Chapter Six

1–15. The descendants of Aaron, or the high priestly line until the time of the Babylonian captivity. 16–30. The descendants of Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 31–49. The ancestors of Heman, Asaph, and Ethan—the leaders of the Levitical choirs in the time of David. 50–53. The descendants of the high priest Eleazar to Ahimaaz. 54–81. The dwelling places—settlements of the Levites.

1 Chronicles 6:1. The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 1 Chronicles 6:2. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 1 Chronicles 6:3. The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The descent of Aaron from Levi. The names of the sons of Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Aaron are enumerated in (Gen 46:11; Exod 6:18; Num 3:2-4).

1 Chronicles 6:4. Eleazar begat Phinehas, and Phinehas begat Abishua; 1 Chronicles 6:5. Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi; 1 Chronicles 6:6. Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth; 1 Chronicles 6:7. Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub; 1 Chronicles 6:8. Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz; Verses 1 Chr 6:4-15. The descendants and successors of Eleazar, son of Aaron, in the high priesthood. Regarding the line of Eleazar as the only legitimate one, the author enumerates the high priests descended from it and completely disregards the line of Ithamar, although he is aware of its existence (1 Chr 24:3 and below). By virtue of this alone, the list of Old Testament high priests presented by him differs in incompleteness. It is further increased by the omission of some high priests from the line of Eleazar. Jehoiada—a contemporary of Joash (2 Kgs 11), Uriah—a contemporary of Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:10), Azariah—a contemporary of Hezekiah and certain others. In general, out of 28 high priests of the pre-captivity period (Josephus, “Jewish Antiquities,” 5:15), the author marks only 23. According to Keil’s opinion, all these omissions were probably in the sources of the Book of Chronicles itself.

1 Chronicles 6:9. Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan; Since Ahimaaz is the son of Zadok (1 Chr 6:8), a contemporary of David (1 Chr 24:3), the time of his life should fall on the reign of Solomon. During his time the great-grandson of Zadok, Azariah, could also perform his service, which is confirmed by (1 Kgs 4:2).

1 Chronicles 6:10. Johanan begat Azariah, who served as a priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem. The remark about Azariah cannot be understood in the sense that he was the first high priest in the temple of Solomon, since at its construction the high priest was Ahimaaz. The Azariah of this verse is not Azariah, a contemporary of Solomon, but a contemporary of Uzziah the leper, known for the fact that he opposed the King when the latter, appropriating to himself the priestly right, “wished to burn incense on the incense altar” (2 Chr 26:16-20).

1 Chronicles 6:11. And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub; Amariah—a contemporary of Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 19:11).

1 Chronicles 6:15. Jehozadak went into captivity when the Lord carried Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The captivity of Jehozadak, father of Jeshua, the high priest of the post-captivity period (Ezra 3:2; Hag 1:1), took place before the destruction of Jerusalem, since at the fall of the city the high priest was Seraiah, his father (2 Kgs 25:18).

1 Chronicles 6:17. These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 1 Chronicles 6:18. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 1 Chronicles 6:19. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. Two sons each of Gershom and Merari, and four of Kohath with the same names, are enumerated in (Num 3:17-20).

1 Chronicles 6:20. Of Gershom: Libni, his son; Jahath, his son; Zimmah, his son; 1 Chronicles 6:21. Joah, his son; Iddo, his son; Zerah, his son; Jeatherai, his son. The generations of Gershom from his son Libni; that of the other son, Shimei, is given below when enumerating the ancestors of Asaph (1 Chr 6:39-43). In both lines, the identity of names (Jahath, Zimmah, Zerah) is observed, which does not, however, indicate the identity of persons. The last of the descendants of Gershom, Jeatherai, is not mentioned anywhere else. Verses (1 Chr 6:22-28): the line of Kohath, brought down to Samuel. Below (verses 1 Chr 6:33-38), this same tribe is presented in ascending order to indicate the descent of Heman, the singer of the time of David. However, both lists have their own characteristics, consisting either in the omission of some members, or in different forms of one and the same name.

1 Chronicles 6:22. The sons of Kohath: Amminadab, his son; Korah, his son; Assir, his son; In the place parallel to this verse—verses (1 Chr 6:18) and (Exod 6:18)—Amminadab does not appear among the sons of Kohath. And since in each of these places, and likewise in (1 Chr 6:38), the connecting member between Kohath and Korah is Izhar, most exegetes regard the name Amminadab as a surname (another name) of Izhar.

