23 When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
2 23:2David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 23:3The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. 4 23:4“Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 5 23:54,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.” 6 23:6And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 23:7The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. 8 23:8The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 23:9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 23:10And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 23:11Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father’s house.
12 23:12The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 23:13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 23:14But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 23:15The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 23:16The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. 17 23:17The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 23:18The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 23:19The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 23:20The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.
21 23:21The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22 23:22Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 23:23The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 23:24These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 23:25For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 23:26And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 23:27For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. 28 23:28For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 23:29Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. 30 23:30And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 23:31and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 23:32Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.
23:2 First, David “assembled” key people. A similar action is repeated in 28:1, but the two occasions, while related, are different in both the people involved and the purpose. Here the gathering is of suitable people to be assigned civil and religious leadership tasks, while the later gathering is much larger and leads to joyful worship (named in both groups are “all the leaders/officials [same Hebrew word] of Israel”). Two Hebrew verbs, both sometimes translated “assembled,” point to the different purposes: ʼasaf (“gather, assemble”; 23:2) occurs in a variety of contexts, as diverse as military and taxes (e.g., 11:13; 19:7, 17; 2 Chron. 1:14; 12:5; 24:11) and, as here, a king’s gathering of people for instructions (1 Chron. 15:4; 23:2; 2 Chron. 29:4, 15, 20); qahal (“call together, assemble”; 1 Chron. 28:1) is used by the Chronicler for more formal gatherings culminating in cultic celebration (13:5; 15:3; 2 Chron. 20:26). A close parallel to the differing purposes of 1 Chronicles 23:2 and 28:1 is found in 15:3–4: there the king “assembled [qahal ] all Israel” to bring the ark to Jerusalem, and he “gathered together [ʼasaf] the sons of Aaron and the Levites” and assigned their duties.
23:3–6 The numbering of the Levites follows the instructions of Numbers 1:47–49; 2:33 in being separate from a general census, whose purpose is to number those “able to go to war” (cf. comment on 1 Chron. 21:2–4). As in Moses’ subsequent numbering of the Levitical clans (Num. 3:14–39), David’s intention is to facilitate the good and orderly functioning of the worship of God’s people. The age of “thirty years old and upward” for the Levites matches Numbers 4:3, 23, etc., although Numbers 8:23–24 specifies duties for those “twenty-five years old and upward.” See further comment on 1 Chron. 23:24–32 (at v. 24), where David’s appointments specify “twenty years old and upward.”
The number “38,000” probably represents 38 groups or clans (for “thousand,” cf. comment on 12:23–37; a comparable size is the total of 288 musicians and 93 gatekeepers in 25:7–31; 26:8–11). Almost two-thirds are to “have charge of the work” of the temple. Such a large proportion appropriately relates initially to the major task of temple construction. Levites had “oversight” of work in the later repair of the temple in Josiah’s reign (2 Chron. 34:12–13) and the building of the second temple (Ezra 3:8), although other ongoing tasks in the temple are also described as “work” in which Levites are involved (e.g., 1 Chron. 23:24; 25:1).
Other major duties include being “officers and judges.” The role of Levitical “judges” is well described in Jehoshaphat’s reforms as “to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases” (2 Chron. 19:8–11; cf. Deut. 16:18–20), while the term “officer” (Hb. shoter) suggests a clerical, record-keeping role (LXX grammateus, “scribe”; cf. 1 Chron. 27:1; 2 Chron. 19:11; 26:11). The diverse tasks of “gatekeepers” adapt and expand the task of “keeping guard” in the tabernacle (Numbers 3–4). Their organization is detailed in 1 Chronicles 26:1–19.
New under David is the major function of those who “offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.” Priests had previously blown “trumpets,” but David expands the variety with other instruments made specifically for the Levites “for praise” in the temple (2 Chron. 7:6; 29:26; Neh. 12:36). The organization of musicians is detailed in 1 Chronicles 25 (cf. 15:16–24; 16:4–7).
All tasks are to be perpetual, day and night, throughout the year. The Levites are accordingly organized on the basis of clans “in divisions,” who will work on a rotational basis, ensuring an equitable involvement. David retains the traditional threefold grouping of Levites based on the descendants of Levi’s sons, “Gershon, Kohath, and Merari” (6:1–53; cf. Ex. 6:16–19; Num. 3:17–39), but he will adapt their tasks to the new setting of the temple.
