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 begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua, 5Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi, 6Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth, 7Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 8Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz, 9Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan, 10Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem), 11Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 12Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum, 13Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah, 14Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 15Jehozadak went into captivity when Jehovah carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity 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 families of the Levites according to their fathers. 20Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. 22The sons 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 sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. 26Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. 28The sons of Samuel: Vashni the firstborn, and Abijah. 29The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son. 31Now these are the ones whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of Jehovah, after the ark was in its resting place. 32They were serving with song before the dwelling place of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, and they attended to their service according to the ordinance. 33And these are the ones who attended with 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. 39And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berachiah, 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. 44Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand: 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. 48And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. 49But Aaron and his sons were offering sacrifices with smoke upon the altar of burnt offering and upon the altar of incense, all the service of the Holy of Holies, 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, and Ahimaaz his son. 54These were their dwelling places throughout their encampments in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: 55They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common lands. 56But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57And to the sons of Aaron they gave cities of refuge: Hebron, also Libnah with its common lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common lands, 58Hilen with its common lands, Debir with its common lands, 59Ashan with its common lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common lands. 60And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common lands, Alemeth with its common lands, and Anathoth with its common lands. All their cities among their families; thirteen. 61To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from the half-tribe of Manasseh. 62And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 63To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun. 64The sons of Israel gave these cities with their common lands to the Levites. 65And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names. 66And some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67And they gave them cities of refuge: Shechem with its common lands in the mountains of Ephraim, Gezer with its common lands, 68Jokmeam with its common lands, Beth Horon with its common lands, 69Aijalon with its common lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common lands. 70And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common lands and Bileam with its common lands, for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath. 71To the sons of Gershon from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its common lands and Ashtaroth with its common lands. 72And from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its common lands, Daberath with its common lands, 73Ramoth with its common lands, and Anem with its common lands. 74And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its common lands, Abdon with its common lands, 75Hukok with its common lands, and Rehob with its common lands. 76And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common lands, Hammon with its common lands, and Kirjathaim with its common lands. 77To the rest of the sons of Merari from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmon with its common lands and Tabor with its common lands. 78And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common lands, Jahzah with its common lands, 79Kedemoth with its common lands, and Mephaath with its common lands. 80And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common lands, Mahanaim with its common lands, 81Heshbon with its common lands, and Jazer with its common lands.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 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,
Ezra 2:63. 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,
1Chr 6:1,
1Chr 6:16. 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, (1Chr:6:4-15). 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 (
2Chr 26:17,
2Chr 26:18), 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 (
1Chr 6:9), 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,
1Chr 6:29,
1Chr 6:30.
31 When the Levites were first ordained in the wilderness much of the work then appointed them lay in carrying and taking care of the tabernacle and the utensils of it, while they were in their march through the wilderness. In David's time their number was increased; and, though the greater part of them was dispersed all the nation over, to teach the people the good knowledge of the Lord, yet those that attended the house of God were so numerous that there was not constant work for them all; and therefore David, by special commission and direction from God, new-modelled the Levites, as we shall find in the latter part of this book. Here we are told what the work was which he assigned them.
I. Singing-work,
1Chr 6:31. David was raised up on high to be the sweet psalmist of Israel (
2Sam 23:1), not only to pen psalms, but to appoint the singing of them in the house of the Lord (not so much because he was musical as because he was devout), and this he did
