Reference: Elder
Hastings
The rudimentary form of government which prevailed amongst the Hebrews in primitive times grew out of family life. As the father is head of the household, so the chiefs of the principal families ruled the clan and the tribe, their authority being ill-defined, and, like that of an Arab sheik, depending on the consent of the governed. In our earliest documents the 'elders of Israel' are the men of position and influence, who represent the community in both religious and civil affairs (Ex 3:16,18; 12:11; 17:5 f., Ex 18:12; 19:7; Nu 11:16; De 5:23; 27:1; 31:28): the 'elders' of Ex 24:1 are the 'nobles' of Ex 24:11. Josephus sums up correctly when he makes Moses declare: 'Aristocracy
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Go, and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, Jehovah the God of your fathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I have surely visited you and have seen what is done to you in Egypt.
And they shall listen to your voice. And you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt. And you shall say to him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. And now let us go, we beseech you, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.
And you shall eat of it this way, with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in a hurry. It is Jehovah's passover.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Go on in front of the people, and take with you the elders of Israel. And take your rod with which you struck the river, in your hand, and go.
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. And Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which Jehovah commanded him.
And He said to Moses, Come up to Jehovah, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. And bow yourselves afar off.
And upon the nobles of the sons of Israel He did not lay his hands. Also they saw God, and ate and drank.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and the officers over them. And bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation so that they may stand there with you.
And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now this company is licking up all around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
And it happened when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, for the mountain burned with fire, you came near me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders,
You shall appoint judges and officers for yourself in all your gates which Jehovah your God gives you, tribe by tribe. And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
then the elders of his city shall send and bring him away from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood so that he may die.
then your elders and your judges shall come forth. And they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is dead.
then shall the father of the girl, and her mother, take and bring tokens of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city in the gate.
And if the man does not want to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up a name in Israel to his brother. He will not perform my levirate.
And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you today.
Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, so that I may speak these words in their ears, and call Heaven and earth to record against them.
And our elders and all those who live in our country spoke to us saying, Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them. Say to them, We are your servants. And now make a treaty with us.
And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and asked of him. And he described to him the rulers of Succoth, and its elders, seventy-seven men.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Come sit down here. And they sat down.
And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi.
And when the people had come to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah beaten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh to us, so that when it comes among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
And all the elders of Israel gathered themselves and came to Samuel to Ramah.
And we shall be, also we, like all the nations, so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.
Then he said, I have sinned. Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn again with me. And I shall worship Jehovah your God.
And Solomon gathered the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, so that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion.
And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Please mark and see how this one seeks mischief. For he sent to me for my wives and for my sons, and for my silver and for my gold. And I did not keep them back from him.
And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent to Samaria to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the supporters of Ahab, saying,
And the king sent. And they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
Then we asked those elders and said this to them, Who commanded you to build this house and to make these walls?
Let the work of this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.
and that who ever would not come within three days, according to the advice of the rulers and the elders, all he owned would be lost, and he himself separated from the congregation of the exiles.
And let our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all those who have taken strange women in our cities, come at a set time, and with them the elders of every city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter has turned from us.
to chain his leaders at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.
And let them exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the gathering of the elders.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart.
And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon.
And it was in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me. And the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell on me there.
And some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
And it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to ask of Jehovah, and sat before me.
The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you, reinforcing your seams. All the ships of the sea with their seamen were with you, to exchange your merchandise.
Set apart a fast; call a solemn gathering; gather the elders and all the people of the land into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to the Lord,
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders, gather the children and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room.
And I will cut off the judge from its midst, and will kill all its rulers with him, says Jehovah.