1 Chronicles 26:12

Among these were the divisions of the porters. — Rather, To these, the courses (1 Chronicles 23:6) of porters, that is, to the heads of the men (1 Chronicles 24:4), were watches or charges (1 Chronicles 25:8) in common with their brethren (1 Chronicles 24:31), to minister in the house of Jehovah (1 Chronicles 16:37). The statement of this verse makes it evident that the names in 1 Chronicles 26:2 represent the courses of the porters or warders. As the twenty-four sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun represented the twenty-four courses of musicians in 1 Chronicles 25, a similar classification might naturally be expected here. Accordingly, we actually find seven sons of Meshelemiah (1 Chronicles 26:2), eight sons of Obed-edom (1 Chronicles 26:4), and four sons of Hosah (1 Chronicles 26:10), which together make nineteen heads and classes. It remains to add the “sons” of Shemaiah son of Obed-edom. As the text stands, these appear to be six in number, which would give a total of twenty-five (7 + 8 + 4 + 6). But the connection of the Hebrew in 1 Chronicles 26:7 is so unusual as to suggest at once that something is wrong: and if we assume Obed-Elzabad to represent one original composite name, like Obed-edom, we get five “sons of Shemaiah,” and so a total of twenty-four classes or courses of warders. (From this verse to the end of chapter 27 the Syriac and Arabic versions fail us.)