1 Chronicles 6:23. Elkanah, his son; Ebiasaph, his son; Assir, his son; According to this verse and (1 Chr 6:22), Ebiasaph is the great-great-grandson of Korah, but if you compare them with verse (1 Chr 6:37), it will be clear that he is the son of Korah and brother of Assir, as is directly stated in (Exod 6:24), where Assir, Elkanah, and Ebiasaph are named as sons of Korah. Regarding the descent of Assir and Tahath from Ebiasaph, it is confirmed by the same (1 Chr 6:37).

1 Chronicles 6:24. Tahath, his son; Uriel, his son; Uzziah, his son; Saul, his son. The names Uriel, Uzziah, and Saul are replaced in (1 Chr 6:36) by others: Zephaniah, Azariah, and Joel. In view of the existence of a known custom of giving one person two names, it is supposed that these are double names.

1 Chronicles 6:25. The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. Among the ancestors of Heman, Amasai is also called the son of Elkanah (1 Chr 6:35-36). In view of this, Elkan (1 Chr 6:36) should be considered as one person with Elkanah of verse (1 Chr 6:25), and the latter should be recognized, in accordance with the indication of (1 Chr 6:36), as the son of Joel, or the same as Saul according to the reading of (1 Chr 6:24).

1 Chronicles 6:26. Elkanah, his son; Zophai, his son; Nahath, his son; 1 Chronicles 6:27. Eliab, his son; Jeroham, his son; Elkanah, his son; [Samuel, his son]. Zophai is recognized as one person with Zuph, son of Elkanah (1 Chr 6:35); Nahath—with Toah (1 Chr 6:34), and Eliab with Elihu of the same verse. In (1 Sam 1:1) these names are pronounced also with certain peculiarities: Zuph, Tohu, Elihu. Jeroham, both in (1 Sam 1:1) and in (1 Chr 6:34), appears as the grandfather of the prophet Samuel.

1 Chronicles 6:28. The sons of Samuel: the first-born Joel, the second Abijah. In the Hebrew text, the name of the first son of Samuel is omitted: that is, after the word «gabbekhor» (the first-born) stands the expression «vashni» («the second»). The Septuagint and Jerome receive this latter as a proper name. Other translators do likewise, except the Syriac, Arabic, and Slavonic, which introduce the name «Joel,» as evidently omitted here (cf. 1 Sam 8:2; 1 Chr 6:33).

1 Chronicles 6:29. The sons of Merari: Mahli; Libni, his son; Shimei, his son; Uzza, his son; 1 Chronicles 6:30. Shimea, his son; Haggiah, his son; Asaiah, his son. The descendants of Merari (six generations) in the line of Mahli are not mentioned anywhere else. Bertheau attempts to identify them with the ancestors of Ethan (1 Chr 6:45-47), but these latter belong to the generation of Mushi, son of Merari, but not Mahli.

1 Chronicles 6:31. Now these are the ones whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark came to rest there. Verses (1 Chr 6:31-49): The ancestors of the leaders of the Levitical choirs in the time of David—Heman, Asaph, and Ethan. In the generation of Heman down to Levi, the author counts 23 members, Asaph—15, and Ethan—14 members. This inequality in the number of members, despite the fact that all three genealogies embrace one and the same period, clearly shows that the writer of Chronicles transmitted as many names as were in the ancient table at his disposal. If the first tribe of Heman, numbering to Jacob (1 Chr 6:38) 23 generations, can be considered sufficiently complete, then in the two others, clearly, many members are lacking. Cf. (1 Chr 15:17), (2 Sam 6:2).

1 Chronicles 6:32. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the congregation, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And they served in their office according to their order. The Levitical choirs were arranged in the courtyard of the tabernacle of the congregation, where worship was performed, consisting of sacrifice and the reading of psalms, according to the order prescribed by David. Specifically in the middle stood with his choir Heman, on his right Asaph (1 Chr 6:39), and on his left Ethan (1 Chr 6:44). The remark: “until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,” suggests that by the tabernacle, in the courtyard of which the Levites performed their service, is meant the tabernacle of David on Zion (2 Sam 6:17 etc.; 1 Chr 21:22), not the tabernacle of Moses in Gibeon (1 Chr 21:29).

1 Chronicles 6:33. So these were the ones who stood together with their sons: from the sons of Kohath, Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, The names of the sons of Heman, Asaph, and Ethan are enumerated below in (1 Chr 25:2-4). In the present and following verses, the ancestors of these persons are named, and first and foremost Heman, who, as the leader of the singing, is given the designation “singer,” which distinguishes him from Asaph and Ethan. From the standpoint of chronology, it is quite permissible that Heman, a contemporary of David, was the great-grandson of Samuel.

