Moreover choose is literally “And you, you look carefully.” The “you” is singular and emphatic, as in verse 19, and the word for choose has the basic meaning of seeing or perceiving. (A different word is used in 17.9.) In this context the effect is that of observing people carefully so that the right man can be placed over the people. The idea of Moreover, or “But in addition” (Good News Translation), is drawn from the context. From all the people is omitted in Good News Translation, but it means “from the people at large” (New Jerusalem Bible). Another way to express this is “You will also need to appoint [or, choose].”

Able men is literally “men of power,” or “men of ability.” It means “capable men” (Good News Translation) or “competent men.” This is the first of four qualifications listed in succession. Such as fear God is literally “fearers of God.” This is translated variously as “God-fearing men” (Good News Translation) or “men who have reverence for God” (Durham). It may also be expressed as “men who obey and serve God.” Fear here does not mean simply being afraid of God, but also having reverence toward God. Men who are trustworthy is literally “men of reliability.” It may also be expressed as “men whom people trust.” And who hate a bribe is literally “haters of [illegal] profit.” Other ways to render this clause are “who cannot be bribed” (Good News Translation), “men who are honest and will not accept bribes.” Fox has tried to preserve the form along with the meaning: “men of calibre, fearing God, men of truth, hating gain.” However, this pattern is not easily preserved in translation, and the meaning should have priority over the form. Good News Translation places these qualifications at the end of the verse. Contemporary English Version keeps them at the beginning, as in the Hebrew, and translates “You will need to appoint some competent leaders who respect God and are trustworthy and honest.”

And place such men over the people is literally “and you will place over them,” that is, over the people. The word for rulers can mean “chiefs” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “officers” (New Revised Standard Version), or “leaders.” The Hebrew repeats rulers of for each group of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, but most translations simplify it as in Good News Translation, “leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .