VI. The tribe of Levi, its principal genealogies, and its cities. (1) The genealogy of Aaron, including his descent from Levi, and his successors in the line of Eleazar until the Babylonian exile (1 Chronicles 6:1). (2) A double series of the sons of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the three sons of L... [ Continue Reading ]
(1-15) THE LINE OF AARON THROUGH ELEAZAR TO JEHOZADAK. (1-3) Aaron’s descent from Levi. (1) THE SONS OF LEVI; GERSHON ... — So Genesis 46:11; Exodus 6:16, and uniformly in the Pentateuch. In 1 Chronicles 6:16 we have the spelling _Gershom,_ which perhaps indicates a difference of source. (2) THE SO... [ Continue Reading ]
(16-19) The three branches of Levi with their main subdivisions. Parallel passages, Exodus 6:16; Numbers 3:17. (16) GERSHOM. — See Note on 1 Chronicles 6:1. In the Pentateuch, Gershom is son of Moses; Gershon, son of Levi. (19) AND THESE ARE THE FAMILIES OF THE LEVITES ACCORDING TO THEIR FATHERS. —... [ Continue Reading ]
OF GERSHOM. — Literally, _to_ — _i.e.,_ belonging to _Gershom._ LIBNI HIS SON. — See Numbers 3:21, “To Gershon, the clan of the Libnite, and the clan of the Shimeite; these are the clans of the Gershonite.” The names Jahath, Zimmah, and Zerah recur in the line of Asaph, 1 Chronicles 6:41 below (see... [ Continue Reading ]
The genealogy of the Gershonites in seven successive generations. It does not occur in the Pentateuch. This and the two following lists of Kohathites and Merarites are symmetrical in plan, but not in the number of names included.... [ Continue Reading ]
(22–23) The sons of Kohath. As the text stands we have here a threefold list, each portion of which is isolated from the rest, and begins afresh with the word _onê_ (the sons of). (22) AMMINADAB HIS SON. — Amminadab is not mentioned as a son of Kohath in the Pentateuch or elsewhere. Korah, here cal... [ Continue Reading ]
In the corresponding verse of the genealogy of Heman below (1 Chronicles 6:38) the names are Tahath, Zephaniah, Azariah, and Joel. It is easy to suppose that as the two series diverge after Tahath, Uriel and Zephaniah are two different sons of Tahath. But we notice (1) that Uzziah (1 Chronicles 6:24... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SONS OF ELKANAH; AMASAI. — See last Note. It is natural to identify the Elkanah of 1 Chronicles 6:36 with this one. The posterity of both are so nearly the same; otherwise we might have taken the present Elkanah for the person mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Hebrew text reads: “Elkanah his son — Elkanah — Zophai his son,” &c. Zophai might mean the Zophite. The LXX. has (1 Chronicles 6:25) “And sons of Elkanah, Amessi and Ahimoth;” (1 Chronicles 6:26) “Elkanah his son, Souphi his son,” &c. So the Syriac. That this is correct appears from comparison o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SONS OF SAMUEL. — Heb., _Shemuel_ The third break in the Kohathite list. We see from 1 Chronicles 6:33 that Samuel (Shemuel, _name of God_) is son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham; hence we might suppose that the clause “Samuel his son” has been accidentally omitted at the end of 1 Chronicles 6:27... [ Continue Reading ]
A short list of Merarite names. (Comp. Numbers 3:20, and 1 Chronicles 6:14, _supra,_ for the two sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi, after whom the clans of the Merarites were designated. The present list traces the line of Mahli to the seventh generation; all the names are alike unknown. Below, 1 Chro... [ Continue Reading ]
SET OVER THE SERVICE OF SONG. — Literally, _made stand by the sides_ (_hands_)_ of song,_ as if to minister to the sacred music. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 25:2, where the same peculiar phrase recurs, and Psalms 123:2, “as the eyes of slaves are unto the hand of their Lord.” Comp. also the common heading o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY MINISTERED. — “And they continued ministering, before the dwelling of the Tent of Meeting, with the music.” THE DWELLING PLACE OF THE TABERNACLE. — A defining genitive, like River of Jordan, or City of Jerusalem. In the court _before_ this sacred dwelling wherein the Lord met His people, th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE ARE THEY THAT WAITED (_STOOD_) WITH THEIR CHILDREN. — The main sentence which began at 1 Chronicles 6:31, and was suspended by the parenthetic 1 Chronicles 6:32, is now resumed. The persons meant are the three chiefs of the Levitical guilds of musicians, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan; their “chi... [ Continue Reading ]
