The servant so completely expects that he is with Laban that he carries on what would be a normal conversation. He knew that his master had been with the "elders of the Jews", and so questions Laban about them.
Reynolds and Sjodahl suggest that the "elders of the Jews" were shoterim. "...the shoterim also had special duties during time of war. In the first place, they were to explain to the conscripts that certain conditions exempted them from service... When the army was ready for organization, the "officers" appointed captains to lead them. It was further, the duty of these "officers" to take messages from the commander-in-chief to the people. They might be compared to the modern adjutant generals.
Considering the fact that Laban had charge of the genealogy - necessary for religious services and for census taking, in case of war; and also that he was the possessor of a sword, such as only a man of high military rank would be likely to own, we may safely conclude that his position was that of a shoterim (an "officer") in Jerusalem." (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon Deseret Press. 1976. 1:40.)