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David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of Yahweh’s house, six thousand were officers and judges, four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”
David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 23:4-6 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel. He gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. The Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of Yahweh’s house, six thousand were officers and judges, four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”
David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of Yahweh’s house, six thousand were officers and judges,
four thousand were doorkeepers, and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”
David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges:
Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Of these, twenty and four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand were officers and judges;
and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised the LORD 'with the instruments which I made to praise therewith.'
And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
40 distinct cross-references across this passage (41 total citations).
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv4–5 Or, to have care over.
Or, to have care over.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv4–6 1Ch 23:4 Of which, twenty and four thousand [were]…
1Ch 23:4 Of which, twenty and four thousand [were] to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand [were] officers and judges:
Ver. 4. Of which, twenty and four thousand were, &c.] That is, They performed their different offices in their various courses, Hinc sequitur, Hence it followeth, saith an expositor, that each priest and Levite ministered in the temple not much oftener than twice a year; for there were of them twenty-four classes, each whereof served a week together, and no more. Gospel ministers have a far harder task.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv4–6 To set forward the work of the house of…
To set forward the work of the house of the Lord, i.e. to take care that all the work of the temple about sacrifices and other parts or means of God’s service should be punctually and diligently performed, either by themselves or others; which they were not to do all at once, but by courses, a thousand at a time, as we shall shortly see.
Officers and judges; whose work it seems to have been to judge of and determine all difficult causes or differences which might arise, either among the inferior priests or Levites about their sacred administrations, or among the people, which being governed in all their concerns only by the laws of Moses, it was fit and necessary that the priests and Levites should be consulted and concerned in their matters.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv4–6 Of which twenty and four thousand were to set…
Of which twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord,.... To prepare for the work of the priests by slaying the sacrifices, flaying them, cutting them in pieces, and washing them, and bringing them to the altar; 1000 of these served weekly in their turns:
and six thousand were officers and judges: that acted as justices of the peace in the several parts of the country, heard causes and administered justice to the people, being trained up in and acquainted with the laws of God, civil as well as ecclesiastic; some were more properly judges, and others executioners of their sentence; see Deu 16:18.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v4 Officers - To take care that all the work…
Officers - To take care that all the work of the temple about sacrifices should be punctually performed, either by themselves or others: which they were not to do all at once, but by courses, a thousand at a time. Judges - Not in the affairs of the temple; there the priests presided; but in several parts of the kingdom, where they assisted the princes and elders of every tribe, in the administration of justice.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v5 Verse 5. Four thousand praised the Lord] David made…
Verse 5. Four thousand praised the Lord] David made this distribution according to his own judgment, and from the dictates of his piety; but it does not appear that he had any positive Divine authority for such arrangements. As to the instruments of music which he made they are condemned elsewhere; see Am 6:5, to which this verse is allowed to be the parallel.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv4–6 1Ch 23:4. To set forward the work of the…
1Ch 23:4. To set forward the work of the house of the Lord — To take care that all the work of the temple, about sacrifices, should be punctually performed, either by themselves or others; which they were not to do all at once, but by courses, a thousand at a time. Six thousand were officers and judges — Not in the affairs of the temple, there the priests presided, but in several parts of the kingdom, where they assisted the princes and elders of every tribe, in the administration of justice.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv4–6 Overseers. Hebrew shoterim. Septuagint, "scribes." Others suppose "lictors and…
Overseers. Hebrew shoterim. Septuagint, "scribes." Others suppose "lictors and executioners," who attended the judges. (Grotius) --- These were functions from which the priests were exempted; (Calmet) so that the Levites alone are meant. (Menochius) --- Judges. They had to decide the causes of the people, 2 Paralipomenon xxix. (Du Hamel)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv4–6 twenty and four thousand were to set forward the…
twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord--They were not to preside over all the services of the temple. The Levites were subject to the priests, and they were superior to the Nethinim and other servants, who were not of the race of Levi. But they had certain departments of duty assigned, some of which are here specified.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v4 4. To set forward the work of the house…
4. To set forward the work of the house — Rather, to preside over the work; to attend to the various kinds of service specified in 1Ch_23:28-32.
Officers and judges — Hebrew, Shoterim and Shophetim. They served as local magistrates and judges throughout the various cities of the land. See notes on Jos_1:10, and comp. 1Ch_26:29, and 2Ch_19:8-10.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–6 4. twenty and four thousand] These were divided into…
4. twenty and four thousand] These were divided into courses (1Ch_23:6), serving by turn, apparently twenty-four in number, consisting each of a thousand men. The priests also were divided into a corresponding number of courses (1Ch_24:4; 1Ch_24:18).
to set forward the work] R.V. to oversee the work. This phrase assumes that the work itself was done by others, e.g. by Nethinim (see 1Ch_9:2, note). In 1Ch_23:24 (cp. 1Ch_23:28), however, the Levites are described as doing the work.
