1 Chronicles 9:20

20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers in earlier times, and the LORD had been with him.

1 Chronicles 9:20 Meaning and Commentary

1 Chronicles 9:20

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in
time past
Over the host, over the Levites, and the chief of them; which is to be understood of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, in the time of Moses, who succeeded his father in that post, see ( Numbers 3:32 ) though some think, as Kimchi observes, that this was not Phinehas the priest, but a certain Levite of this name in this post; but since he is said to be in time past, it may very well be understood of him: and it also is observed,

and the Lord was with him;
inspiring him with zeal for his honour and glory, assisting and strengthening him to do his will and work, as particularly in the affair of Zimri, ( Numbers 25:7 Numbers 25:8 ) , the Targum is,

``the Word of the Lord was for his help;''

this may be said for the encouragement of him that was in the same office now.

1 Chronicles 9:20 In-Context

18 Prior to this time, they were responsible for the King’s Gate on the east side. These men served as gatekeepers for the camps of the Levites.

19 Shallum was the son of Kore, a descendant of Abiasaph, from the clan of Korah. He and his relatives, the Korahites, were responsible for guarding the entrance to the sanctuary, just as their ancestors had guarded the Tabernacle in the camp of the LORD .

20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers in earlier times, and the LORD had been with him.

21 And later Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was responsible for guarding the entrance to the Tabernacle.

22 In all, there were 212 gatekeepers in those days, and they were listed according to the genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed their ancestors because they were reliable men.