23:7–23 The content of the list of Levitical “heads of fathers’ houses” (v. 24; also involved in 15:12) points to its purpose for outlining the broad social relationship of the families. The total heads named are 24—of Gershon, 10 (although 23:11b suggests this later became 9); Kohath, 9; Merari, 5—matching the specific subsequent counting of 24 divisions (24:18; 25:31). Distinctive content includes: (1) the listing of more than one name for each of only three or four generations from Levi; (2) several names’ appearing only here and others’ having differing genealogical associations elsewhere (cf. 6:1–30; Gershon’s first son “Ladan” is elsewhere “Libni”); and (3) comments explaining why some adjustments were made (23:11b, 14, 17b, 22).
Standing out is the brief summary of the priestly role for which Aaron and “his sons” (here unnamed) were “set apart,” significantly followed by the description of Moses as “the man of God” (also 2 Chron. 30:16), with his descendants being named. In the temple activities, the families of both Aaron and Moses have a part. This matches the Chronicler’s approach elsewhere: the role of the priests in offering sacrifices and blessing is affirmed while drawing attention to the important ministry of all the Levites. Their tasks are described at length in 1 Chronicles 23:28–32.
23:24–32 The transition from a movable sanctuary to the temple required clarification and expansion of the role of Levites. Now there was no need to carry the tabernacle and its various objects, but sacrifices and offerings continued, and care of the temple and its facilities was much more extensive. David both affirms continuity of Levitical duties related to assisting the “sons of Aaron” and also expands their duties to match the new physical context. General rubrics here set the scene for the organizing of “divisions” in the following chapters.
The summary statement of verse 24 acts as a bridge: it both concludes the preceding list (“these . . . sons of Levi”) and introduces David’s instructions for the “work for the service of the house of the Lord” (the word “service” is used five times in vv. 24–32). The first alteration is that David now includes all of those “twenty years old and upward” (vv. 24, 27). The change from “thirty” to “twenty” (cf. comment on 23:3–6), while matching the non-Levitical census (Num. 1:3, 20, etc.), may reflect the need for additional personnel to be involved due to the larger temple, but with some tasks limited to the older age. What is clear is that the census follows the pattern of Numbers 1:17–46, with the same terminology, based on “fathers’ houses” (extended families), the “heads” being responsible to make a “list” according to the “number of the names,” according to “individuals” (Hb. legulgelotam, “head by head”; Num. 1:2, 18, etc.).
Again comes a reminder that the new organization and assignments are not simply a matter of a king’s desire and authority but flow from the Lord’s actions. It is God who has given the “rest” the nation enjoys, and the building of the temple leads to his “dwelling in Jerusalem.” The association between “rest” and temple was a key factor in earlier words to Solomon (1 Chron. 22:9–10) and will be again in words to the people (28:2–6), while the Lord’s “dwelling” (Hb. shakan, 23:25; replacing the movable “tabernacle,” mishkan, v. 26) features in the beginning of his words to David (17:4–5). That the Lord’s chosen site is “in Jerusalem” has been the climax of David’s abortive census (22:1). The addition of “forever” not only affirms the fixed location but also gives David’s arrangements ongoing authority (2 Chron. 35:4; Neh. 12:45).
The generic description of the Levites’ “duty” is expressed in the phrase that begins and ends 1 Chronicles 23:28–32: “to assist/attend the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord.” The scope is illustrated with mention of various aspects: caring for the building and its objects (v. 28b); assisting in the various offerings by preparing and measuring (v. 29); and giving thanksgiving and praise (vv. 30–31). An element of readiness and alertness is evident in the vocabulary: “duty” (Hb. maʻamad) embraces being in attendance and ready to serve (cf. the “attendance” of Solomon’s servants; 2 Chron. 9:4); “to assist” (Hb. leyad ) is to be at hand; and the Levites are to “stand” for thanksgiving and praise on all occasions. The final verse (1 Chron. 23:32) sums up the constant vigilance, as they are to “keep charge of” (shamar mishmeret, “keep guard/watch over”) “the tent of meeting,” “the sanctuary,” and “the sons of Aaron” (cf. Num. 3:6–10). The “sons of Aaron” may be central in offering sacrifices, but the wide scope of their responsibilities shows that the Levites are not secondary. It seems they are to make sure everything happens as it should!
1 Hebrew He
2 Hebrew lacks David said
3 Vulgate (compare Septuagint, Syriac); Hebrew to the Gershonite
1 Selman,
1 Chronicles, 223. Other comparative total numbers of Levites include 4,600 (
12:26) and 8,580 (aged from thirty to fifty; Num. 4:47–48).
2 The noun mishmeret is repeated with each of the three. With “sons of Aaron” as the object, ESV here translates “attend,” and in Numbers 3:7, “keep guard over.”