Chapter XXVI

=1‒12= (compare ix. 17‒27).
THE COURSES OF THE DOORKEEPERS.

¹For the courses of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites;
Meshelemiah¹ the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph². ²And
Meshelemiah had sons; Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the
second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth;

¹ In verse 14, _Shelemiah_.

² In chapter ix. 19, _Ebiasaph_.

=1.= _Meshelemiah_, etc.] For the names of the doorkeepers see notes on ix. 17 ff.

_of the sons of Asaph_] For _Asaph_ read =Ebiasaph=, as in ix. 19.

³Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.

=3.= _Eliehoenai_] The form differs from that in iii. 23, but has the same meaning, viz., “Mine eyes are towards Jehovah.”

⁴And Obed-edom had sons; Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the
second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethanel the
fifth;

=4.= _Obed-edom_] For _Obed-edom_ see xiii. 13, note.

⁵Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth:
for God blessed him. ⁶Also unto Shemaiah his son were sons born,
that ruled over the house of their father: for they were mighty
men of valour.

=5.= _for God blessed him_] “him” refers to “Obed-edom” (verse 4), who was blessed with eight sons. It seems likely that the phrase “God blessed him” is intended to be a reminiscence of xiii. 14 and indicates that the Levitical Obed-edom was strangely identified by tradition with Obed-edom the Gittite in whose house the Ark was temporarily left by David (xiii. 13). For other references to Obed-edom as one of the doorkeepers, see xv. 18, 24, xvi. 38. On the other hand he is classed as a singer in xv. 21, xvi. 5, passages which are probably additions to the original text of Chronicles, or at any rate represent later or divergent tradition.

⁷The sons of Shemaiah; Othni, and Rephael, and Obed, Elzabad,
whose brethren were valiant men, Elihu, and Semachiah. ⁸All
these were of the sons of Obed-edom: they and their sons and
their brethren, able men in strength for the service; threescore
and two of Obed-edom.

=7.= _whose brethren_] The pronoun refers to Elzabad.

⁹And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, valiant men, eighteen.

=9.= _Meshelemiah_] Compare verses 1‒3 to which verse 9 is a supplement.

¹⁰Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons; Shimri the
chief, (for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made
him chief;) ¹¹Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah
the fourth: all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen.

=10.= _Hosah_] He is mentioned as a doorkeeper along with Obed-edom in xvi. 38.

¹²Of these were the courses of the doorkeepers, even of the
chief men, having charges¹ like as their brethren, to minister
in the house of the LORD.

¹ Or, _wards over against their brethren_.

=12.= _Of these ... even of the chief men_] In verses 8, 9, 11 taken together ninety-three doorkeepers are enumerated, who are presumably the heads of the four thousand mentioned in xxiii. 5. In ix. 22 again the total number (as it seems) of doorkeepers is given as two hundred and twelve. The discrepancy may be due to the Chronicler having used different documents belonging to different dates: for other possibilities see note on ix. 22.

=13‒19= (compare ix. 23‒26).
THE STATIONS OF THE DOORKEEPERS.

Remark how naïvely the Chronicler names various parts of the Temple as if it had been already in existence at this time.

¹³And they cast lots, as well the small as the great, according
to their fathers’ houses, for every gate. ¹⁴And the lot eastward
fell to Shelemiah¹. Then for Zechariah his son, a discreet
counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward. ¹⁵To
Obed-edom southward; and to his sons the storehouse.

¹ In verse 1, _Meshelemiah_.

=14.= _Shelemiah_] i.e. Meshelemiah, verses 1, 2.

¹⁶To Shuppim and Hosah westward, by the gate of Shallecheth¹, at
the causeway that goeth up, ward against ward. ¹⁷Eastward were
six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a day, and for
the storehouse two and two.

¹ That is, _Casting forth_.

=16.= _To Shuppim and Hosah_] Read, =To Hosah=. The word “Shuppim” should be omitted from the text. It is merely an accidental repetition (in a corrupt form) of the last word in verse 15, namely “Asuppim,” rendered _storehouse_.

_by the gate of Shallecheth_] There is no other mention in the Bible of a gate “Shallecheth,” but it is perhaps to be identified with “the entering in of the house of the LORD ... which was in the precincts” (“Parvārim” _Hebrew_) mentioned 2 Kings xxiii. 11; compare note on verse 18. Possibly the text should be corrected and we should read, following the LXX., “by the gate of the chamber.”

_at the causeway that goeth up_] “The causeway” led up to the Temple _either_ from Ophel (on the south) _or_ from the Western City (across the Tyropœon Valley). Traces of two causeways have been discovered by excavation, viz., “Wilson’s Arch” (Bädeker, _Palestine_⁵, p. 65) and “Robinson’s Arch” (_Palestine_⁵ p. 66). The second of these arches probably marks the site of a causeway belonging to the period of the Kings.

