1 Chronicles 9:1-44

The Book of 1 Chronicles

God rules History

1 Chronicles

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 9

People in Jerusalem – 1 Chronicles 9:1-34

The people who lived in Jerusalem – 1 Chronicles 9:1-9

v1 Lists of all the *Israelites were in their family records. And those records were in the book of *Israel’s kings.

The people from Judah went as prisoners into *exile in Babylon. They were in *exile because they were not loyal to God. v2 The first people who came back from *exile were *Israelites, priests, *Levites, and *temple servants. They lived in their own property in their own towns.

v3-4 Some people from the *tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem. This is a list of those people.

There was Uthai son of Ammihud. Ammihud was Omri’s son. Omri was Imri’s son. Imri was Bani’s son. Bani was a *descendant of Perez, and Perez was Judah’s son. v5 From the *clan of Shilon there were Asaiah and his sons. Asaiah was the oldest son in his family. v6 From the *clan of Zerah there were Jeuel and other relatives of Zerah. There were 690 of them in all.

v7 From the *tribe of Benjamin there was Sallu son of Meshullam. Meshullam was Hodaviah’s son, and Hodaviah was Hassenuah’s son. v8 There was also Ibneiah son of Jeroham and Elah son of Uzzi. Uzzi was Micri’s son. And there was Meshullam son of Shephatiah. Shephatiah was Reuel’s son, and Reuel was Ibnijah’s son. v9 The family record of Benjamin shows 956 people. All these men were leaders of their families.

Verse 1 Since the start of the nation called *Israel, the *Israelites kept public records. In these records, there were registers of all the people. The names of all *Israelites were there with the *tribe and family to which they belonged. These records were in the books of the kings of *Israel and Judah.

The writer was able to see to some of these records. The *exiles had managed to save them through the entire period of their *exile. The family lists in this book came from these and other records. The *exiles from Judah kept such records as they could during their time in Babylon. The writer used these records to bring some of the family lists up to his own time.

The people were coming back to their country. These lists would cause them to remember the *worship in the *temple. The lists would remind them of the tasks that certain people had in the *temple. So these lists would help the *temple and its *worship to begin again after the *exile.

Judah (that is, the *tribes of Judah and Benjamin) went into *exile in Babylon. They had to go there because they had not been loyal to the *LORD their God.

Verse 2 After the *exile, some of the *Israelites came back to their own country. The first to come back and to live in the country were *Israelites. Most of these *Israelites were from the *tribes of Judah and Benjamin but there were also some people from the other *tribes. Among these *Israelites, there were priests, *Levites, and *temple servants.

The *temple servants were people who worked for the *Levites in the *temple. Many of these would have been from Gibeon town. They were not *Israelites. They had pretended to be from a distant country. Joshua believed them, so he did not kill them. When Joshua discovered the truth, he made them slaves to do the heavy work for the house of God (Joshua chapter 9). David appointed more people to be *temple servants (Ezra 8:20).

These people, who returned first, were able to live in their own property. They went to live in the towns from which their families had gone into *exile.

Verses 3-9 The armies of the countries called Media and Persia defeated Babylon in 539 *BC. In 538 *BC, King Cyrus of Persia decided that the *exiles from Judah could return to Judah. He told them to build again the *temple of the *LORD in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4). So, people from Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh went to live in Jerusalem.

The list here shows only the major *clan leaders. These leaders are from the *tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Uthai, Asaiah and Jeuel were all from the *tribe of Judah. From this *tribe, there were 690 people in Jerusalem. Sallu, Ibneiah, Elah and Meshullam were all from the *tribe of Benjamin. There were 956 people from the *tribe of Benjamin in the city.

