1 Chronicles 23:1-10

1 When David was very old, he made his son Solomon king of Israel. ¹

2 King David brought together all the Israelite leaders and all the priests and Levites.

3 He took a census of all the male Levites aged thirty or older. The total was thirty-eight thousand.

4 The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes

5 four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.

6 David divided the Levites into three groups, according to their clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 Gershon had two sons: Ladan and Shimei.

8 Ladan had three sons: Jehiel, Zetham, and Joel,

9 who were the heads of the clans descended from Ladan. (Shimei had three sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.)

10 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah, in order of age. Jeush and Beriah did not have many descendants, so they were counted as one clan.

1 Chronicles 23:1-10 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. 23.1 1 Kings 1.1-40.

Footnotes

• [a]. shimei +!.+!.+!.+! haran: [The relation of this list to the list of Shimei's sons in verse 10 is not clear.]