And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

And when the captains of the army shall hold their peace, and have made an end of speaking, every man shall prepare their bands to fight.

And it shall be, when the officers have ended speaking unto the people, that they shall place captains of the hosts at the head of the people.

and it hath come to pass as the authorities finish to speak unto the people, that they have appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people.

Then, after saying these words to the people, let the overseers put captains over the army.

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed at the head of the people.

And when the officers of the army have become silent, and have completed their speech, each one shall prepare his unit to wage war.

Quum finem fecerint praefecti militares loquendi ad populum, constituent principes turmarum in capite populi.

The meaning is that the "officers" should then subdivide the levies, and appoint leaders of the smaller divisions thus constituted.

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people,.... By reciting what the anointed of war said unto them, and by speeches of their own framing, to encourage to the battle; and all were dismissed that had leave to depart, and chose to take it:
that they shall make captains of armies to lead on the people; on to battle; that is, either the officers should do this, which may seem to confirm what has been hinted, that they might be generals of the army, who constituted captains under them, to lead the people on to battle: unless this is to be understood of the princes of Israel, or of the king when they had one, and his ministers; for it does not appear in any instance that the people chose their own officers over them, to go out before them, and lead them on to battle; or "to be at the head of them" (z); which the Jewish writers understand in a very different sense; not to head them, or be at the head of them, to direct and command them, but to keep them from deserting: their sense is, that the officers having dismissed persons in the circumstances before described, and set stout men before them, and others behind them (i.e. the army of the people), with iron hatchets in their hands, and every one that sought to return, they had power to cut off his legs; since flight is the beginning of falling before their enemies (a).
(z) "in capite populi", Pagninus, Montanus. (a) Misn. ut supra (Sotah, c. 8.), sect. 6.

they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people--When the exempted parties have withdrawn, the combatants shall be ranged in order of battle.

When this was finished, the shoterim were to appoint captains at the head of the people (of war). פּקד, to inspect, to muster, then to give the oversight, to set a person over anything (Numbers 3:10; Numbers 4:27). The meaning "to lead the command" (Schultz) cannot be sustained; and if "captains of the armies" were the subject, and reference were made to the commanders in the war, the article would not be omitted. If the shoterim had to raise men for the war and organize the army, the division of the men into hosts (Zebaoth) and the appointment of the leaders would also form part of the duties of their office.

Make captains - Or rather, as the Hebrew hath it, they shall set or place the captains of the armies in the head or front of the people under their charge, that they may conduct them, and by their example encourage their soldiers. It is not likely they had their captains to make when they were just going to battle.