(17:100) These examples plainly confirm what we have said concerning the
rights of each tribe. (101) Perhaps we shall be asked who elected the
successors to the captains of each tribe; on this point I can gather no
positive information in Scripture, but I conjecture that as the tribes were
divided into families, each headed by its senior member, the senior of all
these heads of families succeeded by right to the office of captain, for
Moses chose from among these seniors his seventy coadjutors, who formed with
himself the supreme council. (102) Those who administered the government
after the death of Joshua were called elders, and elder is a very common
Hebrew expression in the sense of judge, as I suppose everyone knows;
however, it is not very important for us to make up our minds on this point.
(103) It is enough to have shown that after the death of Moses no one man
wielded all the power of a sovereign; as affairs were not all managed by one
man, nor by a single council, nor by the popular vote, but partly by one
tribe, partly by the rest in equal shares, it is most evident that the
government, after the death of Moses, was neither monarchic, nor
aristocratic, nor popular, but, as we have said, Theocratic.
(104) The reasons for applying this name are:

(17:105) I. Because the royal seat of government was the Temple, and in
respect to it alone, as we have shown, all the tribes were fellow-citizens,

(106) II. Because all the people owed allegiance to God, their supreme
Judge, to whom only they had promised implicit obedience in all things.

(17:107) III. Because the general-in-chief or dictator, when there was need
of such, was elected by none save God alone. (108) This was expressly
commanded by Moses in the name of God (Deut. xix:15), and witnessed by the
actual choice of Gideon, of Samson, and of Samuel; wherefrom we may conclude
that the other faithful leaders were chosen in the same manner, though it is