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1
Chronicles Chapter Twenty-four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 24
This
chapter relates the distribution David made of the priests into twenty four
classes or courses
and which were observed by lot
and each course had an head
or principal man over it
1 Chronicles 24:1
and of a like distribution of the Levites into the same number of courses
to
attend the priests in theirs
1 Chronicles 24:20.
1 Chronicles
24:1 Now these
are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were
Nadab
Abihu
Eleazar
and Ithamar.
YLT
1And to the sons of Aaron
[are] their courses: sons of Aaron [are] Nadab
and Abihu
Eleazar
and
Ithamar
Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron
.... Into the
classes or courses following:
the sons of Aaron; Nadab and Abihu
Eleazar and Ithamar; 1 Chronicles 6:3
these were the immediate sons of Aaron; but the division or distribution of
them into classes are of their posterity in the times of David
who descended
from the two latter.
1 Chronicles
24:2 2 And
Nadab and Abihu died before their father
and had no children; therefore
Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests.
YLT
2and Nadab dieth
and Abihu
in the presence of their father
and they had no sons
and Eleazar and Ithamar
act as priests.
But Nadab and Abihu died before their father
.... While he
was living
see Leviticus 10:1.
and had no children
therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the
priests' office: otherwise
as Jarchi observes
had their brethren left children
they would have come into the office before them.
1 Chronicles
24:3 3 Then
David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar
and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar
divided them according to the schedule of their service.
YLT
3And David distributeth
them
and Zadok of the sons of Eleazar
and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar
according to their office in their service;
And David distributed them
.... The posterities of
Eleazar and Ithamar into certain classes or courses:
both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar
and Ahimelech of the sons of
Ithamar; these were the two principal men of the respective families
the
one was high priest
and the other "sagan" or deputy; or they both officiated
as high priests alternately
until the one was removed in Solomon's time
and
the other established alone. And now their brethren the priests
who were under
each of these
are the persons David divided into classes:
according to their offices in their service: to perform
their office as priests in the service of the temple in their turns.
1 Chronicles 24:4 4 There were more leaders
found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar
and thus they
were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their
fathers’ houses
and eight heads of their fathers’ houses among the sons of
Ithamar.
YLT
4and there are found of the
sons of Eleazar more for heads of the mighty men than of the sons of Ithamar;
and they distribute them: Of the sons of Eleazar
heads for a house of fathers
sixteen; and of the sons of Ithamar
for a house of their fathers
eight.
And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of
the sons of Ithamar
.... Or heads of men
heads of their fathers' houses and
families:
and thus were they divided; among the sons of Eleazar there were
sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers
and eight among the sons of
Ithamar
according to the house of their fathers; in all twenty four
and
into so many classes or courses did David divide them; Jarchi says at first
when the tabernacle was at Shiloh
there were but sixteen courses
eight from
Eleazar
and eight from Ithamar
as is explained in the treatise of fastingF14T.
Bab. Taanith
fol. 27. 1. ; but when David saw that there were more heads of
men
or chief men of Eleazar's
he divided the courses of Eleazar into two
parts
and fixed sixteen courses; and the courses of Ithamar he established as
at first
eight courses; left them as they were
which he thinks appears from 1 Chronicles 24:6
but of the former number of courses
and when and by whom fixed
the Jews are
dividedF15T. Bab. Taanith
fol. 27. 1. ; See Gill on Luke 1:5. Perhaps
there were none before David's time.
1 Chronicles 24:5 5 Thus they were divided by
lot
one group as another
for there were officials of the sanctuary and
officials of the house of God
from the sons of Eleazar and from the
sons of Ithamar.
YLT
5And they distribute them
by lots
one with another
for princes of the sanctuary
and princes of God
have been of the sons of Eleazar
and of the sons of Ithamar.
Thus were they divided by lot
one sort with another
.... Which
course should serve first
and which next
and so on; and who should be the
chief to each course; which course was to serve a week
and then go out; and
this method was taken to prevent envy
strife
and contention about precedence:
for the governors of the sanctuary; or of the holy things
or who presided in things ecclesiastical:
and governors of the house of God: or rather
"governors of God"
appointed by him judges in civil things:
were of the sons of Eleazar
and of the sons of Ithamar: there were
of both families
some employed both in sacred and civil things
and who
presided in each.
1 Chronicles 24:6 6 And the scribe
Shemaiah
the son of Nethanel
one of the Levites
wrote them down before the
king
the leaders
Zadok the priest
Ahimelech the son of Abiathar
and the
heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites
one father’s
house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
YLT
6And Shemaiah son of
Nethaneel the scribe
of the Levites
writeth them before the king and the
princes
and Zadok the priest
and Ahimelech son of Abiathar
and heads of the
fathers
for priests and for Levites: one house of a father being taken
possession of for Eleazar
and one being taken possession of for Ithamar.
