Judgment, or Judicial Procedure among the Israelites
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
—the administration of justice in biblical Israel. In the patriarchal household the father exercised broad authority over the family (compare Gen. 38:24). After the exodus Moses initially judged the people alone. At Jethro’s counsel he appointed trustworthy, God-fearing men over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to decide ordinary cases, while difficult matters were brought to Moses (Exod. 18:13–26). This was a distribution of responsibility, not a modern hierarchy of appellate courts.