1 Chronicles 23:3-6

Offices of the Levites

3 ¹The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, and ²their number by census of men was 38,000 * *.

4 Of these, 24,000 * * were ³to oversee the work of the house of the LORD; and 6,000 * were ⁴officers and judges

5 and 4,000 * were gatekeepers, and ⁵ 4,000 * were praising the LORD with the instruments which David made for giving praise.

6 David divided them into divisions ⁶according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

1 Chronicles 23:3-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 23

In this chapter David makes Solomon king, 1Ch 23:1, calls together the princes, priests, and Levites, numbers the latter, and assigns them their proper work, 1Ch 23:2-5, divides them into three classes, 1Ch 23:6-23, when the number of them was taken from twenty years of age, and upwards; the reasons of which are given, partly from the rest the land enjoyed, and partly from the several branches of their work and office in the temple, 1Ch 23:24-32.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 4:3-49
• 2. Numbers 4:48; 1 Chronicles 23:24
• 3. Ezra 3:8, 9
• 4. 1 Chronicles 26:29
• 5. 1 Chronicles 15:16
• 6. 1 Chronicles 6:1

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "their heads"
• [b]. Lit "I made"