And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe
.... The
Targum is
Moses the chief scribe
so called: one
of the Levites wrote them: the lots
and the names
upon them
put into the urn
and as they came out
which was first
second
&c. and this was done
before the king
and the princes
and Zadok the priest
and
Ahimelech the son of Abiathar
and before the chief of the fathers of the
priests and Levites; and in this public manner
before such great personages
and in
the presence of those that were interested in the affair
that it might appear
plainly no fraudulent methods were taken
and that there might be no suspicion
of any:
one principal household being taken for Eleazar
and one for
Ithamar; the sense of Jarchi as above
and other Jewish writers
is
that
one was added to each family of Eleazar
and so made sixteen
and Ithamar's
were retained
and left as at first
eight: but the sense is
that first one
family of Eleazar was taken
and then one of Ithamar's family
and then one of
Eleazar's again
and so on until sixteen were gone through; and then the other
eight were divided under so many heads of the family of Eleazar.
1 Chronicles 24:7 7 Now the first lot fell to
Jehoiarib
the second to Jedaiah
YLT
7And the first lot goeth out
for Jehoiarib
for Jedaiah the second
Verses 7-18
Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib
.... And the
other twenty three to the following persons in order:
Jedaiah
Harim
Seorim
Malchijah
Mijamin
Hakkoz
Abijah
Jeshua
Shecaniah
Eliashib
Jakim
Huppah
Jeshebeab
Bilgah
Immer
Hezir
Aphses
Pethahiah
Jehezekel
Jachin
Gamul
Delaiah
and Maaziah; of all which
courses we know little more than their names
though they continued in some
form or other both under the first and second temple
to the destruction of it;
the Jews say only four of these courses returned from the Babylonish captivity
which were those of Jedaiah
Harim
Pashur
and Immer; though Pashur is not
among these here; yet they say each of these four had six lots
and that the
names and the order of the other courses were retained and continued under
them
and supplied by them: hence we read of Mattithiah
from whom sprung the
Maccabees
as of the course of Jehoiarib
"In those days arose Mattathias
the son of John
the son of Simeon
a priest of the sons of Joarib
from
Jerusalem
and dwelt in Modin.' (1 Maccabees 2:1)which was
the first course
and the most honourable; wherefore JosephusF16Vita
ejus
sect. 1.
who was of it
valued himself upon it
that he was not only of
the priestly order
but of the first class or course of the twenty four; and we
also read of the course of Abijah
the eighth course
of which was Zechariah
the father of John the Baptist
Luke 1:5 of these
courses; see Gill on Luke 1:5.
1 Chronicles 24:8 8 the third to Harim
the
fourth to Seorim
YLT
8for Harim the third
for
Seorim the fourth
1 Chronicles 24:9 9 the fifth to Malchijah
the sixth to Mijamin
YLT
9for Malchijah the fifth
for Mijamin the sixth
1 Chronicles 24:10 10 the seventh to Hakkoz
the
eighth to Abijah
YLT
10for Hakkoz the seventh
for
Abijah the eighth
1 Chronicles 24:11 11 the ninth to Jeshua
the
tenth to Shecaniah
YLT
11for Jeshuah the ninth
for
Shecaniah the tenth
1 Chronicles 24:12 12 the eleventh to Eliashib
the twelfth to Jakim
YLT
12for Eliashib the eleventh
for Jakim the twelfth
1 Chronicles 24:13 13 the thirteenth to Huppah
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab
YLT
13for Huppah the thirteenth
for Jeshebeab the fourteenth
1 Chronicles 24:14 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah
the sixteenth to Immer
YLT
14for Bilgah the fifteenth
for Immer the sixteenth
1 Chronicles 24:15 15 the seventeenth to Hezir
the eighteenth to Happizzez
[a]
YLT
15for Hezir the seventeenth
for Aphses the eighteenth
1 Chronicles 24:16 16 the nineteenth to
Pethahiah
the twentieth to Jehezekel
[b]
YLT
16for Pethahiah the
nineteenth
for Jehezekel the twentieth
1 Chronicles 24:17 17 the twenty-first to
Jachin
the twenty-second to Gamul
YLT
17for Jachin the one and
twentieth
for Gamul the two and twentieth
1 Chronicles 24:18 18 the twenty-third to
Delaiah
the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
YLT
18for Delaiah the three and
twentieth
for Maaziah the four and twentieth.
1 Chronicles 24:19 19 This was the
schedule of their service for coming into the house of the Lord according to
their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father
as the Lord God of Israel
had commanded him.
YLT
19These [are] their
appointments for their service
to come in to the house of Jehovah
according
to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father
as Jehovah God of Israel
commanded them.