The families of the priests – 1 Chronicles 9:10-13

v10-11 From the priests there were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jakin, and Azariah. Azariah was a son of Hilkiah. Hilkiah was Meshullam’s son. Meshullam was Zadok’s son. Zadok was Meraioth’s son. Meraioth was Ahitub’s son. Azariah was the chief officer of God’s *temple. v12 Also there was Adaiah son of Jeroham. Jeroham was Pashhur’s son, and Pashhur was Malkijah’s son. And there was Maasai son of Adiel. Adiel was Jahzerah’s son. Jahzerah was Meshullam’s son. Meshullam was Meshillemith’s son, and Meshillemith was Immer’s son. v13 There were 1760 priests. They were heads of their families. They were skilled men able to serve in God’s *temple.

Verses 10-13 Azariah was the ruler of the *LORD’s house. Nehemiah calls him Seraiah (Nehemiah 11:11). He was next in authority to Jeshua the chief priest.

The families of the *Levites – 1 Chronicles 9:14-34

v14 From the *Levites, there was Shemaiah son of Hasshub. Hasshub was Azrikam’s son, and Azrikam was Hashabiah’s son. Hashabiah was from the family of Merari. v15 There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah. Mattaniah was a son of Mica. Mica was Zicri’s son, and Zicri was Asaph’s son. v16 Also there was Obadiah son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was Galal’s son, and Galal was Jeduthun’s son. And there was Berekiah son of Asa. Asa was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah lived in Netophath town and its villages.

v17 From the guards of the *temple gates, there were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon and Ahiman. Their relatives were with them. Shallum was their leader. v18 These guards from the *tribe of Levi still stand next to the King’s Gate. That gate is on the east side of the city. v19 Shallum was Kore’s son. Kore was Ebiasaph’s son, and Ebiasaph was Korah’s son. Shallum and his relatives from the family of Korah were guards of the *temple gates. That was their work. Their *ancestors had also been guards of the entrance to the *LORD’s tent. v20 In the past Phinehas was in command of the guards at the entrance to the holy tent. He was Eleazar’s son. The *LORD was with Phinehas. v21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the guard at the entrance to the *LORD’s tent.

v22 In all, there were 212 guards. The family records show their names in the villages where they live. David and the *prophet Samuel chose these men as guards because they were responsible men. v23 These men and their *descendants had to guard the gates of the *LORD’s house. The *LORD’s house was the holy tent. v24 The guards were on the 4 sides of the *LORD’s house. They were on the east, west, south and north sides. v25 Their relatives lived in their villages. They had to come and to help the guards at certain times. Each time they came, they helped the guards for 7 days. v26 The 4 chief guards were responsible for the rooms and the valuable things in God’s house. All these men were *Levites. v27 By night, they guarded God’s house. Every morning they would open it. They were responsible for the key that opened its gates.

v28 Some of the guards looked after the equipment for use in the *temple. They counted these objects when people brought them in. And they counted these objects when people took them out. v29 Some of the guards had control of the furniture and equipment in the holy place. Also, some of them had control of the flour, wine, oil, *incense, and *spices. v30 But some of the priests mixed the *spices. v31 Mattithiah was a *Levite. He was the first son of Shallum, who was from the family of Korah. Mattithiah was the baker who made the flat bread. v32 Some of the Kohath family prepared the special bread. Each *Sabbath day they put this bread on the table.

v33 Some of the *Levite families were musicians in the *temple. The leaders of these families stayed in the rooms of the *temple. Since they were on duty day and night, they did not do other work in the *temple. v34 These men were the leaders of those *Levite families. Their names were in their family records, and they lived in Jerusalem.

Verses 14-16 Levi had three sons. These sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Shemaiah was a *descendant of Merari who was the third son of Levi. Mattaniah was a *descendant of Gershon who was the first son of Levi. Mattaniah came from the family of Asaph. Asaph was one of David’s chief musicians. Obadiah was a *descendant of Merari. He came from the family of Jeduthun. Jeduthun was also one of David’s chief musicians. Berekiah was a *descendant of Kohath who was Levi’s second son. Netophath town and its villages were the places where the *Levite singers lived.

