CHAPTER IX _All Israel reckoned by genealogies_, 1. _The first inhabitants of Jerusalem, after their return from_ _their captivity, who were chiefs of the fathers_, 2-9. _Of the priests_, 10-13; _Levites_, 14-16; _porters, their work, lodgings, c._, 17-29 _other officers_, 30-32; _the singer... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:2. _NOW THE FIRST INHABITANTS_] This is spoken of those who returned from the Babylonish captivity, and of the time in which they returned; for it is insinuated here that _other persons_ _afterwards_ settled at Jerusalem, though these mentioned here were the _first_ on the retur... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:3. _AND IN JERUSALEM DWELT_] Several of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, took advantage of the proclamation of Cyrus to return to Jerusalem, and so mingled with the Israelites, and those to whom Jerusalem had previously appertained; and this was necessary in... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:4. _UTHAI THE SON OF AMMIHUD_] The list here is nearly the same with those found in _Ezra_ and _Nehemiah_, and contains those who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel; but the list in Nehemiah is more ample, probably because it contains those who came _afterwards_. The object o... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:11. _THE RULER OF THE HOUSE OF GOD._] The high priest at this time was _Jeshua_ the son of _Jozadak_, (Ezra 3:8,) and _Seraiah_, (Nehemiah 11:11,) called here _Azariah_, was the _ruler of the house_; the person next in authority to the high priest, and who probably had the guar... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:13. _AND THEIR BRETHREN_] What a prodigious number of ecclesiastics to perform the Divine service of one temple! no less than _one thousand seven hundred_ and _eighty_ able-bodied men! and this number is reckoned independently of the _two hundred_ and _twelve_ porters who served... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:18. _THE KING'S GATE_] That by which the kings of Judah went to the temple; see on 2 Kings 16:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:19. _KEEPERS OF THE ENTRY._] Whose business it was to suffer no person to come to the tabernacle but the priests, during the performance of the sacred service; see _Jarchi_.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:20. _AND PHINEHAS_] The Targum says, "And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was ruler over them from ancient times, from the day in which the tabernacle was set up in the wilderness; and the WORD of the Lord was his assistant.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 30. _THE SONS OF THE PRIESTS MADE THE OINTMENT_] Only the priests were permitted to make this ointment; all others were forbidden to do it on pain of death; see Exodus 30:34-2, and the notes there.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 35. _WHOSE WIFE'S NAME WAS MAACHAH_] Here our translators have departed from the original, for the word is אחתו _achotho_, his SISTER; but the _Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic_, and _Chaldee_, have WIFE; to which may be added 1 Chronicles 8:29, the parallel place. Almost all the early edi... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 1 Chronicles 9:41. AND AHAZ.] This is added by our translators from 1 Chronicles 8:35, but such liberties should only be taken in a note; for although the words are now sufficiently distinguished from the text by being printed in _Italics_, yet it is too much to expect that every editor of a B... [ Continue Reading ]