וַיֻּכּ֗וּ שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣מוּ עֲלֵהֶ֔ם נֹגְשֵׂ֥י פַרְעֹ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר מַדּ֡וּעַ לֹא֩ כִלִּיתֶ֨ם חָקְכֶ֤ם לִלְבֹּן֙ כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם גַּם־תְּמ֖וֹל גַּם־הַיּֽוֹם׃
E os escribas dos filhos de Yisrael foram espancados, que os capatazes de Paroh tinham posto sobre eles, dizendo: "Por que vocês não completaram sua cota de fabricação de tijolos como ontem e anteontem, tanto ontem quanto hoje?"
Rashi
הם נשיאי המטת THESE ARE THE LEADERS OF THE TRIBES — They were the officers [appointed] over them in Egypt, and they were beaten on account of them, as it says (Exodus 5:14),“The officers of the children of Israel were beaten” (Sifrei Bamidbar 45).
Rabbeinu Bahya
אספה לי שבעים איש מזקני ישראל אשר ידעת כי הם זקני העם ושוטריו, “gather for Me 70 men from among the elders of Israel whom you know to be elders of the people and its officers.” G’d meant that Moses was aware that the people in question had demonstrated empathy for the people in Egypt absorbing physical punishment on their own bodies rather than inflicting it on their charges. The officers were the ones of whom we read in Exodus 5,14 that “they were beaten by their Egyptian counterparts” for having displayed sympathy for the Jews they were in charge of. They had acquired experience in the qualities needed to deal with the people, and they had established a reputation for fair play.
Rashi
אשר ידעת כי הם וגו׳ WHOM THOU KNOWEST TO BE [THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE, AND BAILIFFS OVER THEM] — i.e. them whom thou knowest to have been appointed officers (שמרים) over them (the Israelites) in Egypt in connection with the rigorous labour imposed on them, but they pitied them and were smitten by the Egyptian taskmasters on their account — as it is said, (Exodus 5:14) “and the officers of (שמד) the children of Israel were smitten”. Now they were to become officers in their greatness (now when the Israelites had become great) just as they had suffered when they (the Israelites) were in distress (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 92).