1 Chronicles 9

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First Chronicles chapter 9 details the genealogies of those who resettled Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, emphasizing the roles of various tribes and priestly families. It lists the inhabitants from Judah, Benjamin, priests, and Levites, highlighting their specific duties in the service of the house of God. Key roles include gatekeepers, overseers of sanctuary vessels, and singers, all organized by their ancestral lines.

Genealogies and Post-Exilic Settlement 1–2

¶ So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.

Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.

Inhabitants of Jerusalem: Judah and Benjamin 3–9

And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh;

Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Pharez the son of Judah.

And of the Shilonites; Asaiah the firstborn, and his sons.

And of the sons of Zerah; Jeuel, and their brethren, six hundred and ninety.

And of the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hasenuah,

And Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephathiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;

And their brethren, according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty and six. All these men were chief of the fathers in the house of their fathers.

The Priests Serving in Jerusalem 10–13

And of the priests; Jedaiah, and Jehoiarib, and Jachin,

And Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God;

And Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasiai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;

And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

The Levites and Temple Service 14–16

¶ And of the Levites; Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;

And Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;

And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites.

The Duties of the Gatekeepers 17–32

And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;

Who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.

And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.

And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.

So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards.

In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.

And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.

For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them.

And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by tale.

Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.

And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices.

And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans.

And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.

The Temple Singers and Musicians 33–34

And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.

These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.

Genealogy of King Saul (Recap) 35–44

¶ And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maachah:

And his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab,

And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.

And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, over against their brethren.

And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal: and Meribbaal begat Micah.

And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, and Ahaz.

And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza;

And Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Chronicles 9

Verse 1

reckoned by genealogies — Yachas, to enrol by pedigree; the same verb is used of the porters in v.22. The ‘book of the kings of Israel and Judah’ is the record cited at the close of reigns (2 Chr 27:7; 35:27). ‘Carried away’ is galah, the verb of exile, and ‘transgression’ is maal, the word used of Saul’s death in 10:13, in the next chapter.

Verse 2

the Nethinims — Neh 11:3 lists the same four groups, Israel, the priests, the Levites and the Nethinims, with the children of Solomon’s servants besides. Nathin means ‘given’: those ‘whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites’ (Ezra 8:20). ‘First’ is rishon, the earliest to settle in their possessions and cities.

Verse 3

Ephraim, and Manasseh — Neh 11:4 names only Judah and Benjamin among those at Jerusalem, so Ephraim and Manasseh are an addition here. Men of those tribes had come south before: ‘the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh’ in Asa’s day (2 Chr 15:9), and ‘divers of… Manasseh’ who humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem for Hezekiah’s passover (2 Chr 30:11).

Verse 11

the ruler of the house of God — Nagid is a leader at the front. Neh 11:11 gives the same line, from Ahitub through Zadok and Meshullam to Hilkiah, but names the ruler Seraiah; 1 Chr 6:13–14 lists Hilkiah, Azariah and Seraiah in succession, so both names belong to this family.

Verse 13

very able men — The thousand, seven hundred and threescore total 1,760. Chayil, ‘able’, is the word translated ‘valour’ of Benjamin’s archers in 8:40, here describing priests whose work is the melakah and avodah, the labour and service of the house of God. Neh 11:12–14 gives the priests in three groups of 822, 242 and 128.

Verse 14

of the sons of Merari — Shemaiah’s line, through Hasshub, Azrikam and Hashabiah, reappears in Neh 11:15. The sons of Merari carried the boards, bars, pillars and sockets of the tabernacle (Num 4:31), under the hand of Ithamar (Num 4:33), and were given cities by lot (1 Chr 6:63).

Verse 17

the porters — Shoer, a gatekeeper, from sha’ar, a gate. Four are named, Shallum, Akkub, Talmon and Ahiman, matching ‘the four chief porters’ of v.26, with Shallum the chief. Akkub and Talmon return in Neh 11:19, where their brethren ‘that kept the gates’ number 172. David had appointed four thousand porters (1 Chr 23:5).

Verse 19

the Korahites — Their forefather Korah appears with Dathan and Abiram in Num 16:1, yet ‘the children of Korah died not’ (Num 26:11). They are now keepers, shamar, of the sappim, the thresholds of the tabernacle. The psalmist’s ‘doorkeeper in the house of my God’ (Ps 84:10) is the verb from the same root.

Verse 20

the LORD was with him — The LORD said that Phinehas ‘hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel’, and gave him ‘my covenant of peace’, ‘even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood’ (Num 25:11–13). ‘Ruler’ is nagid, and ‘in time past’ is paniym, literally ‘before’.

Verse 22

David and Samuel the seer — The porters were ‘chosen’ (barar, to select), two hundred and twelve in all, and ‘reckoned by their genealogy’ as in v.1. ‘Seer’ is roeh, the older name for a prophet (1 Sam 9:9). ‘Set office’ is emunah, trust or faithfulness, as in v.26.

Verse 26

chambers and treasuries — Lishkah is a room, otsar a store. The Levites of these chambers kept what was brought to the house: the tithes and offerings laid up in them (Neh 13:5), and the treasures of the house of God and of the dedicated things (1 Chr 26:20). Their ‘set office’ is emunah, trust.

Verse 27

the opening thereof every morning — Literally ‘the key was upon them every morning’: maphteach is a key. The porters lodged round about the house because the mishmereth, the watch, was theirs. Samuel in the house of the LORD ‘opened the doors’ when the morning came (1 Sam 3:15).

Verse 32

the shewbread — Literally bread of the arrangement: lechem, bread, and ma’areketh, a row or pile. The law set twelve cakes, and ‘Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually’ (Lev 24:5, 8). Charge of the table belonged to the Kohathites (Num 3:31), the family named here.

Verse 33

day and night — The singers were ‘free’, patir, released from other duties because their work was continual. David ‘set over the service of song in the house of the LORD’ those named in 1 Chr 6:31. Ps 134:1 addresses ‘all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD’.

Verse 35

Jehiel — Here the father of Gibeon is named, whom 8:29 leaves unnamed. The list from this verse to v.44 repeats 8:29–38 and ends with the six sons of Azel. The next chapter turns to the Philistines, who ‘fought against Israel’ while the men of Israel ‘fell down slain in mount Gilboa’ (10:1).

Verse 40

Meribbaal begat Micah — Jonathan had asked David, ‘thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever’ (1 Sam 20:15), and David later asked, ‘Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ (2 Sam 9:1). Micah’s line runs on through Ahaz to Azel (vv.41–44).