after that the ark had rest. While that was in captivity, obscure, and unsettled, the harps were hung upon the willow-trees: singing was then thought unseasonable (when the bridegroom is taken away they shall fast); but the harps being resumed, and the songs revived, at the bringing up of the ark, they were continued afterwards. For we should rejoice as much in the prolonging of our spiritual privileges as in the restoring of them. When the service of the ark was much superseded by its rest they had other work cut out for them (for Levites should never be idle) and were employed in the service of song. Thus when the people of God come to the rest which remains for them above they shall take leave of all their burdens and be employed in everlasting songs. These singers kept up that service in the tabernacle till the temple was built, and then they
waited on their office there,
1Chr 6:32. When they came to that stately magnificent house they kept as close both to their office and to their order as they had done in the tabernacle. It is a pity that the preferment of the Levites should ever make them remiss in their business. We have here an account of the three great masters who were employed in the service of the sacred song, with their respective families; for they
waited with their children, that is, such as descended from them or were allied to them,
1Chr 6:33. Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were the three that were appointed to this service, one of each of the three houses of the Levites, that there might be an equality in the distribution of this work and honour, and that every one might know his post, such an admirable order was there in this choir service. 1. Of the house of Kohath was Heman with his family (
1Chr 6:33), a man of a sorrowful spirit, if it be the same Heman that penned the 88th psalm, and yet a singer. He was the grandson of Samuel the prophet, the son of Joel, of whom it is said that
he walked not in the ways of Samuel (
1Sam 8:2,
1Sam 8:3); but it seems, though the son did not, the grandson did. Thus does the blessing entailed on the seed of the upright sometimes pass over one generation and fasten upon the next. And this Heman, though the grandson of that mighty prince, did not think it below him to be a precentor in the house of God. David himself was willing to be a door-keeper. Rather we may look upon this preferment of the grandson in the church as a recompense for the humble modest resignation which the grandfather made of his authority in the state. Many such ways God has of making up his people's losses and balancing their disgraces. Perhaps David, in making Heman the chief, had some respect to his old friend Samuel. 2. Of the house of Gershom was Asaph, called
his brother, because in the same office and of the same tribe, though of another family. He was posted on Heman's right hand in the choir,
1Chr 6:39. Several of the psalms bear his name, being either penned by him or tuned by him as the chief musician. It is plain that he was the penman of some psalms; for we read of those that praised the Lord in the words of David and of Asaph. He was a seer as well as a singer,
2Chr 29:30. His pedigree is traced up here, through names utterly unknown, as high as Levi, (1Chr:6:39-43). 3. Of the house of Merari was Ethan (
1Chr 6:44), who was appointed to Heman's left hand. His pedigree is also traced up to Levi,
1Chr 6:47. If these were the Heman and Ethan that penned the 88th and 89th psalms, there appears no reason here why they should be called
Ezrahites (see the titles of those psalms), as there does why those should be called so who are mentioned
1Chr 2:6, and who were the sons of Zerah.
II. There was serving-work, abundance of service to be done
in the tabernacle of the house of God (
1Chr 6:48), to provide water and fuel, - to wash and sweep, and carry out ashes, - to kill, and flay, and boil the sacrifices; and to all such services there were Levites appointed, those of other families, or perhaps those that were not fit to be singers, that had either no good voice or no good ear.
As every one has received the gift, so let him minister. Those that could not sing must not therefore be laid aside as good for nothing; though they were not fit for that service, there was other service they might be useful in.
III. There was sacrificing-work, and that was to be done by the priests only,
1Chr 6:49. They only were to sprinkle the blood and burn the incense; as for
the work of the most holy place, that was to be done by the high priest only. Each had his work, and they both needed one another and both helped one another in it. Concerning the work of the priests we are here told, 1. What was the end they were to have in their eye. They were to
make an atonement for Israel, to mediate between the people and God; not to magnify and enrich themselves, but to serve the public. They were
ordained for men. 2. What was the rule they were to have in their eye. They presided in God's house, yet must do as they were bidden, according to all that God commanded. That law the highest are subject to.
54 We have here an account of the Levites' cities. They are here called their
castles (
1Chr 6:54), not only because walled and fortified, and well guarded by the country (for it is the interest of every nation to protect its ministers), but because they and their possessions were, in a particular manner, the care of the divine providence: as God was their portion, so God was their protection; and a cottage will be a castle to those that abide under the shadow of the Almighty. This account is much the same with that which we had, Jos. 21. We need not be critical in comparing them (what good will it do us?) nor will it do any hurt to the credit of the holy scripture if the names of some of the places be not spelt just the same here as they were there. We know it is common for cities to have several names.
Sarum and
Salisbury, Salop and
Shrewsbury, are more unlike than
Hilen (
1Chr 6:58) and
Holon (
Josh 21:15),
Ashan (
1Chr 6:59) and
Ain (
Josh 21:16),
Alemeth (
1Chr 6:60) and
Almon (
Josh 21:18); and time changes names. We are only to observe that in this appointment of cities for the Levites God took care, 1. For the accomplishment of dying Jacob's prediction concerning this tribe, that it should be
scattered in Israel, Gen 49:7. 2. For the diffusing of the knowledge of himself and his law to all parts of the land of Israel. Every tribe had Levites' cities in it; and so every room was furnished with a candle, so that none could be ignorant of his duty but it was either his own fault or the Levites'. 3. For a comfortable maintenance for those that ministered in holy things. Besides their tithes and offerings, they had glebe-lands and cities of their own to dwell in. Some of the most considerable cities of Israel fell to the Levites' lot. Every tribe had benefit by the Levites, and therefore every tribe must contribute to their support.
Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth, and do it cheerfully.