1 Chronicles 26:16

16 Shuppim and Hosah were at the west coast, besides the (Shallecheth) gate that leadeth to the way of going up, keeping against keeping [ward against ward]. (Shuppim and Hosah were at the west gate, as well as the Shallecheth Gate that leadeth to the way of ascending; they guarded one, then the other.)

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.

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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 Therefore the lot of the east coast befelled to Shelemiah; and the north coast befelled by lot to Zechariah, his son, a full prudent man and well learned; (And so the east gate fell by lot to Shelemiah; and the north gate to his son Zechariah, a well-learned and very prudent man;)

15 and to Obededom and to his sons (the) lot fell at the south coast, in which part of the house was the council of the elder men; (and the south gate fell by lot to Obededom, and the gatehouse to his sons;)

16 Shuppim and Hosah were at the west coast, besides the (Shallecheth) gate that leadeth to the way of going up, keeping against keeping [ward against ward]. (Shuppim and Hosah were at the west gate, as well as the Shallecheth Gate that leadeth to the way of ascending; they guarded one, then the other.)

17 And at the east part were six deacons, and at the north were four by day; and at the south also were four at midday; and, where the council was, were twain and twain. (And on the east side there were six Levites every day, and on the north there were four every day; and on the south there were also four every day; and two were at each gatehouse.)

18 And in the cells, either little houses, of [the] porters at the west side, were four in the way, and twain by the cells. (And by the cells, or the little houses, of the guards on the west side, there were four by the road, and two by the cells.)