Chapter XXIV

=1‒19.=
DAVID’S ORGANISATION OF THE PRIESTS BY COURSES.

¹And the courses of the sons of Aaron _were these_. The sons of
Aaron; Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

=1.= _the sons of Aaron_] So vi. 3; Exodus vi. 23.

²But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no
children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s
office.

=2.= _Nadab and Abihu died_] by fire from heaven as a punishment for sacrilege――so Leviticus x. 1, 2; Numbers iii. 4.

³And David¹ with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of
the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in
their service.

¹ Or, _And David divided them, even Zadok &c._

=3.= _Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar_] The colleague of Zadok in the priesthood is variously named in different passages:――

1 Chronicles xxiv. 3. Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar.

1 Chronicles xxiv. 6. Ahimelech the son of Abiathar.

1 Chronicles xviii. 16. Abimelech the son of Abiathar.

Probably the same person is meant throughout, the confusion springing from a false reading in 2 Samuel viii. 17, _Ahimelech the son of Abiathar_ for _Abiathar the son of Ahimelech_; see the notes on xv. 11, xviii. 16.

_according to their ordering_] i.e. according to the arrangement which follows; compare verse 19.

⁴And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than
of the sons of Ithamar; and _thus_ were they divided: of the
sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers’ houses;
and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses,
eight.

=4.= _more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than ... of Ithamar_] The superiority of the Zadokites (sons of Eleazar) in the post-exilic period is read back into the days of David, and construed in the terms of a right of primogeniture: thus the proportion assigned here is sixteen to eight, i.e. Eleazar’s descendants have a double portion, besides the right of the High-priesthood.

⁵Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for there
were princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, both of the
sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

=5.= _one sort with another_] i.e. sons of Eleazar with sons of Ithamar.

_there were princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, both of the sons_, etc.] The _princes of the sanctuary_ (Isaiah xliii. 28) are probably the same as the _princes of God_ and as the _chiefs of the priests_ (2 Chronicles xxxvi. 14). The Hebrew expression in 2 Chronicles xxxv. 8 is different (_rulers of the house of God_).

⁶And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the
Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes,
and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the
heads of the fathers’ _houses_ of the priests and of the Levites:
one fathers’ house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken¹ for
Ithamar.

¹ The Hebrew text has, _taken, taken_.

=6.= _the scribe, who was of the Levites_] so designated in order to distinguish him from the _king’s scribe_ (compare 2 Chronicles xxiv. 11).

_one taken_] This rendering involves a simple and entirely probable correction of the Hebrew The alternate drawing here described could have lasted only for the first sixteen lots; in the last eight drawings the descendants of Eleazar must have drawn against each other only; compare verse 4, and the similar procedure described in xxv. 9‒31.

⁷Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to
Jedaiah;

=7.= _Jehoiarib_] Lists of the priestly families occur also Nehemiah x. 2‒8, xii. 1‒7, 12‒21. Compare Ryle (on Nehemiah xii. 1) for a discussion of the names. For _Jehoiarib_ see ix. 10, note.

⁸the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim;

=8.= _Harim_] So Nehemiah x. 5, xii. 15, but in Nehemiah xii. 3, “Rehum.” The confusion of form is easy in Hebrew writing.

⁹the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin;

=9.= _Mijamin_] So Nehemiah x. 7, xii. 5; but xii. 17, “Miniamin.”

¹⁰the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah;

=10.= _Hakkoz_] Called “Koz” in Ezra ii. 61; Nehemiah iii. 4, 21 (Revised Version “Hakkoz” in all three places; so also in 1 Chronicles iv. 8 where a Calebite _Koz_ is mentioned). Unable to trace their genealogy in the records after the Return, this family is stated in Ezra (ii. 61) to have been deprived of their right to the priesthood.

_Abijah_] So Nehemiah x. 7, xii. 4, 17. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was of the course of Abiah (Revised Version _Abijah_); Luke i. 5.

¹¹the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah;

=11.= _Jeshua_] This is the Hebrew name expressed by Ἰησοῦς in Greek, and by “Jesus” in English. The high-priest under whom the second Temple was built bore this name according to Ezra iii. 2, v. 2.

_Shecaniah_] So Nehemiah xii. 3; but Nehemiah x. 4, xii. 14, “Shebaniah.” The Hebrew letters transliterated _b_ and _c_ are easily confused.