¹⁸For Parbar¹ westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar¹.
¹⁹These were the courses of the doorkeepers; of the sons of the
Korahites, and of the sons of Merari.

¹ Or, _the Precinct_.

=18.= _Parbar_] This word, apparently the same as _parvarim_, 2 Kings xxiii. 11 (Revised Version “precincts”; compare margin here), seems to denote some building built on the Temple area on the west side. It may have been a colonnade. The word is Persian and means “lighted [by the sun].”

=20‒32.=
VARIOUS OFFICERS.

²⁰And of the Levites¹, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the
house of God, and over the treasuries of the dedicated² things.

¹ According to the Septuagint, _And the Levites their brethren
were over &c._

² Hebrew _holy things_.

=20.= _And of the Levites, Ahijah was over_] Read (with LXX.; compare margin), =And the Levites their brethren were over=. The confusion of readings is easy in Hebrew; compare ii. 25 for a similar case.

_the dedicated things_] Compare verses 26‒28.

²¹The sons of Ladan¹; the sons of the Gershonites belonging to
Ladan, the heads of the fathers’ _houses_ belonging to Ladan the
Gershonite; Jehieli².

¹ In chapter vi. 17, _Libni_.

² In chapter xxiii. 8, _Jehiel_.

=21.= _Ladan_] compare xxiii. 7; called Libni in vi. 17 [2, Hebrew].

_Jehieli_] Read =Jehiel= as in xxiii. 8, xxix. 8; and probably delete the following “_The sons of Jehieli_,” compare xxiii. 8.

²²The sons of Jehieli; Zetham, and Joel his brother, over the
treasuries of the house of the LORD.

=22.= _Zetham, and Joel_] These appear as brethren of Jehiel in xxiii. 8; but since families, not individuals, are spoken of, the discrepancy is not important.

²³Of the Amramites, of the Izharites, of the Hebronites, of the
Uzzielites:

=23.= _the Amramites_, etc.] Compare xxiii. 12.

²⁴and Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was ruler
over the treasuries.

=24.= _Shebuel_] rather Shubael, as in xxiv. 20; compare xxiii. 16.

²⁵And his brethren; of Eliezer _came_ Rehabiah his son, and
Jeshaiah his son, and Joram his son, and Zichri his son, and
Shelomoth his son.

=25.= _of Eliezer came Rehabiah_] Compare xxiii. 15‒17, xxiv. 21.

_Shelomoth_] (so _Kethīb_); Authorized Version _Shelomith_ follows _Ḳerī_; compare verse 28 (margin).

²⁶This Shelomoth and his brethren were over all the treasuries
of the dedicated things, which David the king, and the heads of
the fathers’ _houses_, the captains over thousands and hundreds,
and the captains of the host, had dedicated. ²⁷Out of the spoil¹
won in battles did they dedicate to repair the house of the LORD.
²⁸And all that Samuel the seer, and Saul the son of Kish, and
Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, had dedicated;
whosoever had dedicated any thing, it was under the hand of
Shelomoth², and of his brethren.

¹ Hebrew _Out of the battles and the spoil_.

² Hebrew _Shelomith_.

=26.= _David the king_] Compare xviii. 11.

²⁹Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were for the outward
business over Israel, for officers and judges.

=29.= _Izharites_] Compare xxiii. 12.

_the outward business_] This business is here expressly defined as work “for officers and judges,” as compared with the duties of maintaining the worship of the Temple and the construction or repair of the fabric (compare xxiii. 4; 2 Chronicles xix. 11; Nehemiah xi. 16).

³⁰Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, men of valour,
a thousand and seven hundred, had the oversight of Israel beyond
Jordan westward; for all the business of the LORD, and for the
service of the king.

=30.= _the Hebronites_] Compare xxiii. 12.

_had the oversight of Israel_] How their duties were related to those of Chenaniah and his sons (verse 29) is not made clear.

_beyond Jordan westward_] Compare Joshua xxii. 7, Revised Version Western Palestine is meant.

³¹Of the Hebronites was Jerijah the chief, even of the
Hebronites, according to their generations by fathers’ _houses_.
In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for,
and there were found among them mighty men of valour at Jazer of
Gilead.

=31.= _Jerijah_] called _Jeriah_ (Hebrew _Jerijahu_) in xxiii. 19.

_at Jazer_] compare vi. 81 (vi. 66, Hebrew); Numbers xxi. 32, Revised Version The Eastern Hebronites were given office east of Jordan; compare verse 32.

³²And his brethren, men of valour, were two thousand and seven
hundred, heads of fathers’ _houses_, whom king David made
overseers over the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half
tribe of the Manassites, for every matter pertaining to God, and
for the affairs of the king.

=32.= _his brethren_] i.e. the brethren of Jerijah. It is remarkable that their number should be given as 2700 for the two and a half tribes, whereas the overseers for the nine and a half tribes west of Jordan are said to number only 1700. Curtis sees in this a hint of the importance of Gilead in the Chronicler’s period (compare 1 Maccabees v. 45).