1Ch 25-26 | TSK | STEP | The number and offices of the singers. Their division by lot into four and twenty orders. the captains.That is, the chief of the several orders; not military captains. Asaph. prophesy.The word prophesy, here, seems to mean no more than praising God by singing inspired prophetical hymns. harps.

two hundred.These two hundred and eighty-eight, being twenty-four courses of twelve each, were more skilful than the other Levites; and being placed under the twenty-four sons of the chief singers, they had the four thousand before mentioned divided among them, to officiate by courses, according to their instructions: ch. 23:5.

cast lots.

24:5; Le 16:8; 1Sa 14:41,42; Pr 16:33; Ac 1:26

ward against ward.

24:31; 26:13,16; Ne 12:24

the teacher.Even among the twenty-four leaders, some were more expert than others; some were teachers, and others were scholars; but every one was taken by the solemn casting of lots, without any regard to these distinctions. Thus all things were disposed for the preserving of order, and avoiding all disputes about precedence: there being no respect had, in this divine distribution, to birth, but the younger in course preceded the elder.

15:22; 2Ch 23:13

Joseph.

the second.Dr. Geddes, chiefly on the authority of the Arabic, adds, "who with his sons and brethren were twelve."

Zaccur.

Izri. [Yitsrîy .]Izri, seems to be called [Tserîy ,] Zeri, by the aphæresis of [Yôwd,] {yood.}

Zeri.

Nethaniah.

Jesharelah.This variation rises from the mutation of ['Aleph,] {aleph,} and [Yôwd,] {yood;} the word being written in the parallel passage ['Asar'êlâh ,] {Asarelah,} and here, [Yesar'êlâh ,] Jesarelah.

Asarelah.

Azareel.Probably this person was called by both names; or Uzziel may be a mistake for Azareel. In the Syriac and Arabic, the name is nearly the same in both places.

Uzziel.

Hashabiah.

Shubael.

Shebuel.

Mahazioth.

1 Chronicles 26

1 The divisions of the porters.

13 The gates assigned by lot.

20 The Levites that had charge of the treasures.

29 Officers and judges.

the divisions.There were four classes of these, each of which belonged to the four gates of the temple, which opened to the four cardinal points of heaven. The eastern gate fell to Shelemiah; the northern to Zechariah, (ver. 14;) the southern to Obed-edom, (ver. 15;) and the western to Shuppim and Hosah, (ver. 16.) These several persons were captains of these porter-bands, or door-keepers, at the different gates. There were probably a thousand men under each of these captains; as we find, from ch. 23:5, that their whole number was four thousand.

the porters.

9:17-27; 15:18,23,24; 2Ch 23:19

Korhites.

Nu 26:9-11; Ps 44:1; 49:1; *titles

Meshelemiah.[Shelemyâhuw ,] Shelemiah, is merely an abbreviation of [Meshelemyâh ,] Meshelemiah, by the aphæresis of [Mêm,] {mem.}

Shelemiah. Asaph.This variation arises from the rejection of the word [Ab ,] {av,} "father," and the mutation of [Yôwd,] {yood,} into ['Aleph,] {aleph;} being written in the parallel passages [Ebyâcâph ,] Ebiasaph, and here [Acâph ,] Asaph.

6:37; 9:19

Ebiasaph.

Obed-edom.

15:18,21,24; 16:5,38

him."That is, Obed-edom, as ch. 13:14."

Ps 128:1

mighty men of valour.They were not only porters, or door keepers, in the ordinary sense of the word, but they were a military guard to the gate, as Dr. Delaney suggests that the word {shöârim} should be rendered here: and perhaps in this sense alone are we to understand their office, which appears to have been of considerable dignity, and conferred only on men of the first rank. They were appointed to attend the temple, to guard all the avenues to it, to open and shut all the outer gates, and attend at them, not only for state but for service. They were also required to direct and instruct those who were going to worship in the courts of the sanctuary in the conduct they were to observe, to encourage those who were timid, to send back the strangers and unclean, and to guard against thieves and others who were enemies to the house of God.