¹²the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim; ¹³the
thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab;

=12.= _Eliashib_] A priest of this name is mentioned Nehemiah xiii. 4‒7.

¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer; ¹⁵the
seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez;

=14.= _Bilgah_] “Bilgah” (Nehemiah xii. 5) appears as a priest or priestly family in the time of the Return, and (under the form “Bilgai,” Nehemiah x. 8) in the time of Nehemiah.

_Immer_] compare ix. 12; Ezra ii. 37; Jeremiah xx. 1.

¹⁶the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel;

=16.= _Jehezkel_] a more correct form of “Ezekiel,” the name of the priest-prophet of the Captivity.

¹⁷the one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to
Gamul;

=17.= _Jachin_] Compare ix. 10 (= Nehemiah xi. 10).

¹⁸the three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth
to Maaziah. ¹⁹This was the ordering of them in their service,
to come into the house of the LORD according to the ordinance
_given_ unto them by the hand of Aaron their father, as the LORD,
the God of Israel, had commanded him.

=18.= _Maaziah_] Nehemiah x. 8 (x. 9, Hebrew).

=20‒31= (compare xxiii. 13‒23).
FAMILIES OF THE LEVITES.

These verses repeat the list of Levitic families given in xxiii. 6‒23 with the important omission of the whole of the Gershonites (xxiii. 6‒11), but with some additions to the Kohathite and Merarite families. Further, six “heads” of classes mentioned in xxiii. are here replaced by new names. These features, together with several details, point to the conclusion that the present list is the work of a later writer than the Chronicler.

²⁰And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram,
Shubael¹; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.

¹ In chapter xxiii. 16, _Shebuel_.

=20= _And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of_, etc.] These are probably the words of the glossator, introducing the list which follows and which he intended as a corrective to the list in xxiii. 6‒23.

_Amram_] The four Kohathite families are now noticed in order, viz. Amram, Izhar (verse 22), Hebron (verse 23), Uzziel (verse 24).

_Shubael_] Called “Shebuel” in xxiii. 16, xxvi. 24.

²¹Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief.

=21.= _Of Rahabiah_] He (like Shubael) was descended from Moses; xxiii. 15‒17.

²²Of the Izharites, Shelomoth¹; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.

¹ In chapter xxiii. 18, _Shelomith_.

=22.= _Shelomoth_] Called “Shelomith” in xxiii. 18.

²³And the sons _of Hebron_; Jeriah _the chief_, Amariah the
second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴The sons of
Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. ²⁵The brother of
Micah, Isshiah: of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.

=23.= _And the sons_ of Hebron; _Jeriah_ the chief] The words _of Hebron_ and _the chief_ which are printed in italics in the text above have been omitted in the Hebrew by some error of transmission. They are rightly restored in accordance with xxiii. 19.

²⁶The sons of Merari; Mahli and Mushi: the sons of Jaaziah; Beno.
²⁷The sons of Merari; of Jaaziah, Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur,
and Ibri.

=26.= _The sons of Merari_] In xxiii. 21 only two families of Merari are mentioned, viz., Mahli and Mushi. Here however a third family “the sons of Jaaziah” is mentioned. Probably the fuller text is right to this extent that there was a family tracing their ancestry to Jaaziah and claiming that this Jaaziah was of Merarite descent; but is wrong in making Jaaziah an immediate son of Merari, parallel with the famous Mahli and Mushi. Hence the following word _Beno_ (literally _his son_) should probably be struck out as an erroneous gloss (see also verse 27).

_of Jaaziah; Beno_] Either delete _Beno_ (see previous note) or perhaps read _Bani_.

²⁸Of Mahli; Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹Of Kish; the sons of
Kish, Jerahmeel.

=28.= _Eleazar_] Compare xxiii. 22.

³⁰And the sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These
were the sons of the Levites after their fathers’ houses.

=30.= _Jerimoth_] Spelt “Jeremoth” in xxiii. 23.

_These were ... houses_] = xxiii. 24a.

³¹These likewise cast lots even as their brethren the sons
of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and
Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ _houses_ of the priests
and of the Levites; the fathers’ _houses_ of the chief even as
those of his younger brother.

=31.= _and Ahimelech_] We expect _and Abiathar_; compare verse 3, xv. 11, xviii. 16, with the notes.