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1
Chronicles Chapter Twenty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 23
In
this chapter David makes Solomon king, 1 Chronicles 23:1,
calls together the princes, priests, and Levites, numbers the latter, and
assigns them their proper work, 1 Chronicles 23:2,
divides them into three classes, 1 Chronicles 23:6,
when the number of them was taken from twenty years of age, and upwards; the
reasons of which are given, partly from the rest the land enjoyed, and partly
from the several branches of their work and office in the temple, 1 Chronicles 23:24.
1 Chronicles
23:1 So when David
was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
YLT
1And David is old, and
satisfied with days, and causeth his son Solomon to reign over Israel,
So when David was old and full of days,.... Perhaps
was now in the last year of his age, about seventy years old, though before he
was bedridden; see 1 Chronicles 28:2,
he made Solomon his son king over Israel; declared him
to be his successor; this was before the affair of Adonijah, for then he
ordered him to be anointed king, and placed on the throne; and this aggravated
the rebellion of Adonijah, that it was against the declared and known will of
his father.
1 Chronicles 23:2 2 And he gathered together
all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
YLT
2and gathereth all the heads
of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites;
And he gathered together all the princes of Israel,.... Ordered
them to be assembled, partly to acquaint them with his will and pleasure, that
Solomon should succeed him in the kingdom; and partly to settle the order of
the work and service of the temple; and therefore these were convened
with the priests and Levites; to assign to them their
respective places and offices.
1 Chronicles 23:3 3 Now the Levites were
numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the number of individual
males was thirty-eight thousand.
YLT
3and the Levites are
numbered from a son of thirty years and upward, and their number, by their
polls, is of mighty men thirty and eight thousand.
Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years, and
upward,.... So they were numbered in the days of Moses, and by his
order, and so they were now at first; though afterwards there was a new
reckoning of them, 1 Chronicles 23:24.
and their number by their posts; or, according to their
heads:
man by man, was thirty and eight thousand; which vastly
exceeds the number in the times of Moses; see Numbers 4:47, but
then those above fifty years of age were not numbered, as they now might; since
their work in the temple would be much more easy, no burdens to carry, as the
ark, the vessels, &c.
1 Chronicles 23:4 4 Of these, twenty-four
thousand were to look after the work of the house of the Lord, six thousand were
officers and judges,
YLT
4Of these to preside over
the work of the house of Jehovah [are] twenty and four thousand, and officers
and judges six thousand,
Of which twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of
the house of the Lord,.... To prepare for the work of the priests by slaying the
sacrifices, flaying them, cutting them in pieces, and washing them, and
bringing them to the altar; 1000 of these served weekly in their turns:
and six thousand were officers and judges: that acted as
justices of the peace in the several parts of the country, heard causes and
administered justice to the people, being trained up in and acquainted with the
laws of God, civil as well as ecclesiastic; some were more properly judges, and
others executioners of their sentence; see Deuteronomy 16:18.
1 Chronicles 23:5 5 four thousand were
gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the Lord with musical
instruments, “which I made,” said David, “for giving praise.”
YLT
5and four thousand
gatekeepers, and four thousand giving praise to Jehovah, `with instruments that
I made for praising,' [saith David.]
Moreover four thousand were porters,.... At the east, north,
and south gates of the temple, in their turns:
and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments; were singers
in the temple, which in all made up 38,000:
which I made, said David, to praise therewith; which
instruments he devised and ordered to be made to praise the Lord with; see 2 Chronicles 29:26.
1 Chronicles 23:6 6 Also David separated them
into divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
YLT
6And David distributeth them
into courses: Of the sons of Levi: of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi,.... Into
three classes, according to the number of them, which follow: namely:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; see Exodus 6:16.
1 Chronicles 23:7 7 Of the Gershonites: Laadan[a] and
Shimei.
YLT
7Of the Gershonite: Laadan
and Shimei.
Of the Gershonites were Laadan and Shimei. These two were
the immediate posterity of Gershon; are the same with Libni and Shimhi, and
heads of families, Exodus 6:17.