SON OF ISRAEL. — Asaph and Ethan are traced to Levi. It was not needful to repeat “son of Israel” in each case. For further remarks on the names in 1 Chronicles 6:34 see above Notes on 22-28, the lines being identical. The numerous variants, however, seem to imply that the author drew from different... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS BROTHER ASAPH. — Asaph was Heman’s brother (1) as a Levite; (2) as a choir-master. The striking agreement of the line of Heman with that of the Kohathites, detailed in 1 Chronicles 6:22 above, has led critics to look for a like coincidence between the line of Asaph as given here, and that of the... [ Continue Reading ]
(39-43) The pedigree of Asaph the Gershonite, traced back through thirteen names to Levi. That of Heman names twenty ancestors for the same period of time. This is one more illustration of the common usage of overleaping names in these genealogies.... [ Continue Reading ]
(44-47) The pedigree of Ethan the Merarite, traced back through twelve names to Levi. Ethan is no doubt the same as Jeduthun, 1 Chronicles 25:1; 2 Chronicles 35:15. (44) AND THEIR BRETHREN THE SONS OF MERARI. — We should say their _comrades_ or _kinsmen_ (see Note on 1 Chronicles 6:39). “Brethren,”... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR BRETHREN ALSO THE LEVITES. — That is, _the Levites who were not musicians_ — _the remaining Levites._ APPOINTED. — Literally, _given — _that is, to Aaron and his sons as their assistants; Numbers 3:9 (Heb.), “And thou shalt give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons, given are they to him from... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AARON AND HIS SONS OFFERED. — Literally, _And Aaron and his sons were offering._ The participle denotes unintermitted action. “Aaron and his sons” is a technical name for the priests, to whom, according to this passage, three functions pertained: (1) sacrifice on the altars of burnt-offering and... [ Continue Reading ]
(50-53) If the chronicler, and not his source, be held responsible for this repetition of the Aaronite line, we may regard it as an instance of his inartificial method of making a new start. He is about to pass from the Levitical genealogies to their cities and domains, and he first partially recapi... [ Continue Reading ]
Render, “And these were their seats according to their encampments within their border.” This, as the heading to all that follows, should be stopped off therefrom. It does not occur in Joshua 21, and may indicate an intermediate source used by the chronicler. The variant spellings of proper names, m... [ Continue Reading ]
(54-81) The Levitical cities, beginning with those of the Aavonites, the principal branch of the Kohathite clan. This list deals with the same topic as Joshua 21:3, with which, upon the whole, it is in substantial agreement. 1 Chronicles 6:54 are parallel to Joshua 21:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
HEBRON. — Josh., “the city of Arba, the father of the Anak, that is, Hebron.” IN THE LAND OF JUDAH. — Josh., “hill-country” (_har_ for _ha’areç_). SUBURBS. — The Hebrew _migrashîm,_ pastures or commons, as opposed to arable land (Authorised version, “fields;” Heb., _sadeh_). Numbers 35:3 defines t... [ Continue Reading ]
Closely answering to Joshua 21:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO CALEB THE SON OF JEPHUNNEH. — Josh. adds “as his possession.”... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY GAVE THE CITIES OF JUDAH. — Heb. text, _the cities of refuge, Hebron and Libnah, and her pastures._ Of the cities mentioned only Hebron was an asylum for the manslayer. The other cities of refuge were Kedesh-Naphtali, Shechem, Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead, and Golan. (See Joshua 20:7.). Here our transl... [ Continue Reading ]
HILEN. — Holon, which twice occurs in Joshua 15:51; Joshua 21:15, is a more natural form. DEBIR. — Oracle, the inmost sanctuary; anciently, Kirjath-sepher (Book Town).... [ Continue Reading ]
