The first and last names in the list of leaders in Numbers 1 mean "God is my protector" and "eyes" respectively. Some rabbis believe that this was deliberately arranged as a reference to Deuteronomy 32:10 - "He protected him like the apple of His eye." The meaning is that God chose Israel's leaders for the people's best protection.

The men God chose to lead Israel were already leaders when he appointed them to lead their respective tribes. He doesn't follow our expectations, but his anointing is never arbitrary.