1 Chronicles 26:16

16 To Sephim, and Hosa towards the west, by the gate which leadeth to the way of the ascent: ward against ward.

1 Chronicles 26:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 26:16

To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came forth westward
Of Shuppim no mention is before made; of Hosah, see ( 1 Chronicles 26:10 1 Chronicles 26:11 ) their lot was to be placed at the gates on the western wall, where were four; the two more southward being assigned to the sons of Obededom, whose lot also was southward, are taken notice of under the division in the preceding verse; Parbar was another, ( 1 Chronicles 26:18 ) , and another follows here:

with the gate Shallecheth, by the causeway of the going up;
this gate was in later times called Coponius, from the name of a Roman commander, in the times of Herod, who might give it this name on his account; it might have the name of Shallecheth either from "sending out", or carrying out the filth of the temple through it; or rather from "casting up the causeway", as here expressed, which was the going up, or ascent, Solomon made, by which he went up to the temple, ( 1 Kings 20:5 ) and which agrees with the description Josephus F1 gives of one of the gates on the western wall, that it led to the royal palace, the valley between being filled up for the passage; on each side of which causeway, it is said, grew oaks and teil trees, see ( Isaiah 6:13 ) which served both to keep up the causeway, and to make a fine, pleasant, shady walk for the king to pass through to the temple; all which are observed by Dr. Lightfoot F2:

ward against ward;
for as the gates answered one another, so the wards or watches at them.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 5.
F2 Ut supra, (Prospect of the Temple), c. 5. sect. 1.

1 Chronicles 26:16 In-Context

14 And the lot of the east fell to Selemias. But to his son Zacharias, a very wise and learned man, the north gate fell by lot.
15 And to Obededom and his sons that towards the south: in which part of the house was the council of the ancients.
16 To Sephim, and Hosa towards the west, by the gate which leadeth to the way of the ascent: ward against ward.
17 Now towards the east were six Levites: and towards the north four a day: and towards the south likewise four a day: and where the council was, two and two.
18 In the cells also of the porters toward the west four in the way: and two at every cell.
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