The Role of the Shoter and the Shofet

Quite a few interesting chiddushim in Shadal on parshat Shofetim. Here is one.

יח ] שופטים ושוטרים : אין ספק כי השוטרים אינם שליחי ב"ד הרודים במקל , כי במצרים הרודים במקל היו נקראים נוגשים לא שוטרים , ולמעלה ( א', ט"ו ) אמר : ואקח את ראשי שבטיכם אנשים חכמים וידועים ואתן אותם ראשים עליכם וגו ' ושוטרים , ובדברי הימים ב ' י"ט י"א : והנה אמריה כהן הראש וגו ' וזבדיהו הנגיד וגו ' ושוטרים הלוים לפניכם , וביהושע ח' ל"ג : וכל ישראל וזקניו ושטרים ושופטיו . - והנה השופטים היו דנים במה שבין אדם לחברו או בבוא עדים על איש שחטא , והשוטרים היו משגיחים על שלום המדינה וגוזרים גזרות והנהגות על העם

Shadal concludes that a shoteir is not an agent of the court who imposes the ruling with a staff. Rather, he is of the opinion that the shofet were the judicial branch, judging case between man and fellow man, or where witnesses came testifying about that certain man sinned. Meanwhile, the shoterim were the political branch, involving both the executive and legislative branch -- they were in charge of the security of the state, and they decreed edicts and practices upon the people.

His proof for this role of shoterim is two-fold. First, a different word is used elsewhere for the role traditionally assigned to the shotrim. I am not so persuaded by that. Secondly, the word shoter is used in various places where is has the implication Shadal assigns.

On to the particulars. In Shemot 5:6, we read:

ו וַיְצַו פַּרְעֹה, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, אֶת-הַנֹּגְשִׂים בָּעָם, וְאֶת-שֹׁטְרָיו לֵאמֹר.

6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying:

and then a bit later:

י וַיֵּצְאוּ נֹגְשֵׂי הָעָם, וְשֹׁטְרָיו, וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל-הָעָם, לֵאמֹר: כֹּה אָמַר פַּרְעֹה, אֵינֶנִּי נֹתֵן לָכֶם תֶּבֶן.	10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying: 'Thus saith Pharaoh: I will not give you straw.
יא אַתֶּם, לְכוּ קְחוּ לָכֶם תֶּבֶן, מֵאֲשֶׁר, תִּמְצָאוּ: כִּי אֵין נִגְרָע מֵעֲבֹדַתְכֶם, דָּבָר.	11 Go yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it; for nought of your work shall be diminished.'
יב וַיָּפֶץ הָעָם, בְּכָל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, לְקֹשֵׁשׁ קַשׁ, לַתֶּבֶן.	12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
יג וְהַנֹּגְשִׂים, אָצִים לֵאמֹר: כַּלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם דְּבַר-יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר בִּהְיוֹת הַתֶּבֶן.	13 And the taskmasters were urgent, saying: 'Fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.'
יד וַיֻּכּוּ, שֹׁטְרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר-שָׂמוּ עֲלֵהֶם, נֹגְשֵׂי פַרְעֹה לֵאמֹר: מַדּוּעַ לֹא כִלִּיתֶם חָקְכֶם לִלְבֹּן, כִּתְמוֹל שִׁלְשֹׁם--גַּם-תְּמוֹל, גַּם-הַיּוֹם.	14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying: 'Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your appointed task in making brick both yesterday and today as heretofore?'
טו וַיָּבֹאוּ, שֹׁטְרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל-פַּרְעֹה, לֵאמֹר: לָמָּה תַעֲשֶׂה כֹה, לַעֲבָדֶיךָ.	15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying: 'Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

Thus, the nogshim were those of Pharaoh, and they did the beating of the shotrim, who were Israelite officers.

Rashi on those pesukim writes:

the taskmasters They {the nogshim} were Egyptians, and the officers {shotrim} were Israelites. The taskmaster was appointed over many officers, and the officer was appointed to drive the workers.

And later, it is the taskmasters who beat the officers who {according to Rashi} do not wish to drive the Israelite slaves.

But that does not, to my mind, mean that shoterim cannot mean enforcers in this context, even if this enforcing means with a rod. I see what he is saying, though.

How is shoter used throughout Tanach? For that is Shadal's second point.

We have an occurrence in Devarim 1:15:

טו וָאֶקַּח אֶת-רָאשֵׁי שִׁבְטֵיכֶם, אֲנָשִׁים חֲכָמִים וִידֻעִים, וָאֶתֵּן אוֹתָם רָאשִׁים, עֲלֵיכֶם: שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים וְשָׂרֵי מֵאוֹת, וְשָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת, וְשֹׁטְרִים, לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶם.

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe.

And in Divrei Hayamim II 19:11:

יא וְהִנֵּה אֲמַרְיָהוּ כֹהֵן הָרֹאשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם לְכֹל דְּבַר-ה, וּזְבַדְיָהוּ בֶן-יִשְׁמָעֵאל הַנָּגִיד לְבֵית-יְהוּדָה לְכֹל דְּבַר-הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְשֹׁטְרִים הַלְוִיִּם, לִפְנֵיכֶם: חִזְקוּ וַעֲשׂוּ, וִיהִי ה עִם-הַטּוֹב. {פ}

11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; also the officers of the Levites before you. Deal courageously, and the LORD be with the good.' {P}

and finally in Yehoshua 8:33:

לג וְכָל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וּזְקֵנָיו וְשֹׁטְרִים וְשֹׁפְטָיו עֹמְדִים מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה לָאָרוֹן נֶגֶד הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית-יְהוָה, כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח--חֶצְיוֹ אֶל-מוּל הַר-גְּרִזִים, וְהַחֶצְיוֹ אֶל-מוּל הַר-עֵיבָל: כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד-ה, לְבָרֵךְ אֶת-הָעָם יִשְׂרָאֵל--בָּרִאשֹׁנָה.

33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.