Verses 17-27 The *temple guards were from the family of Korah. Korah was from the family of Kohath. And Kohath was Levi’s second son. Shallum was the leader of the *temple guards who came back to Jerusalem from Babylon. Shallum, Akkub, Talmon and Ahiman stood next to the King’s Gate. This was the most important gate into the *temple. The king would leave his palace and he would enter the *temple through this gate. At the time of the return from *exile, there was no king. So, they kept that gate closed. They hoped for the time when there would be a king in *Israel again.

Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron. He controlled the men who guarded the tent in the desert. These guards were the sons of Korah.

Zechariah and his son, Meshelemiah, were the guards at the entrance of the *LORD’s tent in the time of David (26:8-11). Samuel and David chose responsible men from the family of Korah to be guards. Samuel was himself from the family of Korah. In all, there were 212 guards.

The job of the guard passed from father to son. They worked in teams at each of the gates. The gates were on the 4 sides of the tent. When Solomon built the *temple, it replaced the tent. The guards were then responsible for the *temple.

There were 24 guards on duty at all times (26:17-18). Each team would work 24 hours a day for one week. Groups of 24 guards would be on duty for, perhaps, 8 or 12 hours at a time. So there would be 72 or 48 guards in the team for the week. Then a different team would take their place for the next week.

The 4 chief guards controlled the teams. Also, they were responsible for the valuable things in the *temple. These men would make sure that the guards shut the gates for the night. They would stay near to God’s house and they would open the gates in the morning.

Verses 28-32 The guards had other duties as well. But they could not mix the *spices. That was a job for the priests to do.

Each week the priests put 12 loaves of special bread on a table in the holy place. They took away the old bread. The *Levites prepared the special bread for the priests. Mattithiah was the baker who made that bread.

Verse 33-34 Other *Levites were musicians. They had no other duties but to lead the music in the *temple. When they were on duty, the leaders of the *Levites lived in rooms in the *temple area. When they were not on duty, these leaders lived in Jerusalem.

Saul’s family – 1 Chronicles 9:35-44

v35 Jeiel lived in Gibeon town, where he was the leader. His wife was Maacah. v36-37 Jeiel’s first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. v38 Mikloth was Shimeam’s father. They lived near their relatives in Jerusalem. v39 Ner was Kish’s father. Kish was Saul’s father. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. v40 Jonathan’s son was Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah. v41 Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. v42 Ahaz was Jadah’s father. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was Moza’s father. v43 Moza was Binea’s father. Rephaiah was Binea’s son. Eleasah was Rephaiah’s son, and Azel was Eleasah’s son. v44 Azel had 6 sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. They were Azel’s sons.

Verses 35-44 The rest of the chapter is about the family of Saul, who was *Israel’s first king. He was the son of Kish. Jonathan’s son was Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was another name for Mephibosheth. This list shows the family of Saul until about the time of the *exile in Babylon.

The purpose of this list is to mention the story of Saul briefly, in order to introduce David. David’s rule as king is the main subject for the rest of 1 Chronicles.

Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country, they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
Levite ~ a person who belongs to the tribe of Levi.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. Or, a building for the worship of false gods. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
clan ~ part of a tribe, a group of families.
tribe ~ The Israelites originally consisted of the 12 large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to Jacob. His descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
lord ~ someone with authority such as the king.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. The name probably means: ‘He is always God.’ This name has a relationship with God’s special promises to his people.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
prophet ~ a person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future.
incense ~ a substance that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. Or, a building for the worship of false gods. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
spice ~ a vegetable substance with a powerful flavour or a strong smell. People use spices in food or incense.
incense ~ a substance that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. Or, a building for the worship of false gods. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Sabbath ~ The Sabbath was the 7th day of the week (Saturday) which God told the Israelites to keep as a special day. They did not work on that day. They used it for rest and for worship.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.