1 Chronicles 23:8 8 The sons of Laadan: the
first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel—three in all.
YLT
8Sons of Laadan: the head
[is] Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiah, and Zetham, and Joel. Not his
immediate sons, but some that descended from him.
1 Chronicles 23:9 9 The sons of Shimei:
Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the
fathers’ houses of Laadan.
YLT
9Sons of Shimei [are]
Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three; these [are] heads of the fathers of
Laadan.
The sons of Shimei,.... Not him that was the son of Gershon,
but a descendant of Laadan, his son, as Kimchi observes:
Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, these were the chief of the
fathers of Laadan; of the families that sprang from him.
1 Chronicles 23:10 10 And the sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina,[b] Jeush, and
Beriah. These were the four sons of Shimei.
YLT
10And sons of Shimei [are]
Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah; these [are] sons of Shimei, four.
And the sons of Shimei,.... The son of Gershon,
and brother of Laadan, according to Kimchi, which seems right:
were Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah; these four were the sons
of Shimei; descendants of his in the times of David.
1 Chronicles 23:11 11 Jahath was the first and
Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they
were assigned as one father’s house.
YLT
11And Jahath is the head, and
Zizah the second, and Jeush and Beriah have not multiplied sons, and they
become the house of a father by one numbering.
And Jahath was the chief,.... The prince and head
of a family:
and Ziza the second; the same with Zina in 1 Chronicles 23:10,
and is there read Ziza in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions:
but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; so as to
constitute distinct families:
therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father's
house; made one family with their brethren.
1 Chronicles 23:12 12 The sons of Kohath: Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
YLT
12Sons of Kohath [are] Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
The sons of Kohath,.... The second son of Levi:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four; see Exodus 6:18.
1 Chronicles 23:13 13 The sons of Amram: Aaron
and Moses; and Aaron was set apart, he and his sons forever, that he should
sanctify the most holy things, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister
to Him, and to give the blessing in His name forever.
YLT
13Sons of Amram: Aaron and
Moses; and Aaron is separated for his sanctifying the holy of holies, he and
his sons -- unto the age, to make perfume before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to
bless in His name -- unto the age.
The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses,.... A son of Kohath, 1 Chronicles 23:2.
and Aaron was separated; from the children of
Israel, Exodus 28:1,
that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for
ever; by an holy use of them, and keeping them from all unholy and
profane uses; and this they were to do as long as the Aaronic priesthood
lasted:
to burn incense before the Lord; in the holy place, on
the altar of incense; which none but priests descended from Aaron might do:
to minister unto him; both at the altar of
burnt offering and of incense; and the high priest in the holy of holies:
and to bless his name for ever, or "in his
name"; that is, the people in his name; see Numbers 6:23.
1 Chronicles 23:14 14 Now the sons of Moses the
man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi.
YLT
14As to Moses, the man of
God, his sons are called after the tribe of Levi.
Now concerning Moses the man of God,.... Raised up by him as
a prophet, admitted to great familiarity with him, a lawgiver from him, and the
ruler and guide of Israel under him through the wilderness:
his sons were named of the tribe of Levi; were only
common Levites; Moses had no ambition to gratify; he sought no honour for his
posterity; the civil government was left to Joshua, and the priesthood to
Aaron.
1 Chronicles 23:15 15 The sons of Moses were
Gershon[c] and
Eliezer.
YLT
15Sons of Moses: Gershom and
Eliezer.
The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. See Exodus 18:3.
1 Chronicles 23:16 16 Of the sons of Gershon,
Shebuel[d] was
the first.
YLT
16Sons of Gershom: Shebuel
the head.
Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief. Of the posterity
of Gershom in the times of David, called Shubael, 1 Chronicles 24:20,
the Targum makes him to be the same with Jonathan, Judges 18:30.F12So
in Hieron. Trad. Heb. in Paralipom. fol. 84. c. .
1 Chronicles 23:17 17 Of the descendants of
Eliezer, Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of
Rehabiah were very many.
YLT
17And sons of Eliezer are
Rehabiah the head, and Eliezer had no other sons, and the sons of Rehabiah have
multiplied exceedingly.