1 Chronicles 6:34. The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 1 Chronicles 6:35. The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 1 Chronicles 6:36. The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 1 Chronicles 6:37. The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 1 Chronicles 6:38. The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; See comments on (1 Chr 6:22-28).

1 Chronicles 6:39. And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand—Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, Since Heman is a descendant of Kohath (1 Chr 6:33), and Asaph—of Gershom, it is evident that the term “brother” is used not in the proper sense, but in the meaning of “relative.”

1 Chronicles 6:44. And on the left of them were their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, Ethan had another name, Jeduthun (1 Chr 16:4).

1 Chronicles 6:48. Their brothers, all the Levites, were appointed to all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. The duty of singing lay upon the generations of Heman, Asaph, and Ethan; the rest of the Levites performed in the tabernacle what was prescribed to them by Moses (Num 3:8).

1 Chronicles 6:49. Now Aaron and his sons were burning incense 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. After the indication of the duties of the singers (1 Chr 6:32) and the other Levites, the author notes the functions of the priestly and high priestly service: the offering of sacrifices, the performance of rites for purification (Lev 16), and various purifying actions upon the Hebrews.

1 Chronicles 6:50. These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son; Phinehas his son; Abishua his son; 1 Chronicles 6:51. Bukki his son; Uzzi his son; Zerahiah his son; 1 Chronicles 6:52. Meraioth his son; Amariah his son; Ahitub his son; 1 Chronicles 6:53. Zadok his son; Ahimaaz his son. The enumeration of the high priests, heads of the priestly tribe of Aaron, quite naturally follows the indication of the duties of the priests. Likewise, the above remark about the service of the singers is accompanied by an enumeration. In the present case, the succession of high priests of the generations of Asaph, Heman, and Ethan is brought only down to Solomon, but not to the Babylonian captivity, as above (1 Chr 6:4-14), probably because for the whole section from verse (1 Chr 6:34), the author used such a source in which the distinguished families of Levi are brought only down to the time of David—Solomon.

1 Chronicles 6:54. Now these are their dwelling places according to their settlements within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites, for theirs was the lot, The list of cities (1 Chr 6:55-81) that fell to the descendants of Kohath, Gershom, and Merari at the division of the Promised Land. The enumeration of cities with greater detail is found in (Josh 21). The coincidences in both lists suggest that both authors used one source, but the latter with less precision.

1 Chronicles 6:55. So they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its surrounding pasture lands; This verse almost exactly coincides with (Josh 21:11-12). Only Hebron is there given the ancient name Kirjath-arba, and its geographical location is defined by the expression: “on the mountain of Judah.” “Pasture lands”—places for the grazing of cattle.

1 Chronicles 6:56. But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Cf. (Josh 14:6-14).

1 Chronicles 6:57. And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge: Hebron and Libnah with their pasture lands, Jattir and Eshtemoa with their pasture lands, After “Jattir” in (Josh 21:13) stands the remark: “and its pasture lands.”

1 Chronicles 6:58. And Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, Instead of “Hilen” in (Josh 21:15) stands “Holon.”

1 Chronicles 6:59. And Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; 1 Chronicles 6:60. And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its pasture lands, and Allemeth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture lands; all their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities. After Anathoth in (Josh 21:16), Juttah is mentioned, and before Geba—Gibeon (1 Chr 6:17). These two cities in the Book of Chronicles are for some reason omitted, and the certainty of the omission is confirmed by the last words of verse 60: “all their cities were thirteen.” Only eleven are enumerated by name. Finally, instead of Allemeth stands in Joshua Alemmon. Which reading is correct is difficult to say. In correspondence with (Josh 21:5-7), here is indicated the total number of cities allotted to the remaining Levite descendants of Kohath, Gershom, and Merari; the enumeration of them by name begins from (1 Chr 6:67).

1 Chronicles 6:61. Now to the rest of the sons of Kohath, from the families of the tribe, they gave ten cities out of the half tribe of Manasseh. Before the words “out of the half tribe of Manasseh,” should stand, in accordance with (Josh 21:5), the expression: “from the tribe of Dan.”

1 Chronicles 6:64. So the children of Israel gave the Levites their cities with their pasture lands. 1 Chronicles 6:65. And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, and from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin, those cities which are named by name. The remark contained in these verses appears in (Josh 21:8-9) before the detailed enumeration of the cities that fell to the priests, the descendants of Kohath. In the present place, it disrupts the sequence of the narrative: after the indication of the total number of cities, it naturally follows their detailed enumeration.