8; 12:28; Jud 6:12; 2Sa 2:7; *marg:

2Ch 26:17; Ne 11:14; 1Ti 6:12; 2Ti 2:3

able men.

Mt 25:15; 1Co 12:4-11; 2Co 3:6; 1Pe 4:11

Meshelemiah.

1,14

Hosah.

16:38

his father.

5:1,2

wards.That is, classes against each other. Ward formerly signified a class or division: we still apply the term to the different apartments in hospitals, and to the more extensive districts into which the city of London is divided.

25:8

as well the small as the great. Heb. or, as well for thesmall as for the great.

24:31; 25:8

Shelemiah.

Meshelemiah. Zechariah.

Asuppim. Heb. gatherings. .

17Or collections; probably the place where either the supplies of the porters, or the offerings made for the priests and Levites, were laid up. Obed-edom is said to have had the charge of the treasures, etc., in 2 Ch 25:24.

Hosah.

10,11

Shallecheth.That is, ejection; probably the gate through which all the filth which from time to time might accumulate in the temple and its courts, was cast out.

causeway.

1Ki 10:5; 2Ch 9:4

ward against ward.That is, their stations were opposite to each other; as the north to the south, and the east to the west.

12; 25:8; Ne 12:24

Eastward.

9:24; 2Ch 8:14

Asuppim.

Parbar.

2Ki 23:11{Parbar} is most probably the same as {parwar,} which denotes suburbs, (2 Ki 23:11,) in which sense it is often used in the Chaldee Targums; and consequently this may be considered as leading to the suburbs.

Kore.Kore, or rather, Kohri, [Qorchîy ,] is essentially the same with [Qôrach ,] Korah, merely having a paragogic [Yôwd,] {yood.}

Nu 16:11

Korah.

treasures.

22; 9:26-30; 22:3,4,14-16; 28:12-19; 29:2-8; 1Ki 14:26; 15:18

Mal 3:10

dedicated things. Heb. holy things.

26-28; 18:11; 1Ki 7:51; 2Ch 31:11,12

Laadan.

6:17

Libni.

23:7

Jehieli.Jehieli, [Yechîy'êlîy ,] is the same as Jehiel, [Yechav'êl ,] with the addition of [Yôwd,] {yood.}

23:8; 29:8

Jehiel. over the treasures.

20; Ne 10:38

Amramites.

23:12; Nu 3:19,27

Shebuel.The difference between [Shûwbâ'êl ,] Shubael, and [Shêbûw'êl ,] Shebuel, simply arises from the elision of [Vâv,] {wav} and a change of vowels.

23:15,16; 24:20

Shubael.

Eliezer.

23:15; Ex 18:4

Rehabiah.

23:17

Shelomith.

23:18

over all the treasures.

18:11; 22:14; 29:2-9; Nu 31:30-52

Out.

Jos 6:19

spoils won in battles. Heb. battles and spoils. tomaintain.

2Ki 12:14; Ne 10:32-34

Samuel.

Abner.

Joab.

Izharites.

the outward.

officers.

the Hebronites.

men of valour.

officers. Heb. over the charge.

Jerijah.

Jeriah. fortieth.

Jazer.

men of valour.

chief fathers.

Reubenites.

and affairs. Heb. and thing.

2Ch 19:11There were more Levites employed as judges with the two tribes and half on the other side of Jordan, than with all the rest of the tribes; there were two thousand seven hundred, whereas on the west side of Jordan there were only one thousand seven hundred. Either those remote tribes were not so well furnished as the rest with judges of their own, or because they lay farthest from Jerusalem, on the borders of the neighbouring nations, and were thus much in danger of being infected with idolatry, they most needed the help of Levites to prevent their running into the abominations of the idolaters.