1 Chronicles 9

So all Israel was listed in family records, and these records are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The people of Judah were carried away to Babylon because they had broken faith with God.

1So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.

NoteFamily records were not sentimental. Land was inherited by descent, priestly and Levitical duties could only be performed by men of the right line, and tribal membership decided where a family belonged. After the return from Babylon a household that could not document its line could lose its claim to both. "The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah" is an older source the writer is citing; it is not the biblical books of Kings, and it has not survived.

2The first people to settle again on their own property in their own towns were ordinary Israelites, priests, Levites, and the temple servants.

2Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.

NotePriests were descendants of Aaron and alone performed the sacrifices; Levites were the wider tribe of Levi, who assisted with the music, gatekeeping, storerooms and supplies. "Temple servants" translates Nethinim, literally "the given ones", a class of workers assigned to the heavy manual labor of the sanctuary, such as hauling water and wood, and traditionally of foreign descent.

3Some of the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem. They were these:

3And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh;

NoteEphraim and Manasseh belonged to the northern kingdom, not to Judah. Their presence in Jerusalem is worth listing precisely because they had come from outside the south.

4Uthai son of Ammihud. Ammihud was the son of Omri, who was the son of Imri, who was the son of Bani. Bani was a descendant of Pharez, one of Judah's sons.

4Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Pharez the son of Judah.

NotePharez (also spelled Perez) was one of Judah's sons; his descendants formed the largest branch of the tribe, and David's line ran through him.

5From the Shilonites: Asaiah, who was the oldest son, and his sons.

5And of the Shilonites; Asaiah the firstborn, and his sons.

Note"Shilonites" is ambiguous in the Hebrew. It may mean people from the town of Shiloh, or it may be a spelling of "Shelanites," the descendants of Shelah, another son of Judah. Both readings are defensible and the text does not settle it.

6From the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, along with 690 of their relatives.

6And of the sons of Zerah; Jeuel, and their brethren, six hundred and ninety.

NoteZerah was Pharez's twin brother and another son of Judah, so this is a second major branch of the same tribe.

7From the people of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam. Meshullam was the son of Hodaviah, who was the son of Hasenuah.

7And of the sons of Benjamin; Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hasenuah,

8There was also Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, who was the son of Michri; and Meshullam son of Shephathiah. Shephathiah was the son of Reuel, who was the son of Ibnijah.

8And Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephathiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;

9With them were 956 of their relatives, counted by their family lines. All these men were leaders of their family groups.

9And their brethren, according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty and six. All these men were chief of the fathers in the house of their fathers.

NoteA "family group" here is the ancestral house, the unit between the clan and the single household. Its head spoke for it in legal and civic matters and was the man the records were kept under.

10From the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin.

10And of the priests; Jedaiah, and Jehoiarib, and Jachin,

11There was also Azariah son of Hilkiah. Hilkiah was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Meraioth, who was the son of Ahitub. Azariah was the chief official in charge of the house of God.

11And Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God;

NoteThis chief official is the senior administrator of the temple, often understood as the high priest. Zadok, further back in the line, was the priest who served under David and Solomon; his descendants held the leading priestly position for centuries.

12There was also Adaiah son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Pashur, who was the son of Malchijah. And there was Maasiai son of Adiel. Adiel was the son of Jahzerah, who was the son of Meshullam, who was the son of Meshillemith, who was the son of Immer.

12And Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasiai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;

13With them were 1,760 of their relatives, leaders of their family groups. They were highly capable men for the work of serving in the house of God.

13And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

NoteThe number is large because priestly service was organized in rotating shifts, with each division serving for a set period rather than all of them serving at once.

14From the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub. Hasshub was the son of Azrikam, who was the son of Hashabiah, a descendant of Merari.

14And of the Levites; Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;

NoteLevi had three sons (Gershon, Kohath and Merari) and their descendants formed the three divisions of the tribe, each with its own assigned duties at the sanctuary.

15There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Micah. Micah was the son of Zichri, who was the son of Asaph.

15And Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;

NoteAsaph headed one of the families of temple musicians appointed in David's time; a group of psalms carries his name.

16There was Obadiah son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was the son of Galal, who was the son of Jeduthun. And there was Berechiah son of Asa, who was the son of Elkanah. Berechiah lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

16And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites.

NoteThe Netophathites came from Netophah, a village near Bethlehem, a few miles south of Jerusalem.

17The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their chief.

17And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;

NoteThe King James word is "porters," which in 1611 meant doorkeepers, not baggage carriers. Their job was closer to armed guard than to usher: they controlled who and what could enter the sacred precincts, and they were responsible for the stores and treasuries inside.

18Until now he had been stationed on duty at the King's Gate on the east side. These men were the gatekeepers who came from the camp of the Levites.

18Who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.

NoteThe King's Gate was the eastern entrance, the way the king came across from the palace to the temple.

