1 Chronicles 6

ENGWEBEnglish81 verses

1The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

2The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

3The children of Amram: Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

4Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, Phinehas became the father of Abishua,

5and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi,

6and Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth,

7Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub,

8and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz,

9and Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan,

10and Johanan became the father of Azariah, (he it is who executed the priest’s office in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem),

11and Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub,

12and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum,

13and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah,

14and Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak;

15Jehozadak went into captivity, when Yahweh carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

17These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei.

18The sons of Kohath were Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.

20Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son.

22The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

23Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,

24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

25The sons of Elkanah: Amasai, and Ahimoth.

26As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,

27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.

28The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Joel, and the second Abijah.

29The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

31These are they whom David set over the service of song in Yahweh’s house, after that the ark had rest.

32They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built Yahweh’s house in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order.

33These are those who waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

34the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

35the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

36the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

37the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

39His brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,

41the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

42the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

43the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.

44On the left hand their brothers the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

45the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

46the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

47the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

48Their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of God’s house.

49But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

50These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

53Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

54Now these are their dwelling places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the first lot),

55to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah, and its suburbs around it;

56but the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

57To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs,

58and Hilen with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs,

59and Ashan with its suburbs, and Beth Shemesh with its suburbs;

60and out of the tribe of Benjamin, Geba with its suburbs, and Allemeth with its suburbs, and Anathoth with its suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61To the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, out of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities.

62To the sons of Gershom, according to their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

63To the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

64The children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their suburbs.

65They gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name.

66Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim.

67They gave to them the cities of refuge, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its suburbs; Gezer also with its suburbs,

68and Jokmeam with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs,

69and Aijalon with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs;

70and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its suburbs, and Bileam with its suburbs, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

71To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs;

72and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,

73and Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs;

74and out of the tribe of Asher, Mashal with its suburbs, and Abdon with its suburbs,

75and Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs;

76and out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, and Hammon with its suburbs, and Kiriathaim with its suburbs.

77To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs;

78and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, and Jahzah with its suburbs,

79and Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs;

80and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

81and Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.

Commentary

Chapter 6 Though Joseph and Judah shared between them the forfeited honours of the birthright, yet Levi was first of all the tribes, dignified and distinguished with an honour more valuable than either the precedency or the double portion, and that was the priesthood. That tribe God set apart for himself; it was Moses’s tribe, and perhaps for his sake was thus favoured. Of that tribe we have an account in this chapter. I. Their pedigree, the first fathers of the tribe (v. 1-3), the line of the priests, from Aaron to the captivity (v. 4–15), and of some other of their families (v. 16–30). II. Their work, the work of the Levites (v. 31–48), of the priests (v. 49–53). III. The cities appointed them in the land of Canaan (v. 54–81).Verses 1-30 The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites to preserve their pedigree clear and to be able to prove it, because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. And we read of those who, though perhaps they really were children of the priests, yet, because they could not find the register of their genealogies, nor make out their descent by any authentic record, were, as polluted, put from the priesthood, and forbidden to eat of the holy things, Ezra 2:62, 63. It is but very little that is here recorded of the genealogies of this sacred tribe. I. The first fathers of it are here named twice, v. 1, 16. Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, are three names which we were very conversant with in the book of Numbers, when the families of the Levites were marshalled and had their work assigned to them. Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam, we have known much more of than their names, and cannot pass them over here without remembering that this was that Moses and Aaron whom God honoured in making them instruments of Israel’s deliverance and settlement and figures of him that was to come, Moses as a prophet and Aaron as a priest. And the mention of Nadab and Abihu (though, having no children, there was no occasion to bring them into the genealogy) cannot but remind us of the terrors of that divine justice which they were made monuments of for offering strange fire, that we may always fear before him. 2. The line of Eleazar, the successor of Aaron, is here drawn down to the time of the captivity, v. 4–15. It begins with Eleazar, who came out of the house of bondage in Egypt, and ends with Jehozadak, who went into the house of bondage in Babylon. Thus, for their sins, they were left as they were found, which might also intimate that the Levitical priesthood did not make anything perfect, but this was to be done by the bringing in of a better hope. All these here named were not high priests; for, in the time of the judges, that dignity was, upon some occasion or other, brought into the family of Ithamar, of which Eli was; but in Zadok it returned again to the right line. Of Azariah it is here said (v. 10), He it is that executed the priest’s office in the temple that Solomon built. It is supposed that this was that Azariah who bravely opposed the presumption of king Uzziah when he invaded the priest’s office (2 Chr. 26:17, 18), though he ventured his neck by so doing. This was done like a priest, like one that was truly zealous for his God. He that thus boldly maintained and defended the priest’s office, and made good its barriers against such a daring insult, might well be said to execute it; and this honour is put upon him for it; while Urijah, one of his successors, for a base compliance with King Ahaz, in building him an idolatrous altar, has the disgrace put upon him of being left out of this genealogy, as perhaps some others are. But some think that this remark upon this Azariah should have been added to his grandfather of the same name (v. 9), who was the son of Ahimaaz, and that he was the priest who first officiated in Solomon’s temple. 3. Some other of the families of the Levites are here accounted for. One of the families of Gershom (that of Libni) is here drawn down as far as Samuel, who had the honour of a prophet added to that of a Levite. One of the families of Merari (that of Mahli) is likewise drawn down for several descents, v. 29, 30.

The sons of Levi,.... After an account of the chief of the tribes of Judah and Simeon, of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, follows that of Levi, and his posterity; the kingdom being given to Judah, the birthright to Joseph, and the priesthood to Levi: the immediate sons of Levi were

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; as in Ge 46:11, from these sprung the three families of the Levites.

6:1-81 Genealogies. - We have an account of Levi in this chapter. The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites, to preserve their descent clear, and to be able to prove it; because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. Now, the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, without any limit as to the families they came from; and then, as now, though believers and ministers may be very useful to the church, none but our great High Priest can make atonement for sin, nor can any be accepted but through his atonement.

And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel,.... Given in the same order as in Ex 6:18, [See comments on Ex 6:18].

And the children of Amram, Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam,....

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG የሌዊ ልጆች፤ ጌድሶን፥ ቀዓት፥ ሜራሪ። አማርኛ ENGNIV The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. English BCV ደቂ ሌዊ፦ ጌድሶን፥ ቀኣት፥ ሜራሪ እዮም። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Ilmaan Lewwii, Gershoon, Qehaatii fi Meraarii dha. Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወደቂቀ ሌዊ ጌርሶን ወቀዐት ወማራሪ። giz GAZGAZ Ilmaan Lewwii, Gershoon, Qehaatii fi Meraarii dha. Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ደቂ ሌዊ፦ ጌድሶን፥ ቀኣት፥ ሜራሪ እዮም። ትግርኛ AMHNIV የሌዊ ወንዶች ልጆች፤ ጌድሶን፣ ቀዓት፣ ሜራሪ። አማርኛ