These were the orderings of them
.... Their classes or
courses into which they were divided:
in their service to come into the house of the Lord; to perform
their service in the temple
according to their turns
and in course as fixed
by lot; one class or course served one week
and then went out
and another
came in
each consisting of 1000 men
see 1 Chronicles 23:4.
according to their manner; law
right
custom
here
prescribed for them: under Aaron their father; that is
him who was high priest
for the time being; who bore this name because his successor and
representative
under whose inspection
direction
and authority
all the rest
of the priests were
and whom they were to obey in all things:
as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him; to take care
they should be done.
1 Chronicles 24:20 20 And the rest of the sons
of Levi: of the sons of Amram
Shubael;[c] of the
sons of Shubael
Jehdeiah.
YLT
20And for the sons of Levi
who are left: for sons of Amram
Shubael; for sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
Verses 20-30
And the rest of the sons of Levi were these
.... Who were
not priests
only Levites; and from hence
to 1 Chronicles 24:30
their names are given; of the sons of Amram
Shubael
and his son Jehdeiah;
Rehabiah the son of Eleazar
and Isshiah the son of Rehabiah; of the Izharites
so called from Izhar
the brother of Amram
Shelomoth
and his son Jahath; and
of the sons of Hebron
another brother of Amram
Jeriah
Amariah
Jahaziel
and
Jekameam; of the sons of Uzziel
another brother of Amram
Michah
and his son
Shamir; Isshiah the brother of Michah
and his son Zechariah: the sons of
Merari
Mahli and Mushi
his immediate sons; from whom sprung by Jaaziah
Beno
Shoham
Zaccur and Ibri; of Mahli sprung Eleazar
who had no sons; and Kish
whose son was Jerahmeel; the sons of Mushi
another son of Merari
Mahli
Eder
and Jerimoth; most of these names are the same with those in 1 Chronicles 23:16
these were the sons of the Levites
after the house of their
fathers; some of the principal of them.
1 Chronicles 24:21 21 Concerning Rehabiah
of
the sons of Rehabiah
the first was Isshiah.
YLT
21For Rehabiah: for sons of
Rehabiah
the head Ishshiah.
1 Chronicles 24:22 22 Of the Izharites
Shelomoth;[d] of the
sons of Shelomoth
Jahath.
YLT
22For the Izharite:
Shelomoth; for sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
1 Chronicles 24:23 23 Of the sons of Hebron
[e] Jeriah was
the first
[f] Amariah
the second
Jahaziel the third
and Jekameam the fourth.
YLT
23And sons of Jeriah: Amariah
the second
Jahaziel the third
Jekameam the fourth.
1 Chronicles 24:24 24 Of
the sons of Uzziel
Michah; of the sons of Michah
Shamir.
YLT
24Sons of Uzziel: Michah; for
sons of Michah: Shamir.
1 Chronicles 24:25 25 The brother of Michah
Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah
Zechariah.
YLT
25A brother of Michah [is]
Ishshiah; for sons of Ishshiah: Zechariah;
1 Chronicles 24:26 26 The sons of Merari were
Mahli and Mushi; the son of Jaaziah
Beno.
YLT
26sons of Merari: Mahli and
Mushi; sons of Jaaziah: Beno;
1 Chronicles 24:27 27 The sons of Merari by
Jaaziah were Beno
Shoham
Zaccur
and Ibri.
YLT
27sons of Merari: of Jaaziah:
Beno
and Shoham
and Zaccur
and Ibri.
1 Chronicles 24:28 28 Of Mahli: Eleazar
who had
no sons.
YLT
28For Mahli: Eleazar
who had
no sons;
1 Chronicles 24:29 29 Of Kish: the son of Kish
Jerahmeel.
YLT
29for Kish: sons of Kish:
Jerahmeel.
1 Chronicles 24:30 30 Also the sons of Mushi were
Mahli
Eder
and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according
to their fathers’ houses.
YLT
30And sons of Mushi [are]
Mahli
and Eder
and Jerimoth; these [are] sons of the Levites
for the house
of their fathers
1 Chronicles 24:31 31 These also cast lots just
as their brothers the sons of Aaron did
in the presence of King David
Zadok
Ahimelech
and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and
Levites. The chief fathers did just as their younger brethren.
YLT
31and they cast
they also
lots over-against their brethren the sons of Aaron
before David the king
and
Zadok
and Ahimelech
and heads of the fathers
for priests and for Levites;
the chief father over-against his younger brother.
These likewise cast lots over against their brethren
the sons of
Aaron
.... These
being divided into twenty four classes also
cast
lots
which class should answer to
attend upon
and serve the first course of
the priests
and which the second
and so on. And this they did in the same
solemn and public manner as the priests had done:
in the presence of David the king
and Zadok
and Ahimelech
and
the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites; as in 1 Chronicles 24:6.
even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren; the sense is
either that the one stood over against the other
to be distributed by lot
the
one as well as the other; or they were chosen by lot
let it fall as it would
without any regard to age or dignity
to the seniority or largeness of houses
and families; but as they were chosen
be they younger or elder
richer or
poorer
their families more or less numerous and ancient
so they took their
places.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)