IX. (3) AND IN JERUSALEM DWELT (some) OF THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH, AND (some) OF THE CHILDREN of BENJAMIN. — This sentence is word for word the same with Nehemiah 11:4 a. The next clause, “and some of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh,” is not found in Nehemiah, and nothing further is said in the... [ Continue Reading ]
UTHAI THE SON OF AMMIHUD, THE SON OF OMRI, THE SON OF IMRI, THE SON OF BANI. — Nehemiah 11:4 traces this line thus: “Athaiah son of Uzjiah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez.” Uthai is equivalent to Athaiah, and Imri to Amariah, by a com... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OF THE SHILONITES. — Shilonite means “man of Shiloh,” the ancient capital of Ephraim; whereas 1 Chronicles 9:4 have to do with Judah. The three sons of Judah, after whom three great sub-tribal divisions were named, were Pharez, Shelah, and Zarah (Genesis 38). The clan of Shelah was called the Sh... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE SONS OF ZERAH. — The Zarhites are omitted in the parallel passage of Nehemiah, where we read, instead of the present statement, that “all the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred threescore and eight valiant men.” The common source of both the narratives must have contained... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OF THE SONS OF BENJAMIN. — The parallel passage (Nehemiah 11:7) starts with “Sallu the son of Me-shullam,” but continues, “the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah,” and carries the ancestry four generations further back. THE SON OF HODAVIAH, THE SON OF HASENUAH. — Perhaps we should read “and Hodavia... [ Continue Reading ]
Three other Benjamite houses. IBNEIAH is much the same name as “Ibnijah” at the end of the verse. Both mean “Jah buildeth,” _i.e.,_ maketh offspring. (Comp. Assyrian _Ea-Ibni,_ “Ea made,” _i.e.,_ a son.) SON OF JEROHAM. — The sons of Jeroham dwelt in Jerusalem before the exile as well as after it... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OF THE PRIESTS; JEDAIAH, AND JEHOIARIB, AND JAEHIN. — These three names do not designate persons, but three of the priestly courses, or classes, instituted by David according to 1 Chronicles 24, of which Jehoiarib was the first, Jedaiah the second, and Jachin the twenty-first. Nehemiah 11:10 has... [ Continue Reading ]
(10-13) The priests resident in Jerusalem. (Comp. Nehemiah 11:10.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AZARIAH THE SON OF HILKIAH, THE SON OF MESHULLAM. — See 1 Chronicles 6:12. The names coincide so far as Zadok; but either Meraioth and Ahitub have been transposed (see 1 Chronicles 6:7), or perhaps Meraioth has been omitted in 1 Chronicles 6:12. Instead of Azariah, the parallel in Nehemiah 11:11... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ADAIAH THE SON OF JEROHAM. — Nehemiah 11:12 runs: “And their brethren, doers of the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashur, son of Malchijah.” Thus the line of Adaiah as given there exactly corresponds with the present pas... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEIR BRETHREN, HEADS OF THE HOUSE OF THEIR FATHERS. — We can hardly suppose so many as 1,760 priestly clans dwelling in the holy city. Either the phrase “heads of their father-houses” belongs to the last verse, and has been accidentally brought into its present position; or in this instance it... [ Continue Reading ]
(14–17) The Levites resident in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:15). (14) Word for word the same with Neh. _i.e.,_ save that here Shemaiah is ultimately deduced from the clan of the Merarites, whereas there one more ancestor (Banni) follows Hashabiah, and the phrase “of the sons of Merari” is omitted.... [ Continue Reading ]
The chronicler here omits the verse Nehemiah 11:16, after which follows, “And Mattaniah son of Micha son of Zabdi son of Asaph, the leader of praise, who used to give thanks after the prayer; and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.” BAKBA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PORTERS WERE, SHALLUM, AND AKKUB, AND TALMON, AND AHIMAN. — Comp. Nehemiah 11:18, which sums up thus: “All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred fourscore and four. Moreover the porters, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren that kept the gates, were an hundred seventy and two.” Shallum... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY WERE PORTERS IN THE COMPANIES OF THE CHILDREN OF LEVI. — Rather, _They are warders for the camps of the sons of Levi._ (Comp. Numbers 3:23 _et seq._ where it is prescribed that the Levites encamp on the four sides of the tabernacle.) The primitive terminology is used in order to convey the idea... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHALLUM THE SON OF KORE, THE SON OF EBIASAPH, THE SON OF KORAN. — Comp. 1 Chronicles 26:1, which makes “Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph” a guild of warders under David. EBIASAPH — “The Father (_i.e.,_ God) gathered,” is a fuller form of _Asaph,_ “He gathered.” AND HIS BRETHREN, O... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHINEHAS THE SON OF ELEAZAR WAS THE RULER OVER THEM IN TIME PAST. — Or, _of yore._ Phinehas may have held this office of president (_nagîd,_ 1 Chronicles 9:11) of the warders before he became high priest, just as Eleazar had held a similar position during the lifetime of Aaron (Numbers 3:32). No... [ Continue Reading ]
