1 Chronicles: A Commentary

24 1/ 7/ 20/ Translation The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu,1 Eleazar, and lthamar. 2/ Nadab and Abihu died before their father. Since they had no sons, Eleazar and lthamar became priests. 3/ Together with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of lthamar, David divided them2according to their appointed duties in their service. 4/ Because the sons of Eleazar were more numerous in male heads than the sons of lthamar, they organized them as follows: among the sons of Eleazar, sixteen heads according to theirl families, and among the sons of lthamar, eight according to their families. 5/ They divided them by lot, both alike, for there were sacred officials and officials of God among the sons of Eleazar and the sons of" lthamar. 6/ The scribe Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, from the Levites,5wrote them down in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priestly and Levitical families, one father's house6 being chosen for Eleazar and one being chosen7 for lthamar. The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8/ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,8 9/ the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,9 10/ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11/ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 121 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13/ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab ,10 14/ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to lmmer, 15/ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16/ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth11 to Jehezkel, 17/ the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18/ the twentythird to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19/ln accord with their appointed duty in their service, these were to enter the house of Yahweh, as was stipulated for them by the authority of Aaron their father, just as Yahweh the God of Israel had commanded him. The remaining Levites: the sons of Amram: Shubael; the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah; 21/ Rehabiah: the sons of Rehabiah the chief: lsshiah. 22/lzharites: Shelomoth. The sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. 23/ The sons of Hebron12: Jeriah the chief,13 Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 24/ The sons of Uzziel: Micah. The sons of Micah: Shamir.14 25/ The brother of Micah: lssiah. The sons of lssiah: Zechariah. 26/ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.15 27/ The sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son:16 Shoham,17 Zaccur, and lbri. 28/ Mahli: 460 24:1-31 Twenty-Four Priestly Courses; Further Genealogy of Some Levites On each of its twelve occurrences in the OT, LXX renders Abihu as A{3wuo. 2 op?n•1. The form is niphal imperfect. Cf. 1 Chr 23:6. It should probably be vocalized as piel or hiphil. 3 Cln1::J~ . with a few Heb•·ew MSS, Syr, Arab.; MT m::J~. The suffixed form is also used with the sons of lthamar later in the verse. 4 'l::JD1, with many Hebrew MSS, Syr, Tg, Vg; cf. 'l::JD earlier in the verse. MT 'l::J::J1. Rudolph, 160, concludes that no change is necessary. 5 Cl'1':>i1, with a few Hebrew MSS; MT '1':>i1 (sg.). 6 in~ ::J~ ii'::J. Rudolph, 160, proposed to insert a second in~ ::J~ ii'::J at this point and translate: "Each time a family and yet another family was drawn." Hence he believes the first two divisions were assigned to Eleazar, the third to lthamar, the fourth and fifth to Eleazar, the sixth to Ithamar, etc. 7 rn~ 1n~1, with a few Hebrew MSS, LXX, Syr, Vg; MT rn~ rn~1 (the first word has been assimilated to the second). 8 t:l'"1lltv?. This name means "barley." Is t:l'"1llW a corruption ofi1'"1tll "Seraiah" (Neh 12:12)? Three of the four letters in "Seraiah" are the same as three of the five letters in "Seorim." 9 ]D'D':>; LXX (mistakenly) "to Benjamin" (=]D'J::J':>). 10 ::J~::Jtzi•?; LXX "Ishbaal." This name occurs fourteen times in 2 Samuel 2-4 as the name of the son of Saul who contested with David for the kingship of the northern u·ibes. It is unlikely that a man with Baal as the theophoric component of his name would be a member...