And the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the chief,.... The first
and only begotten, as it follows:
and Eliezer had none other sons; before nor after him:
but the sons of Rehabiah were very many; or greatly
multiplied; not, as the Targum says, above 600,000; the number of Israel, as
the Jewish writersF13T. Bab Beracot, fol. 7. 1, 2, Bemidbar Rabba,
sect. 16. fol. 220. 4. fancy; which they gather from Exodus 1:7, and
that though Moses deprecated the multiplication of his seed, God fulfilled it.
1 Chronicles 23:18 18 Of the sons of Izhar,
Shelomith was the first.
YLT
18Sons of Izhar: Shelomith
the head.
Of the sons of Izhar,.... Another son of
Kohath, the son of Levi, 1 Chronicles 23:12.
Shelomith the chief; the principal descendant
of Izhar at this time.
1 Chronicles 23:19 19 Of the sons of Hebron,
Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and
Jekameam the fourth.
YLT
19Sons of Hebron: Jeriah the
head, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
Verses 19-21
Of the sons of Hebron,.... A third son of
Kohath, 1 Chronicles 23:12,
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and
Jekameam the fourth: of the sons of Uzziel; another son of Kohath, 1 Chronicles 23:12,
Micah the first, Jesiah the second: the sons of Merari, Mahli and
Mushi, Exodus 6:19,
the sons of Mahli, Eleazar and Kish: of whom see 1 Chronicles 24:28.
1 Chronicles 23:20 20 Of the sons of Uzziel,
Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second.
YLT
20Sons of Uzziel: Micah the
head, and Ishshiah, the second.
1 Chronicles 23:21 21 The sons of Merari were
Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
YLT
21Sons of Merari: Mahli and
Mushi; sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
1 Chronicles 23:22 22 And Eleazar died, and had no
sons, but only daughters; and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them as
wives.
YLT
22And Eleazar dieth, and he
had no sons, but daughters, and sons of Kish their brethren take them.
And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters,.... And so none
to succeed him in his office and service:
and their brethren the sons of Kish took them; married them,
their uncle's sons, their own cousins.
1 Chronicles 23:23 23 The sons of Mushi were
Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.
YLT
23Sons of Mushi: Mahli, and
Eder, and Jerimoth, three.
And the sons of Mushi,.... The other son of
Merari:
Mahli; so called from his uncle, his father's brother:
and Eder and Jerimoth, three; mentioned again 1 Chronicles 24:30.
1 Chronicles 23:24 24 These were the sons
of Levi by their fathers’ houses—the heads of the fathers’ houses as
they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work
for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty
years and above.
YLT
24These [are] sons of Levi,
by the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, by their appointments, in
the number of names, by their polls, doing the work for the service of the
house of Jehovah, from a son of twenty years and upward,
These were the sons of Levi, after the house of their fathers,.... According
to the three classes of them, as descending from the three sons of Levi:
even the chief of
the fathers; or heads of families:
as they were counted by number of names by their polls; or according
to their heads, one by one:
that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord; the
particulars of which are in 1 Chronicles 23:28.
from the age of twenty years, and upwards; they were
first numbered thirty and upwards, 1 Chronicles 23:3,
but David before his death ordered they should be numbered from twenty and
upwards, 1 Chronicles 23:27,
because the Israelites being increased, there would be more work for the
priests in the temple, which would require the assistance of more Levites. The
reasons follow.
1 Chronicles 23:25 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel
has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever”;
YLT
25for David said, `Jehovah,
God of Israel, hath given rest to His people, and He doth tabernacle in
Jerusalem unto the age;'
For David said,.... As a reason why he ordered a new
account to be taken:
the Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people: from all
their enemies round about, and settled rest in the land, so that there was no
danger of being carried captive, as they were time after time in the days of
the Judges, and whereby they became more numerous:
that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever; where the
temple would always continue, and not be removed, as the ark and tabernacle had
been, and where all Israel would appear three times in the year continually.