1 Chronicles 6:66. Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim. In (Josh 21:20), it is clearly stated that the cities mentioned below were given to the Levite descendants of Kohath. Instead of this, the Book of Chronicles uses an indefinite expression: “some of the families of the sons of Kohath.”

1 Chronicles 6:68. And Jokmeam with its pasture lands, and Beth-horon with its pasture lands, The name Jokmeam (“gathered in a heap by the people”) is replaced in (Josh 21:22) by the name of a completely unknown city Kibzaim (two heaps). The reading in Chronicles is confirmed by the Septuagint, which has Ἰεκμαάν.

1 Chronicles 6:69. And Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; According to the indication of (Josh 21:23), both the mentioned cities and two omitted ones—Eltekeh and Gibeon—belonged to the territory of the tribe of Dan. In the present case, the author omits a whole verse from the Book of Joshua: “and from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh with its pasture lands, Gibeon with its pasture lands.” The omission corresponds to the omission in (1 Chr 6:61).

1 Chronicles 6:70. From the half tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its pasture lands, and Bileam with its pasture lands. This was for the rest of the families of the sons of Kohath. According to the indication of (Josh 21:25), the descendants of Kohath from the half tribe of Manasseh received Taanach and Gath-rimmon. Since the name “Aner” of our verse does not appear anywhere else, and Taanach is mentioned in (Judg 1:27; 1 Kgs 4:12), the reading of the Book of Joshua should be recognized as more correct. As for the second, it should be an error in the Book of Joshua. A city of this name lay in the territory of the tribe of Dan and was just named (Josh 21:24). But the name Bileam in Chronicles should be replaced, according to (Josh 17:11) and (Judg 1:27), by the name Ibleam.

1 Chronicles 6:71. And to the sons of Gershom, from the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands. Both in the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut 1:4) and in Joshua (Josh 13:12), Ashtaroth is called the capital of Og of Bashan. With the name Ashteroth-karnaim, this city is mentioned also in the Book of Genesis (Gen 14:5). The name (Josh 21:27) Beeshterah results from an incorrect reading of the group of Hebrew letters בעשתרה: if one omits the first letter, one can read either Ashtaroth or Beeshterah, depending on what vowels one supplies.

1 Chronicles 6:72. From the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, Instead of Kedesh in (Josh 21:28), and likewise in (Josh 19:20)—Kishion.

1 Chronicles 6:73. And Ramoth with its pasture lands, and Anem with its pasture lands; According to Joshua, in (Josh 19:21) and (Josh 21:29), this name is written En-gannim, “garden spring.” “Anem” of Chronicles (“two springs”) does not appear anywhere else.

1 Chronicles 6:75. And Hukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands; In the parallel place in (Josh 21:31) stands Helkath, but in the enumeration of the cities of the tribe of Asher (Josh 19:34), as well as here, Hukok.

1 Chronicles 6:76. From the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, and Hammon with its pasture lands, and Kirjathaim with its pasture lands. According to Joshua, Hammon is shown in the enumeration of the cities of the tribe of Asher (Josh 19:28); in the enumeration of the cities of Naphtali—Hammath-dor (Josh 21:32). In (Josh 21:32), instead of Kirjathaim, stands Kartah. The meaning of both names is the same—“two cities,” and the difference is only in form. Kartan—ancient, obsolete, dual form; Kirjathaim—later.

1 Chronicles 6:77. And to the rest of the Merarites, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmon with its pasture lands, and Tabor with its pasture lands. In comparison with (Josh 21:34), in this verse two cities are omitted: Jokneam and Kartah, and two others are given different names—Rimmon-dinah, Tabor-nahalal. The reading Dinah is scarcely correct, for according to the indication of the Book of Joshua itself, in the region of the tribe of Zebulun there lay a city Dimon (Josh 19:13), not Dinah. The name Nahalal, only in a somewhat different form (Nahallol), is mentioned in the Book of Judges (Judg 1:30) as the name of a city given to the descendants of Zebulun. The reading of Chronicles—Tabor arose, as it is thought, because the author indicates instead of the city the locality where it lay.

1 Chronicles 6:78. Beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben they gave Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, and Jahzah with its pasture lands, 1 Chronicles 6:79. And Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands; 1 Chronicles 6:80. From the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, and Mahanaim with its pasture lands, 1 Chronicles 6:81. And Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands. Cf. (Josh 21:37-39).