English · ASV

1 Chronicles 23

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

David Appoints Solomon and Gathers Leaders 1–2

1
Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ​
2
And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.

Census and Classification of the Levites 3–5

3
And the Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand. ​
4
Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah; and six thousand were officers and judges; ​
5
and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith. ​

Divisions by Levite Families 6–23

6
And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7
Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
8
The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
9
The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’housesof Ladan.
10
And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
11
And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning.
12
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
13
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, for ever, to burn incense before Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, for ever. ​
14
But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ​
15
The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
16
The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.
17
And the sons of Eliezer were: Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18
The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief.
19
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20
The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.
21
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
22
And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters only: and their brethren the sons of Kish took themto wife. ​
23
The sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

Reorganization of Levite Service 24–32

24
These were the sons of Levi after their fathers’ houses, even the heads of the fathers’housesof those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward. ​
25
For David said, Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever: ​
26
and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof. ​
27
For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and upward.
28
For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God; ​
29
for the showbread also, and for the fine flour for a meal-offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all manner of measure and size;
30
and to stand every morning to thank and praise Jehovah, and likewise at even; ​
31
and to offer all burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Jehovah;
32
and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 23

Verse 1

full of days — Saba yamim, the words used of Isaac, 'old and full of days' (Gen 35:29). David seats Solomon before the order of the Levites that follows in chs 23–27. The people 'made Solomon the son of David king the second time' (29:22), the first being told in 1 Kgs 1:32–40.

Verse 3

from the age of thirty years and upward — The starting age is that of Moses' count of the Levites for the tabernacle, 'thirty years old and upward even until fifty' (Num 4:3), which then reached 8,580 (Num 4:48). No upper age is given here. 'Polls' (gulgoleth) is the head-count of Num 1:2.

Verse 4

to set forward the work — Natsach, to superintend; the same phrase is used when the Levites 'from twenty years old and upward' were appointed 'to set forward the work of the house of the LORD' (Ezra 3:8). 'Officers and judges' are the pair of Deut 16:18, set 'in all thy gates'.

Verse 5

porters — Sho'er, gatekeepers, 4,000 of them. The 4,000 who praised did so 'with the instruments which I made, said David'. The instruments are still called David's long after: 'the instruments of David' (2 Chr 29:26) and 'the musical instruments of David the man of God' (Neh 12:36).

Verse 13

Aaron was separated — Badal, set apart, to sanctify 'the most holy things', to 'burn incense', to minister and to 'bless in his name'. The priesthood was promised 'throughout their generations' as an 'everlasting priesthood' (Ex 40:15). Amram's wife Jochebed bore both Aaron and Moses (Ex 6:20).

Verse 14

Moses the man of God — The title is Moses' own in Deut 33:1 and the Psalm heading of Ps 90. His sons are 'named of the tribe of Levi' (qara, called, reckoned): only Aaron's line is priestly (v.13), so Gershom and Eliezer count among the Levites (vv.15–17). Shebuel of Gershom later ruled the treasures (26:24).

Verse 22

had no sons, but daughters — This Eleazar is the son of Mahli, a Merarite (v.21), not Aaron's son. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish, which keeps to the rule given for Zelophehad's daughters: 'only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry' (Num 36:6).

Verse 24

from the age of twenty years and upward — Moses set the Levites' service at thirty (Num 4:3) or twenty-five (Num 8:24). Here the age is twenty, and v.27 gives the authority: 'by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above'.

Verse 25

hath given rest unto his people — Nuach, the rest of 22:9 and 22:18. 'Dwell' is shakan, the root of the word for the tabernacle (mishkan), so the people dwell where the LORD does: 'This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell' (Ps 132:14).

Verse 26

no more carry the tabernacle — In the wilderness the Kohathites bore the holy things 'upon their shoulders' (Num 7:9), and Levi was separated 'to bear the ark of the covenant' (Deut 10:8). With the ark at rest in Jerusalem the Levites' work is turned to the service of vv.28–32.

Verse 28

to wait on the sons of Aaron — 'Office' is ma'amad, a standing place or post, here alongside the priests. The work is in 'the courts, and in the chambers' (lishkah), and in 'the purifying of all holy things' (tohorah). Josiah's passover and Nehemiah's reform show the same duties (Neh 13:9; 2 Chr 35:11).

Verse 30

every morning… and likewise at even — The two times are those of the daily burnt offering: 'The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even' (Ex 29:39). 'Thank' is yadah and 'praise' halal. Ps 92:1–2 sets thanks 'in the morning' and 'every night'.

Verse 32

the charge of the tabernacle — Mishmereth, a charge or watch, the word of Num 1:53, where the Levites camp round the tabernacle 'that there be no wrath upon the congregation'. Three charges are named: the tabernacle, the holy place, and 'the sons of Aaron their brethren'.