And Moses said to the judges of Israel: The judges of Israel are distinct from “the chiefs of the people” mentioned in the previous. Perhaps these judges were those appointed by Moses in Exo 18.13-26. In this context they are probably judges in the narrower, judicial sense (magistrates), rather than rulers or “officials” (Good News Bible) in a wider sense.

Every one of you slay his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor: Moses tells the judges to kill any men under their jurisdiction who had worshiped Baal. Alter suggests that Moses seems to narrow down the LORD’s instruction that all the chiefs/leaders be killed. However, Moses seems to apply the LORD’s command not only to the chiefs who had worshiped Baal, but to the other men who had done so as well. In any case, the movement from a general to a specific reference, that is, from “all the chiefs” (verse 4) to just those who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor (see the comments on verse 3), is a typical Hebrew narrative technique.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .