And he appointed judges When the seer told him, "good things were found in you, for you abolished the asheroth,⁠" he approached the Sepher Torah [to see] whether he had abolished them properly. He first saw that it was written (Deut. 12:2f.): "You shall utterly destroy...and you shall burn their asherim with fire and cut down the images of their gods,⁠" and he remembered that it is written in כִּי תִשָׂא (Exod. 34:13): "And you shall break down their monuments, etc.⁠" He wondered why he had pleased the Lord by abolishing the asherim, the Jewish asherim, for [the Torah] only warned about their asherim. He went back to [the Torah portion] (Deut. 16:18): "Judges and law enforcing agents,⁠" and found written (verse 21): "You shall not plant an asherah.⁠" Then he rejoiced that he had abolished them. He also saw written there: "Judges and law enforcing agents you shall appoint for yourself,⁠" and immediately "he appointed judges,⁠" strong ones.

in all the fortified cities of Judah, for every city He first appointed strong [judges] in all the fortified cities of Judah to coerce them [the people] and compel them to [accept] judgment. He later appointed judges who were not as strong for the cities that were not fortified, for they [the inhabitants] were more afraid to rebel than those who dwelt in the fortified cities, for they felt secure in their fortified cities.