In Deuteronomy, the context makes it
clear that most šōpeṭîm are, indeed, “judges.” According to
such passages as Deut 1:16-17 and 16:18-20, these šōpeṭîm
were situated in the city gates were supposed to hear cases with fairness and
impartiality. As pointed out by Fox (2000, 165-166) they were supposed to deal
with certain types of cases, while others, such as those of rebellious sons
(Deut 21:19), brides accused of not being virgins (22:15-19) and so on are to
be adjudicated b the town zeqnîm, the “elders” . . . (Yigal
Levin, “Judges, Elders, and Officers in Chronicles,” in Transforming
Authority: Concepts of Leadership in Prophetic and Chronistic Literature,
ed. Katharina Pyschny and Sarah Schultz [Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 518; Tübingen: De Gruyter, 2023], 224)