1 Chronicles 26:12

12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had duties, just as their kindred did, ministering in the house of the Lord;

1 Chronicles 26:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 26:12

Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the
chief men
These before named were the principal men of the porters, among which was a division or distribution of them into classes or courses, in which they served weekly in turn:

having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the Lord;
meaning either to watch in, as on the north against the south, and the east against the west, and "vice versa". The Jews say F20, the priests kept ward in three places in the house of the sanctuary; in the house of Abtines, in the house of Nitzotz, and in the house of Moked; and the Levites in twenty one places, five at the five gates of the mountain of the house, four at the four corners of it within, five at the five gates of the court, four at the four corners of it without, one at the chamber of the offering, one at the chamber of the vail, and another behind the house of atonement, the holy of holies; but rather the sense is, that they had wards or courses answerable to those of the priests, and the other Levites, the singers, and were distributed into twenty four classes or courses as they, which are thus reckoned by Kimchi; at the east six, at the north four, at the south four, at Asuppim two and two, which were four, at the west four, and at Parbar two; lo, twenty four; see ( 1 Chronicles 26:17 1 Chronicles 26:18 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F20 Misn. Middot, c. 1. sect. 1.

1 Chronicles 26:12 In-Context

10 Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him chief),
11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth: all the sons and brothers of Hosah totaled thirteen.
12 These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their leaders, had duties, just as their kindred did, ministering in the house of the Lord;
13 and they cast lots by ancestral houses, small and great alike, for their gates.
14 The lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. They cast lots also for his son Zechariah, a prudent counselor, and his lot came out for the north.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.