1 Chronicles 23:26 26 and also to the Levites, “They
shall no longer carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service.”
YLT
26and also of the Levites,
`None [are] to bear the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service;'
And also unto the Levites,.... Or with respect to
them:
they shall no more carry the tabernacle: on their
shoulders, from place to place, as they had done:
nor any vessels of it for the service thereof; and so the
service of it did not require men at their full strength, but such as were but
twenty years of age might be employed in it.
1 Chronicles 23:27 27 For by the last words of
David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above;
YLT
27for by the last words of
David they [took] the number of the sons of Levi from a son of twenty years and
upward,
For by the last words of David,.... Or therefore by the
last orders he gave before his death:
the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; as able and
sufficient to do the work of their office.
1 Chronicles 23:28 28 because their duty was
to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts
and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the
service of the house of God,
YLT
28for their station [is] at
the side of the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of Jehovah, over
the courts, and over the chambers, and over the cleansing of every holy thing,
and the work of the service of the house of God,
Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron,.... The
priests:
for the service of the house of the Lord; to assist
them therein, and not to bear burdens as in times past; the Targum
is,"wherefore the place of their habitations was by the side of the sons
of Aaron, for the worship of the sanctuary of the Lord:"
in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all
holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God; to keep the
house, and all the apartments in it, courts and chambers, clean, by sweeping
and washing them, and carrying out all the filth thereof made by the
sacrifices, and otherwise.
1 Chronicles 23:29 29 both with the showbread
and the fine flour for the grain offering, with the unleavened cakes and what
is baked in the pan, with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and
sizes;
YLT
29and for the bread of the
arrangement, and for fine flour for present, and for the thin unleavened cakes,
and for [the work of] the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all
[liquid] measure and [solid] measure;
Both for the shewbread,.... Also to make and get
that ready every week for the priests to set on the shewbread table, when they
took off the other that had stood a week, see 1 Chronicles 9:32.
and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened
cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried; to deliver
out the flour of which these several things were made, see 1 Chronicles 9:31,
and Leviticus 2:1,
and for all manner of measures and size; as the hin and the ephah, and the
several parts of them for things both liquid and dry, which were in their
keeping, and according to which they gave out the proper quantity of oil, and
wine, and fine flour, upon occasion.
1 Chronicles 23:30 30 to stand every morning to
thank and praise the Lord,
and likewise at evening;
YLT
30and to stand, morning by
morning, to give thanks, and to give praise to Jehovah, and so at evening;
And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord,.... The
office of others of them was to sing the praises of God, both vocally and with
instruments of music, at the time of the morning sacrifice:
and likewise at even; at the time of the
evening sacrifice, by way of thankfulness for the mercies of the night and of
the day.
1 Chronicles 23:31 31 and at every presentation
of a burnt offering to the Lord on the Sabbaths and on
the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance
governing them, regularly before the Lord;
YLT
31and for all the
burnt-offerings -- burnt-offerings to Jehovah for sabbaths, for new moons, and
for appointed seasons, by number, according to the ordinance upon them
continually, before Jehovah.
And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord,.... This was
the work of the priests to offer such sacrifices, and not the Levites; but the
meaning is, according to the Targum, and so Kimchi, that these not only sung
the praises of God morning and evening, but at all times when burnt offerings
were offered to the Lord; besides, some of them helped the priests at such
times in slaying the sacrifices, and bringing them to the altar: and especially
their service was requisite
in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by
number; because, besides the daily sacrifices, there were additional
offerings at those times:
according to the order commanded unto them continually before the
Lord; see Numbers 28:1.
1 Chronicles 23:32 32 and that they should
attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place,
and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of
the Lord.
YLT
32And they have kept the
charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge
of the sons of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah.
And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the
congregation,.... That no unclean persons entered into it, and that none of
the vessels were carried out of it; this was the business of the porters:
and the charge of the holy place; of things that belonged
unto it, the vessels in it, and what was requisite for it, and used there: and
the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren; the priests, whatever they
should command them to do: in the service of the house of the Lord; in any part
and branch of it before specified.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)