AND. — Omit. The verse returns abruptly from the Mosaic to the Davidic age. ZECHARIAH THE SON OF MESHELEMIAH had charge of the north gate under David (1 Chronicles 26:12). WAS PORTER OF THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION. — _Was a doorkeeper of the tent of meeting._ The verse seems to... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE WHICH WERE CHOSEN TO BE PORTERS IN THE GATES (Heb., _thresholds_) WERE TWO HUNDRED AND TWELVE. — This seems to assign the number of warders at the epoch of which the chronicler, or, rather, his source, is writing. Nehemiah 11:19 makes the total of the porters one hundred and seventy-two. A... [ Continue Reading ]
NAMELY, THE HOUSE OF THE TABERNACLE. — For the Temple was not built in David’s day BY WARDS. — For _Watches. _... [ Continue Reading ]
IN FOUR QUARTERS WERE THE PORTERS. — “To the four winds used the warders to stand” (to be), viz., on the four sides of the tent of meeting, and from the age of Solomon on the four sides of the square enclosure of the Temple.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEIR BRETHREN, WHICH WERE IN THEIR VILLAGES. — The families of the Temple warders, like those of the singers, lived on their farms in the villages round Jerusalem, and came up for their duties in weekly rotation (1 Chronicles 9:16; Nehemiah 12:29). AFTER SEVEN DAYS. — _Every seventh day;_ that... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THESE LEVITES, THE FOUR CHIEF PORTERS, WERE IN THEIR SET OFFICE. — The Heb. says, or seems to say, “For in fixed position (or trust) were they, viz., the four heroes of the warders.” (See 1 Chronicles 9:17 which apparently names four chief “porters.”) The temporary chiefs of the warder guilds ab... [ Continue Reading ]
The care of the sacred vessels of gold and silver. These were counted when brought out of the store rooms, and when replaced, to make sure that none was purloined. (Comp. Ezra 8:20 _et seq_.) TALE. — “Reckoning,” “number.:” — “ And every shepherd tells his _tale_ Under the hawthorn in the dale.”... [ Continue Reading ]
Care of the ordinary vessels; that is, all those which were used in the daily service of the sanctuary (“vessels... instruments:” the same Hebrew term, _kélîm,_ vasa, σκεύη)_;_ as also supervision of the stores of flour, wine, oil, incense, and spicery, which were adjuncts of meat offerings and liba... [ Continue Reading ]
A parenthetic remark. The Levites had charge of the stores of spicery, but only the priests might lawfully prepare the holy ointment and oil wherewith the sacred tent, the ark, the table, &c, were anointed (Exodus 30:23).... [ Continue Reading ]
The narrative returns to the functions of the Levites. “And Mattithiah, one of the Levites (he was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite), was (or is) in fixed charge over the making of the pancakes.” MATTITHIAH... FIRSTBORN OF SHALLUM THE KORAHITE. — The son of Shallum, or Meshelemiah, is called Z... [ Continue Reading ]
“Some of the sons of the Kohathites, some of their brethren.” The Korahites, to which house Shallum and Mattithiah belonged, were a subdivision of the great clan of Kohath. THE SHEWBREAD. — See Leviticus 24:5. Here it is called “Bread of the Pile;” another name was “Bread of the Presence.” TO PREP... [ Continue Reading ]
Refers to the singers treated of in 1 Chronicles 9:14 : _And these_ (_above mentioned_)_ are the minstrels, heads of Levitical families; in the Temple cells_ (_they lived_)_, exempt from all other charge; for day and night they were over them in the work._ The Hebrew is, harsh, and perhaps corrupt,... [ Continue Reading ]
A general subscription, or concluding statement, with reference to the preceding account of the Levites (1 Chronicles 9:14).... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE CHIEF... GENERATIONS. — Literally, _These are the heads of the Levitical houses, according to their birth-rolls, heads._ (Comp. 1 Chronicles 8:28 for the meaning.) THESE DWELT IN JERUSALEM. — A final remark concerning _all_ the Levites of 1 Chronicles 9:14. The proper names are regarded as ch... [ Continue Reading ]
(35-44) A duplicate of 1 Chronicles 8:29. The genealogy of Saul seems to be repeated, according to the chronicler’s habit (comp. 1 Chronicles 6:4 _et seq._ with 1 Chronicles 6:50 _et seq.;_ 1 Chronicles 7:6 _et seq._ with 1 Chronicles 8:1 _et seq._)_,_ as a transition or introduction to something el... [ Continue Reading ]
ZUR. — “Rock,” a Divine title. (Comp. Pedahzur, “the Rock hath ransomed;” Zurishaddai, “the Rock is the Lofty One;” if we may connect the difficult Shaddai with the Assyrian term _sadu,_ “mountain.” But it seems better to explain it from the root _shâdâh,_ “to pour out,” which is found in Aramaic an... [ Continue Reading ]
REPHAIAH appears in the contracted form Rapha in 1 Chronicles 8.... [ Continue Reading ]
With the omission of the sons of Eshek and Ulam here, comp. the similar abridgment of the list in 1 Chronicles 6:4, when repeated in the same 1chron at 1 Chronicles 6:50. This suggests that the present omission is not due to inadvertence, but either to the design of the chronicler or to a like omiss... [ Continue Reading ]