1 Chronicles 9:17 - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Book Notes

1 Chronicles 9:17

15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of ^aZichri, the son of Asaph;

16 ^aObadiah the son of ^bShemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

The Levite Gatekeepers

17 And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was the chief.

18 Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at the King’s Gate on the east.

19 Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father’s house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service,¹ gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord.

20 And ^aPhinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him.

21 ^aZechariah the son of Meshelemiah was keeper of the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. ^aThey were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel ^bthe seer had appointed them to their trusted office.

23 So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment.

24 The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south.

25 And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time ^afor seven days.

26 For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

27 And they lodged all around the house of God because¹ they had the ^aresponsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.

Other Levite Responsibilities

28 Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count.

29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the ^afine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices.

Book Notes:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Book Notes

I & II Chronicles

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF CHRONICLES were also considered as one by the ancient Jews, who called them "words of days," that is, diaries or journals, being probably compiled from those registers that were kept by the king's historiographers of passing occurrences. In the Septuagint the title given them is Paraleipomenon, "of things omitted," that is, the books are supplementary because many things unnoticed in the former books are here recorded; and not only the omissions are supplied, but some narratives extended while others are added. The authorship is commonly ascribed to Ezra, whose leading object seems to have been to show the division of families, possessions, etc., before the captivity, with a view to the exact restoration of the same order after the return from Babylon. Although many things are restated and others are exact repetitions of what is contained in Kings, there is so much new and important information that, as JEROME has well said, the Chronicles furnish the means of comprehending parts of the New Testament, which must have been unintelligible without them. They are frequently referred to by Christ and the Apostles as forming part of "the Word of God" (see the genealogies in Mat. 1:1-16; Luk. 3:23-38; compare II Chronicles 19:7 with I Peter 1:17; II Chronicles 24:19-21 with Matthew 23:32-35).