1 Chronicles 23:1-10

1 When David was an old man, he appointed his son Solomon to be king over Israel.

2 David summoned all the leaders of Israel, together with the priests and Levites.

3 All the Levites who were thirty years old or older were counted, and the total came to 38,000.

4 Then David said, “From all the Levites, 24,000 will supervise the work at the Temple of the LORD . Another 6,000 will serve as officials and judges.

5 Another 4,000 will work as gatekeepers, and 4,000 will praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have made.”

6 Then David divided the Levites into divisions named after the clans descended from the three sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 The Gershonite family units were defined by their lines of descent from Libni and Shimei, the sons of Gershon.

8 Three of the descendants of Libni were Jehiel (the family leader), Zetham, and Joel.

9 These were the leaders of the family of Libni. Three of the descendants of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.

10 Four other descendants of Shimei were Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew Ladan (also in 23:8, 9 ), a variant spelling of Libni; compare 6:17 .
• [b]. As in Greek version and Latin Vulgate (see also 23:11 ); Hebrew reads Zina.