ASHAN (smoke); in Joshua, Ain (fountain). The place may have had both names, from a fountain rising like a column of smoke. “Juttah and her pastures” has fallen out here (Joshua 21:16). At the end of the verse Joshua adds, “Nine cities out of these two tribes,” viz., Judah and Simeon.... [ Continue Reading ]
“Gibeon and her pastures” is omitted; probably an oversight, due to the similarity of sound and form between Gibeon and Geba. Alemeth and Almôn are each valid formations, and perhaps represent an older and younger name of the place. THIRTEEN CITIES. — The list in its present shape contains eleven.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND UNTO THE SONS OF KOHATH, WHICH WERE LEFT OF THE FAMILY OF THAT TRIBE. — A comparison with Joshua 21:5 shows that the text is again mutilated. That passage reads (Heb.), “And unto the sons of Kohath which were left, out of the families [clans] of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan,... [ Continue Reading ]
(61-63) These verses correspond to Joshua 21:5. They supply short statements of the _number_ of cities in the various tribes assigned to the non-Aaronic Kohathites, to the Gershonites, and the Merarites.... [ Continue Reading ]
GERSHOM (Josh., _Gershon_) THROUGHOUT THEIR FAMILIES. — Heb., _to_ [_i.e.,_ with regard to, after] _their clans_ (so 1 Chronicles 6:63). In 1 Chronicles 6:60, “throughout their families” represents Heb. _in their clans._ TRIBE OF MANASSEH IN BASHAN. — Joshua, “half- tribe.”... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is word for word the same as Joshua 21:7, omitting the one term “by lot.”... [ Continue Reading ]
“So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities and their pastures. And they gave by the lot, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, those cities which are called by names;” named, that is, in the list of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE RESIDUE OF THE FAMILIES. — The Hebrew text can hardly mean this; and Joshua 21:20 shows that it is incorrect. The original text must have been, “And to the families of the sons of Kohath: — and the cities of their border were of the tribe of Ephraim.” The construction breaks off, and a new s... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY GAVE UNTO THEM, OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE ... — The correct version of the Hebrew text is, “And they gave unto them the cities of refuge, Shechem and her pastures, in the hill-country of Ephraim; and Gezer and her pastures.” Perhaps both here and in 1 Chronicles 6:57 above “city” (_‘iyr_)_,_... [ Continue Reading ]
JOKMEAM. — Joshua has Kibzaim, a name omitted by the LXX. Vatic. Jokmeam is probably right. The other might easily be a misreading of it, owing to confusion of similar letters. The site is unknown. The four cities of 1 Chronicles 6:67 lay in Ephraim. Beth-horon, Gibeon, and Aijalon, the scenes of th... [ Continue Reading ]
AIJALON WITH HER SUBURBS ... — Joshua 21:23, “And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and her pastures, Gibbethon and her pastures, Aijalon and her pastures, Gath-rimmon and her pastures; four cities.” Clearly there is a _lacuna_ in our text between 1 Chronicles 6:68. It has been supposed that the chro... [ Continue Reading ]
ANER... BILEAM. — Joshua 21:25 reads, “Taa-nach [see Joshua 17:11] and Gath-rimmon.” The latter is a mere repetition from the preceding verse. Bileam is a man’s name, being the Hebrew spelling of Balaam. It should be Ibleam (Joshua 17:11). So the LXX. Aner (Genesis 14:13) is also a man, one of Abrah... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CITIES OF THE GERSHONITES. (Camp. Joshua 21:27.) 1 Chronicles 6:71. (71) UNTO THE SONS OF GERSHOM. — Supply _they gave,_ from 1 Chronicles 6:67. GOLAN IN BASHAN (comp. the classical Gaulanitis, a district east of the sea of Galilee) was a city of refuge, like Hebron and Shechem. ASHTAROTH. — _... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CITIES OF THE MERARITES. (Comp. Joshua 21:34.) 1 Chronicles 6:77. (77) UNTO THE REST OF THE CHILDREN of MERARI. — Rather, _Unto the sons of Merari, the remaining Levites,_ as at Joshua 21:34. The cities of the Kohathites and Gershonites having been rehearsed, it was natural to speak of the Mera... [ Continue Reading ]