1 Chronicles 9 – “Postexilic Jerusalem; The Levites; King Saul’s Lineage”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The chapter enumerates the people who resettled Jerusalem, the Levites who guarded and served in the Temple, and the lineage of king Saul.

II. Photo
The gatekeepers are listed along with their logistical positions: “The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south.” (v. 24)

III. Important Verses
vv. 1-3. All Israel was registered by genealogies; and these are in the book of the kings of Israel. And Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their trespass. The first to settle in their towns, on their property, were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants, while some of the Judahites and some of the Benjaminites and some of the Ephraimites and Manassehites settled in Jerusalem.
v. 19: Shallum son of Kore son of Ebiasaph son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his clan, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, guards of the threshold of the Tent; their fathers had been guards of the entrance to the camp of the LORD.
v. 22: All these, who were selected as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were selected by genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust.
vv. 26-27: The four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasuries of the House of God. They spent the night near the House of God; for they had to do guard duty, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.

IV. Outline
1a. Summary statement
1b-2. Introduction to the postexilic returnees
3-9. Those who settled Jerusalem
10-13. Priests
14-34. The Levites
14-16. By family
17-27. The gatekeepers
28-32. The Temple keepers
33. Summary statement: singers
34. Summary statement: Levites
35-44. The family of Saul

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
De Vries, Simon J. “1 and 2 Chronicles,” The Forms of Old Testament Literature vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989).
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