Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Chronicles · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Verſ. 1. SO when David was old and full of dayes, he made Solomon his ſonne king over Iſrael.] That is, he declared his mind to his people and princes, that after his death, his will was that Solomon ſhould be king, and that becauſe the Lord had ſo appointed, as is more fully expreſſed, chap. 28—1—6. where alſo it is evident, that this was done before David was bedrid, verſ. 2. Then David the king ſtood up upon his feet, and ſaid, Hear me my brethren, &c. and conſequently, that Adonijahs attempt 1. Kings 1.5. was againſt the expreſſe command of David, emboldened therein onelyonly by Davids weakneſſe, and the encouragement of ſuch princes of his faction, as miſliked Davids preferring Solomon before his elder ſonnes; and therefore we ſee that David cauſed Solomon to be actually anointed king, 1. Kings 1.33.34.
Verſ. 2. And he gathered together all the princes of Iſrael, with the priests and the Levites.] To wit, to make known unto them that Solomon by the Lords expreſſe appointment was to ſucceed him in the throne: Secondly, to perſwade the princes to aſſiſt Solomon in the building of the Temple: Thirdly, to eſtabliſh a ſettled order for the attendance and ſervice of the prieſts and Levites in the Temple; for the number of the Levites being exceedingly encreaſed, and they being then to ſerve not in ſeverall places as before, ſome at the Tabernacle in Gibeon, ſome before the ark in Davids tent, chap. 16.37. &c. but altogether in the Temple, as the Lord was pleaſed to appoint an order for their ſervice to prevent confuſion, ſo it was requiſite the princes and people ſhould be enformed of Gods will herein, and that David did nothing herein without direction from the Lord, chap. 28.11, 12, 13—19.
Verſ. 3. Now the Levites were numbred from the age of thirty years and upward, &c.] Davids numbring of the Levites from the age of thirty years, was according to the directions that God gave to Moſes when they were firſt numbred, onelyonly then they numbred not any above fifty years, Numb. 4.2, 3. Take the ſumme of the ſonnes of Kohath, &c. from thirty years old and upward, even untill fifty years old; but now it ſeems they numbred all from thirty years and upward, not ſtaying at thoſe that were above fifty years; and that becauſe they were not now to carry the holy things as they did in Moſes time; and therefore even thoſe above fifty years though weakened with age, might ſerve in the Temple, as well as thoſe that were younger: and for the ſame cauſe alſo it ſeems when he had diſtributed the thirty eight thouſand, that were numbred from thirty years old and upward, to their ſeverall imployments; to wit, foure and twenty thouſand for the ordinary ſervice of the Temple, and ſix thouſand for officers and Judges, verſ. 4. foure thouſand for porters, and foure thouſand for the quire, verſ. 5. afterward he gave order that all their poſterity from twenty years old and upward, ſhould in each rank be taken in verſ. 24. Firſt, becauſe they were not any longer to carry the tabernacle and the veſſels thereof; and therefore ſuch ſtrength of body was not now neceſſarily requiſite as before: as is expreſſed, verſ. 24, 25. And ſecondly, becauſe now when they were to ſerve onelyonly in their courſes, the ſervice of the Temple, would imploy them all, even thoſe from twenty years being taken in.
Verſ. 4. And ſix thouſand were officers and Judges.] And theſe were diſperſed in ſeverall places of the land, to judge of cauſes that were brought before them (for having no other civill and judiciall lawes, but thoſe of Moſes, the Levites were alwayes joyned with the other elders of the people in this work) and happely to train up the young Levites and other officers belonging thereto, of which ſee what is further added in note, chap. 26.29.
Verſ. 5. Moreover, foure thouſand were porters.] So many were at this time ſet a part by David to this imployment; yet of theſe it ſeems there were found at their return from Babylon, onelyonly two hundred and twelve, chap. 9.22.
And foure thouſand praiſed the Lord with the inſtruments, &c.] Whereof two hundred eighty eight were eminent men for cunning, and happely teachers of the reſt, ſee the note, chap. 25.7.
Verſ. 6. And David divided them into courſes, &c.] To wit into twenty foure courſes, as were alſo the prieſts, according to the command of the Lord by Gad and Nathan the prophets, 2. Chron. 29.25. And he ſet Levites in the houſe of the Lord, &c. according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the kings ſeer, and Nathan the prophet; for ſo was the commandment of the Lord.
Verſ. 8. The ſonnes of Laadan, the chief was Jehiel, &c.] That is, the chief of the poſterity of Laadan, heads of families at this time when David divided them to their ſeverall imployments and their ſeverall courſes, were Jehiel, and Zetham and Joel, and ſo this word ſonnes muſt be underſtood hereafter in this chapter.
Verſ. 9. The ſonnes of Shimei; Shelomith, &c.] This is not Shimei the ſonne of Gerſhon, verſ. 7. (for his poſterity are ſpoken of afterward in the following verſe,) but another that was it ſeems the head of a family amongſt the ſonnes of Laadan, perhaps one of thoſe mentioned alſo in the foregoing verſe, though called there by another name.
Verſ. 11. But Jeuſh and Beriah had not many ſonnes: therefore they were in one reckoning, &c.] That is, they were joyned together and counted as one family, and that becauſe there were not many of their poſterity.
Verſ. 13. Aaron was ſeparated, that he ſhould ſanctifie the most holy things, he and his ſonnes for ever, &c.] That is, he and his poſterity were ſet apart to the work of the prieſthood, to be imployed about the moſt holy things, according to the holy ordinances which God had appointed.
Verſ. 24. Theſe were the ſonnes of Levi, &c. from the age of twenty years and upward.] To wit, when they came to ſerve in the Temple: for though at this time when they were aſſigned to their ſeverall imployments, they were onelyonly numbred that were thirty years old and upward, verſ. 3. yet before his death David gave order that in each family and office of the Levites, all of twenty years old and upward ſhould be taken in to the ſervice of the Temple, verſ. 27. For by the laſt words of David the Levites were numbred from twenty years old and above; and the reaſon is prefixed; verſ. 25, 26. For David ſaid, The Lord God of Iſrael hath given reſt unto his people, that they may dwell in Jeruſalem for ever; and alſo unto the Levites, they ſhall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any veſſels thereof, &c. ſee the note, ver. 3.
Verſ. 28. Becauſe their office was to wait on the ſonnes of Aaron, for the ſervice of the houſe, &c. and in the purifying of all holy things, &c.] That is, the waſhing and cleanſing both of the holy places and veſſels, yea, and the ſacrifices before they were offered by the prieſts upon the altar.
Verſ. 29. And for all manner of meaſure and ciſe.] That is, the Levites alſo took care to ſee that thoſe things that were employed in the ſervice af the Temple, as fine floure, and wine, and oyle, for the meat offerings, &c. ſhould be given to the prieſts according to that weight and meaſure appointed by the law; for to ſome ſacrifices there was a greater meaſure of theſe required, and to ſome leſſe, ſee Numb. 15.4, 6, 9. and Levit. 23.13. and the Levites were to look that the juſt meaſures was obſerved in all theſe things: yea, many Expoſitours conclude from hence, that the Levites had the overſeeing of all publick meaſures, and kept the patterns or ſtandard of them in the Temple, whence they ſay it is, that the juſt ſhekel is called the ſhekel of the ſanctuary, Exod. 30.31.