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The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 6

1 Chronicles 6: the Levites, the singers and their cities

General context

The chapter lists Levi's three sons and Kohath's line to Amram, whose children are Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Aaron's descendants run from Eleazar and Phinehas through Zadok and Ahimaaz to Azariah, of whom it is said "he it is that executed the priest’s office in the temple that Solomon built", and on to Jehozadak, who "went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar". The three Levite families are then traced separately, with a line through Elkanah to the sons of Samuel. Next come the men David set over "the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest": Heman the Kohathite, traced back through Shemuel and Korah to Israel; Asaph the son of Berachiah on his right hand, traced to Gershom; and Ethan the son of Kishi on his left, traced to Merari. Other Levites served the tabernacle, while Aaron and his sons alone offered on the altars and made atonement "according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded". Aaron's line is repeated to Ahimaaz. The rest of the chapter records the Levite cities: Hebron and twelve others for Aaron's sons, ten for the remaining Kohathites, thirteen for Gershom's sons, twelve for Merari's, each named with "her suburbs".

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 6:1, 1 Chronicles 6:3, 1 Chronicles 6:4, 1 Chronicles 6:8, 1 Chronicles 6:10, 1 Chronicles 6:15, 1 Chronicles 6:19, 1 Chronicles 6:28, 1 Chronicles 6:31, 1 Chronicles 6:32, 1 Chronicles 6:33, 1 Chronicles 6:38, 1 Chronicles 6:39, 1 Chronicles 6:43, 1 Chronicles 6:44, 1 Chronicles 6:48, 1 Chronicles 6:49, 1 Chronicles 6:54, 1 Chronicles 6:57, 1 Chronicles 6:60, 1 Chronicles 6:61, 1 Chronicles 6:62, 1 Chronicles 6:63, 1 Chronicles 6:81

1 Chronicles 6 (KJV)

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

2And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

3And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

4Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua,

5And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi,

6And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth,

7Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,

8And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz,

9And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan,

10And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest’s office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:)

11And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,

12And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum,

13And Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah,

14And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak,

15And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

17And these be the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.

18And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

19The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.

20Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.

22The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

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

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

25And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.

26As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,

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

28And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.

29The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,

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

31And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.

32And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.

33And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,

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 on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,

40The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah,

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.

44And their brethren the sons of Merari stood 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 Shamer,

47The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

48Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

49But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

50And these 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, Ahimaaz his son.

54Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.

55And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it.

56But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

57And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,

58And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs,

59And Ashan with her suburbs, and Beth-shemesh with her suburbs:

60And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs, and Alemeth with her suburbs, and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.

62And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

63Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

64And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.

65And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.

66And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.

67And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs,

68And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Beth-horon with her suburbs,

69And Aijalon with her suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with her suburbs:

70And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner with her suburbs, and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.

71Unto the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, and Ashtaroth with her suburbs:

72And out of the tribe of Issachar; Kedesh with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs,

73And Ramoth with her suburbs, and Anem with her suburbs:

74And out of the tribe of Asher; Mashal with her suburbs, and Abdon with her suburbs,

75And Hukok with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs:

76And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, and Hammon with her suburbs, and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.

77Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:

78And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, and Jahzah with her suburbs,

79Kedemoth also with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs:

80And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,

81And Heshbon with her suburbs, and Jazer with her suburbs.

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Historical context

The text distinguishes two kinds of Levite service. Aaron's sons offer on the altars and make atonement; the other Levites do "all manner of service of the tabernacle", and the singers are a group David set apart once the ark had rest. The chapter spells Levi's eldest son both "Gershon" and "Gershom", and names "Samuel" at verse 28, right after Elkanah son of Jeroham, while Heman's ancestry has "Shemuel" son of Elkanah son of Jeroham, without saying the two are one man. Several priestly names recur, two Amariahs, two Ahitubs, two Zadoks and three Azariahs, so the reader must follow position, not name, to tell them apart. Asaph is identified here as "the son of Berachiah" and traced to Gershom; this is the Asaph of the later chapters on singers, not to be confused with men of the same name elsewhere. The two exiles named are the Assyrian one in chapter 5 and here the Babylonian one, "by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar", at which Jehozadak went into captivity. The city lists give totals by family, but the summary for the remaining Kohathites names only half Manasseh, while the detailed list draws from Ephraim as well; the text does not reconcile the two. Hebron's fields are said to have gone to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. No dates are given for any allotment.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 6:49, 1 Chronicles 6:48, 1 Chronicles 6:31, 1 Chronicles 6:1, 1 Chronicles 6:16, 1 Chronicles 6:28, 1 Chronicles 6:33, 1 Chronicles 6:11, 1 Chronicles 6:12, 1 Chronicles 6:39, 1 Chronicles 6:15, 1 Chronicles 6:61, 1 Chronicles 6:66, 1 Chronicles 6:56, 1 Chronicles 6:27, 1 Chronicles 6:34

Literary context

The chapter is built as a set of descending and ascending lines. The priestly line descends from Aaron with "begat" until it stops at captivity; the singers' lines ascend from Heman, Asaph and Ethan with "the son of" until each reaches Levi, and Heman's reaches "the son of Israel". The three singers are placed in space, Heman in the centre, Asaph "on his right hand", Ethan "on the left hand", so the list becomes a picture of the choir. The narrator marks two times of worship, singing before the tabernacle and then service in Solomon's house "according to their order". Aaron's line is given twice, once ending in exile and once ending at Ahimaaz, before the cities are distributed. The city lists repeat "with her suburbs" for almost every town, a refrain that turns the closing third of the chapter into a steady inventory. Placed after the eastern tribes' exile and before the northern tribes, the Levites' chapter sits in the middle of the tribal lists.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 6:4, 1 Chronicles 6:15, 1 Chronicles 6:38, 1 Chronicles 6:39, 1 Chronicles 6:44, 1 Chronicles 6:32, 1 Chronicles 6:53, 1 Chronicles 6:58, 1 Chronicles 6:75

Key moments

  1. Aaron, Moses and Miriam (1 Chronicles 6:3). Amram's children are named, and Aaron's four sons follow.
  2. Azariah in Solomon's temple (1 Chronicles 6:10). The narrator marks the Azariah who served as priest in the temple Solomon built.
  3. Jehozadak into captivity (1 Chronicles 6:15). The priestly line ends when the Lord carries Judah away by Nebuchadnezzar.
  4. Singers set over the song (1 Chronicles 6:31). David appoints men to the service of song after the ark has rest.
  5. Asaph at Heman's right hand (1 Chronicles 6:39). Asaph the son of Berachiah stands on Heman's right, traced to Gershom.
  6. Aaron's sons make atonement (1 Chronicles 6:49). Only Aaron's sons offer on the altars and make atonement as Moses commanded.
  7. Hebron given to Aaron's sons (1 Chronicles 6:57). The cities of the priests begin with Hebron, the city of refuge.

For reflection

The priests' line is told downward and ends in captivity; the singers' lines are told upward and end in Levi and Israel. What might a reader make of the same family being traced in two directions toward two very different endings?

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