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officers and judges] Cp. 2Ch_19:8; 2Ch_19:11. In Deu_17:9 (cp. ib. Deu_16:18) the harder causes are reserved for “the priests the Levites,” ordinary causes being decided by judges who were not Levites.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv4–6 (4) Of which, twenty and four thousand were to…
(4) Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward.—It is clear from 1Ch_23:5 that David himself is supposed to utter both verses, thus personally assigning their commission to the Levites. The Hebrew here is peculiar. We may render: “Of these let there be for superintending the work of the house of Jehovah twenty-four thousand, and scribes and judges six thousand.”
To set forward.—An infinitive, as at 1Ch_22:12. The verb is that of which the participle often occurs in the titles of the Psalms. (Authorised “Version, “chief musician.”) It means “to lead,” or “superintend.” The Levites had a share in prisoners of war, according to Num_31:30. These they could employ in the more menial work of the sanctuary. The Gibeonites were spared on condition of becoming “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” i.e., Levitical bondsmen; and other whole cities may have received the same terms (Jos_9:23; Jos_9:27). We have details of the functions of these superintending Levites in 1Ch_23:28-32, below.
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And six thousand were officers and judges.—See above. “Officers” (shôtĕrîm) are first mentioned in Exo_5:6 (see Note there; and comp. Deu_16:18). The word means writers (comp. Assyrian sadhâru, to write). The progress of the entire people in power and civilisation elevated the Levites also; and from a warlike troop of defenders of the sanctuary, they became peaceful guardians of the great Temple at Jerusalem and its treasures, musicians and artists in its service, instructors and judges scattered throughout the whole country (Ewald).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv4–6 To set forward (Hebrew J"xen"l], Piel conjugation). The strict…
To set forward (Hebrew J"xen"l], Piel conjugation). The strict meaning of the word here is to superintend. The word has already occurred in the same sense invow 1Ch_15:21. Officers and judges (Hebrew The explanation of the nature of the work of these, as really outward work, for the "outward business of Israel," is distinctly stated in 1Ch_26:29; 2Ch_19:5-11. These officers are mentioned under the same Hebrew term in Exo_5:6, in a very different connection. It is plain that they were generally foremen, or overseers; while the judges took cognizance of matters which involved the interests of religion. This verse and the following give between them the four divisions of Levites, afterwards to be more fully described. The fuller account of the "twenty-four thousand" priests (including attendants) occupies ch. 24.; the "six thousand" officers and judges, 1Ch_26:20-32; the "four thousand" porters, 1Ch_26:1-19; and the "four thousand who praised the Lord with the instruments," ch. 25.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v5 And four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments…
1Ch_23:5
And four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made.
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Music and religion
I. The object of music. To praise therewith well expresses the attitude of the Bible towards music. Plutarch says: The chiefest and sublimest end of music is the graceful return of our thanks to the gods. In these words the wisdom of the Bible representation is vindicated. A worthy conception of God is the only thing which can give the true inspiration of music, and keep it pure and noble through all its strains. Thus music and religion ought never to be divorced.
II. Some of the features of the revelation of God which the Bible gives, and see how they agree with the best features of musical life and growth.
1. The Bible reveals God to man, and man to himself; it opens up depths of meaning which ordinary life cannot sound; it calls man the son of God; it bases itself upon the love of God, which passeth knowledge; it speaks of things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. If we allow music any rights of its own, they must be based upon its claim to give expression which is beyond the power of words, and to utter conceptions which thought cannot formulate. It has the power to take them out of the surroundings even of the deepest thoughts, to lift their aspirations where nothing else can go, to carry them into the presence of a power of harmony and order more fundamental than the skill of the hand or the logic of the mind can represent.
2. Then there is the universality of religion. It is meant for all men: there are all grades and kinds of reception of it. The gospel of Christ is for all men; it has truths for the simple, and doctrines for the wise; it meets all nations of men, each according to its nature and its needs. So music in one way or another affects the simplest and the most cultured, appeals to the joyful and to the sorrowing, defies lines of nationality and of language, and is appropriated by all according to the needs of each.
3. The object of religion is harmony--harmony between heaven and earth, between man and man, harmony in the life of the individual, with its varying experiences. The power of man to appreciate harmony finds a response in the growing resources of the musical art; and the yearnings of man for a better existence, where life shall not clash with death, joy with sorrow, and love with hate, finds an answer in a revelation which destroys death, comforts sorrow, and makes love seen everywhere. There could be no better expression for heaven, aa the place where such a revelation finds its completion, than as the place of music. (Arthur Brooks, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v4 Of these, twenty-four thousand
Of these, twenty-four thousand
"Of these Levities, 24,000" (See: Numbers)
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six thousand
"6,000 Levites" (See: Numbers)
officers and judges
These Levites listened to legal arguments and administered justice according to the law of Moses.
four thousand
"4,000 Levites" (See: Numbers)
gatekeepers
These Levites guarded the temple entrance so no person who was ceremonially unclean entered.
that corresponded to
"based on" or "according to the descendants of"
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
These are names of Levi's sons. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
house of God
judge, judges
praise
Yahweh
praise
Levi
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v6 23:6-23 David divided the Levites into divisions according to…
23:6-23 David divided the Levites into divisions according to their ancestral families. The number of available clerics far exceeded the requirements for a single Temple; the divisions provided a necessary time-sharing mechanism that enabled all the priests and Levites to serve in the Temple periodically (cp. Luke 1:5, 8).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.