19Shallum son of Kore, along with his relatives from his father's family, the Korahites, was in charge of the work of guarding the entrances of the sacred tent. Kore was the son of Ebiasaph, who was the son of Korah. Their fathers before them had guarded the entrance to the LORD's dwelling.

19And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.

NoteKorah was the ancestor of a Levite family with a long-standing role in guarding the sanctuary. The "sacred tent" is the tabernacle, the portable tent-shrine that housed Israel's worship before the temple was built.

20In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was the leader over these gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him.

20And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.

NotePhinehas was Aaron's grandson, from the wilderness generation centuries earlier. Naming him traces the gatekeepers' duty back to the oldest period of Israel's worship.

21Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the tent where the people came before God.

21And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

NoteBy the time this was written the temple had long replaced the tent, but the older vocabulary of "the tent of meeting" was kept for the sanctuary and its offices.

22The men chosen to be gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212 in all. They had been listed by family record in their own villages. David and Samuel the seer, a prophet who received messages from God, had appointed them to these trusted positions.

22All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.

23So they and their sons after them were responsible for guarding the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tent. They served in assigned shifts.

23So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards.

NoteThe King James "by wards" means by watches or rotations, fixed turns of duty, like a guard roster.

24The gatekeepers were posted on all four sides: east, west, north, and south.

24In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.

25Their relatives who lived in the villages had to come at set times and serve with them for periods of seven days.

25And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.

NoteThe gatekeepers stationed permanently in Jerusalem were reinforced by relatives who came in from the outlying villages and served a week at a time before going home.

26The four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were in a position of trust. They were in charge of the rooms and the storerooms of the house of God.

26For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

NoteThe storerooms held far more than equipment: tithes, offerings in kind, silver and gold, and the temple's accumulated treasure. Being placed over them was a position of financial trust.

27They spent their nights around the house of God, because guarding it was their responsibility, and opening it every morning was their job.

27And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them.

28Some of them were in charge of the objects used in worship. They counted these objects when they were brought in and when they were taken out.

28And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by tale.

NoteThe King James "by tale" means by count. The vessels were inventoried each time they left storage and again when they came back.

29Others were put in charge of the furnishings and all the other equipment of the holy place, and of the fine flour, the wine, the olive oil, the frankincense, and the spices.

29Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.

NoteThese are not household supplies but the raw materials of the offerings: flour and oil for the grain offerings, wine for the drink offerings, and frankincense and spices for the incense.

30Some of the priests' sons mixed the spices into perfumed oil.

30And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices.

NoteThe anointing oil and the incense were made to fixed recipes, and mixing them was restricted to the priests' families rather than left to any perfumer.

31Mattithiah, one of the Levites, was entrusted with baking the flat cakes in pans. He was the oldest son of Shallum the Korahite.

31And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans.

NoteThese were flat griddle-pans used for a particular kind of grain offering, baked rather than boiled or fried.

32Some of their relatives from the Kohathite family were in charge of the special bread. They prepared it every Sabbath.

32And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.

NoteThe "special bread" is the shewbread, literally the bread of the Presence: twelve loaves, one for each tribe, set out in rows on a table inside the sanctuary and replaced every Sabbath, the old loaves then being eaten by the priests.

33These were the singers, leaders of the Levite families. They stayed in the temple rooms and were excused from other work, because they were on duty day and night.

33And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.

NoteThe King James says they were "free," meaning released from other Levitical duties, not that they were idle. Living in the temple rooms kept them available at any hour.

34All these were leaders of the Levite families, listed as chiefs in their family records. They lived in Jerusalem.

34These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.

35Jehiel, the father of Gibeon, lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maachah.

35And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife’s name was Maachah,

Note"Father of Gibeon" means founder or leading settler of the town of Gibeon, not the parent of a man named Gibeon. Gibeon lay a few miles north-west of Jerusalem.

36His oldest son was Abdon, then came Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, and Nadab,

36And his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab,

37then Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.

37And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.

38Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived in Jerusalem near their relatives.

38And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, over against their brethren.

39Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

39And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

NoteThis is the family of Saul, Israel's first king, and the list is placed here to lead directly into the account of his death in the next chapter.

40Jonathan's son was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal was the father of Micah.

40And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal: and Meribbaal begat Micah.

NoteMeribbaal is called Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel, and Eshbaal in the previous verse is called Ish-bosheth there. The element "baal" simply meant lord or master, but it was also the name of a Canaanite god, so later scribes often replaced it with "bosheth," meaning shame. Chronicles preserves the older forms.

41The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.

41And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, and Ahaz.

42Ahaz was the father of Jarah. Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza.

42And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza;

43Moza was the father of Binea. Binea's son was Rephaiah, whose son was Eleasah, whose son was Azel.

43And Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

44Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

44And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.