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1 Chronicles 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10Johanan the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

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

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

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

14Azariah the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah the father of Jehozadak.

15Jehozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

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

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

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

19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

20Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jehath his son, Zimmah his son,

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

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

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

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

25The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth,

26Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

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

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

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

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

31These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

32They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

33Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman, the musician, 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;

39and Heman's associate Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,

40the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malkijah,

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 Gershon, the son of Levi;

44and from their associates, the Merarites, at his left hand: Ethan 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 fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God.

49But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

50These were the descendants 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 and Ahimaaz his son.

54These were the locations of their settlements allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

55They were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands.

56But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.

57So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,

58Hilen, Debir,

59Ashan, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

60And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands. These towns, which were distributed among the Kohathite clans, were thirteen in all.

61The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

62The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

63The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

64So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns and their pasturelands.

65From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

66Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

67In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge), and Gezer,

68Jokmeam, Beth Horon,

69Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands.

70And from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

71The Gershonites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands;

72from the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh, Daberath,

73Ramoth and Anem, together with their pasturelands;

74from the tribe of Asher they received Mashal, Abdon,

75Hukok and Rehob, together with their pasturelands;

76and from the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

77The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;

78from the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho they received Bezer in the desert, Jahzah,

79Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;

80and from the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,

81Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

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 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 SWAHSUV Wana wa Lawi; Gershoni, na Kohathi, na Merari. Kiswahili