech: noun masculine
Transliteration: shoter
Pronunciation: sho-TER
Phonetic Spelling: (sho-tare')
KJV: officer, overseer, ruler
NASB: officers, foremen, officer, official, officials
Word Origin: [active participle of an otherwise unused root probably meaning to write]

1. (properly) a scribe, i.e. (by analogy or implication) an official superintendent or magistrate

officer, overseer, ruler

Active participle of an otherwise unused root probably meaning to write; properly, a scribe, i.e. (by analogy or implication) an official superintendent or magistrate -- officer, overseer, ruler.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
official, officer
NASB Translation
foremen (5), officer (1), officers (17), official (1), officials (1).

שֹׁטֵר noun masculine official, officer (properly scribe, secretary? or from original meaning as arranger, organizer?); — absolute ׳שׁ Proverbs 6:7, ׳שׁו2Chronicles 26:11; plural שֹׁטְרִים Deuteronomy 1:15 +, etc.; — apparently subordinate officer, judicial, civil or military (compare Dr^{Deuteronomy 1. 15} Gray^{Numbers 11:16}); organizing people for marching Joshua 1:10; Joshua 3:2 (both E), compare Deuteronomy 20:5,8,9; appointed over Israel by Egyptian overseers Exodus 5:14, compare Exodus 5:6; Exodus 5:10; Exodus 5:15; Exodus 5:19 (all J); elsewhere + זְקֵנִים Numbers 11:16 (E), Deuteronomy 29:9; Deuteronomy 31:28; + שֹׁפְטִים Deuteronomy 16:18; 1 Chronicles 23:4; 1 Chronicles 26:29, + ׳ז and ׳שֹׁפ Joshua 8:33 (R^D), and ( + רָאשִׁים) Joshua 23:2 (R^D), Joshua 24:1 (E, or R^D); ׳שֹׁט as minor judges also Deuteronomy 1:15; הַמְשָֽׁרְתִים אֶתהַֿמֶּלֶךְ ׳שֹׁט 1 Chronicles 27:1, chosen from Levites 2Chronicles 19:11; 34:13 (+ סוֺפְרִים, שׁוֺעֲרִים); as title of individual 2 Chronicles 26:11 ("" הַסּוֺפֵר); of ant, אֵיןלָֿהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמשֵׁל Proverbs 6:7.

Concept and Function

שֹׁטֵר designates the class of “officers” who carried out day-to-day administration, discipline, record-keeping, and enforcement among the people of Israel. The office appears in contexts ranging from slavery in Egypt to the organized monarchy, revealing a consistent divine pattern of delegated authority and ordered community life.

Beginnings under Oppression (Exodus 5)

The first occurrence lies in Pharaoh’s brick-quota system. The “officers of the Israelites” stood between Egyptian taskmasters and the enslaved laborers (Exodus 5:14). Their beatings for unmet quotas exposed them to unjust suffering, yet even this scene shows God preserving a leadership stratum among His people that would later serve Him instead of Pharaoh.

Formation of Covenant Leadership (Numbers 11; Deuteronomy 1)

At Sinai, Moses formalized the role. “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders and officers of the people” (Numbers 11:16). Deuteronomy 1:15 lists them alongside tribal heads over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, showing a graded structure that balanced authority and accessibility.

Civic and Judicial Duties (Deuteronomy 16; 29; 31)

In the settled land every town required both “judges and officers” (Deuteronomy 16:18). Officers verified evidence, executed verdicts, and maintained public order. At national assemblies they stood with leaders in covenant renewal: “All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your chiefs, your tribes, your elders, your officers” (Deuteronomy 29:10; cf. 31:28). Their presence underscored that fidelity to the covenant demanded practical governance as well as worship.

Military Administration (Deuteronomy 20; Joshua; Chronicles)

Before battle the officers announced exemptions and organized troop movement (Deuteronomy 20:5–9). Joshua followed the same model: “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people” (Joshua 1:10; 3:2). Under King Uzziah an army was marshaled “under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officers” (2 Chronicles 26:11). Thus the office bridged civil and military spheres, ensuring that warfare remained subject to covenantal principles.

Levitical Oversight and Temple Service (1 Chronicles 23; 26; 2 Chronicles 19; 34)

David assigned six thousand Levites as “officers and judges” (1 Chronicles 23:4), integrating spiritual ministry with civic regulation. Later reforms kept this pattern: “The Levites will serve as officers before you” (2 Chronicles 19:11). Even in Josiah’s day Levites functioned as “secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers” (2 Chronicles 34:13), safeguarding both worship purity and financial integrity.

Royal Bureaucracy in Israel and Judah (1 Chronicles 27:1)

In the standing army of David, company commanders listed their “officers,” indicating that the term had by then developed into a technical title within the governmental bureaucracy.

Perspective from Wisdom Literature (Proverbs 6:7)

The ant excels in diligence “without commander, without overseer or ruler” (Proverbs 6:7), implying that officers are normative for human society yet unnecessary for the creature that unfailingly fulfills its created purpose. The comparison highlights both the blessing of godly administration and the higher virtue of willing obedience.

Theological Themes

1. Delegated Authority: God rules His people through accountable human agents, reflecting His own orderliness.
2. Corporate Responsibility: Officers link leaders to the populace, making covenant obligations tangible.
3. Servant Leadership: Those first beaten in Egypt later served in freedom, illustrating that godly authority is forged through humility and suffering.
4. Holiness and Justice: Pairing “judges and officers” shows that fair process is integral to holiness.

Contemporary Ministry Implications

• Structured oversight in the church mirrors the shoṭer principle, encouraging transparent governance and faithful stewardship.
• Leaders must embrace servant-hood, remembering the Egyptian foremen who suffered with the people they represented.
• Military and civic engagement remain subject to God’s moral order; administrative roles are not value-neutral but covenantal.
• Effective discipleship combines proclamation (prophetic function) with organization (officer function), enabling the body of Christ to move as “one man” (Joshua 8:33).

The recurring appearance of שֹׁטֵר across Law, History, and Wisdom underscores God’s consistent call to ordered community life, where authority is exercised justly and in service to His redemptive purposes.

הַשֹּֽׁטְרִים֮ הַשֹּׁטְרִ֖ים הַשֹּׁטְרִים֮ הַשּׁוֹטֵ֑ר השוטר השטרים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם וְשֹׁ֣טְרָ֔יו וְשֹׁטְרִ֖ים וְשֹׁטְרִ֣ים ׀ וְשֹׁטְרִ֥ים וְשֹׁטְרֵיהֶם֩ וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶ֑ם וְשֹׁטְרָ֑יו וּלְשֹֽׁטְרָ֑יו וּלְשֹׁ֣טְרָ֔יו ולשטריו ושטריהם ושטריו ושטריכם ושטרים לְשֹׁטְרִ֖ים לשטרים שֹֽׁטְרֵ֧י שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙ שֹׁטְרֵ֥י שֹׁטְרָ֖יו שֹׁטֵ֥ר שטר שטרי שטריו haš·šō·ṭə·rîm haš·šō·w·ṭêr hashshoTer hashshoteRim haššōṭərîm haššōwṭêr lə·šō·ṭə·rîm leshoteRim ləšōṭərîm shoTer shoteRav shoteRei šō·ṭə·rāw šō·ṭə·rê šō·ṭêr šōṭêr šōṭərāw šōṭərê ū·lə·šō·ṭə·rāw uleshoteRav ūləšōṭərāw veShoteRav veShotereiChem veshotereiHem veshoteRim wə·šō·ṭə·rāw wə·šō·ṭə·rê·hem wə·šō·ṭə·rê·ḵem wə·šō·ṭə·rîm wəšōṭərāw wəšōṭərêhem wəšōṭərêḵem wəšōṭərîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts