1 Crônicas 24

ARC · Chapter 24/29

1E quanto aos filhos de Aarão, estes foram as suas divisões: os filhos de Aarão foram Nadab, e Abihu, e Eleazar e Ithamar.

2E morreram Nadab e Abihu antes de seu pae, e não tiveram filhos: e Eleazar e Ithamar administravam o sacerdocio.

3E David os repartiu, como tambem a Zadok, dos filhos de Eleazar, e Ahimelech, dos filhos de Ithamar, segundo o seu officio no seu ministerio.

4E achou-se que eram muitos mais os filhos de Eleazar entre os chefes de familias do que os filhos de Ithamar, quando os repartiram: dos filhos de Eleazar dezeseis chefes das casas dos paes, mas dos filhos de Ithamar, segundo as casas de seus paes, oito.

5E os repartiram por sortes, uns com os outros; porque houve maioraes do sanctuario e maioraes da casa de Deus, assim d'entre os filhos de Eleazar, como d'entre os filhos de Ithamar.

6E os registou Semaias, filho de Nathanael, o escrivão d'entre os levitas, perante o rei, e os principes, e Zadok, o sacerdote, e Ahimelech, filho de Abiathar, e os chefes dos paes entre os sacerdotes, e entre os levitas: uma d'entre as casas dos paes se tomou para Eleazar, e se tomou outra para Ithamar.

7E saiu a primeira sorte a Jojarib, a segunda a Jedaias,

8A terceira a Harim, a quarta a Seorim,

9A quinta a Malchias, a sexta a Mihamin.

10A setima a Hakkos, a oitava a Abias,

11A nona a Jesua, a decima a Sechanias,

12A undecima a Eliasib, a duodecima a Jakim,

13A decima terceira a Huppa, a decima quarta a Jesebeab,

14A decima quinta a Bilga, a decima sexta a Immer,

15A decima setima a Hezir, a decima oitava a Happises,

16A decima nona a Petahias, a vigesima a Jehezkel,

17A vigesima primeira a Jachin, a vigesima segunda a Gamul,

18A vigesima terceira a Delaias, a vigesima quarta a Maazias.

19O officio d'estes no seu ministerio era entrar na casa do Senhor, segundo lhes fôra ordenado por Aarão seu pae, como o Senhor Deus de Israel lhe tinha ordenado.

20E do resto dos filhos de Levi: dos filhos de Amram, Subael: dos filhos de Subael, Jehdias.

21Quanto a Rehabias: dos filhos de Rehabias Issias era chefe;

22Dos isharitas, Selomoth; dos filhos de Selomoth, Jahoth;

23E dos filhos de Hebron, Jerias o primeiro, Amarias o segundo, Jahaziel o terceiro, Jekamam o quarto;

24Dos filhos de Uziel, Micha; dos filhos de Micha, Samir;

25O irmão de Micha, Issias; dos filhos de Issias, Zacharias;

26Os filhos de Merari, Maheli e Musi; dos filhos de Jaazias, Beno;

27Os filhos de Merari de Jaazias, Beno, e Soham, e Zaccur, e Hibri;

28De Maheli, Eleazar: e este não teve filhos.

29Quanto a Kis: dos filhos de Kis, Jerahmeel;

30E os filhos, de Musi, Maheli, e Eder, e Jerimoth; estes foram os filhos dos levitas, segundo as suas casas paternas.

31E tambem elles lançaram sortes egualmente com seus irmãos, os filhos de Aarão, perante o rei David, e Zadok, e Ahimelech, e os chefes dos paes entre os sacerdotes e entre os levitas: o chefe da casa dos paes e bem assim seu irmão menor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David organizes the descendants of Aaron (the priests) into 24 divisions of service, determined by lot, so that each family would serve in the temple during set periods throughout the year.

Explanation

With a growing priestly population, a fair system was needed to determine who would serve and when, and casting lots ensured that no single family monopolized the most desirable periods or tasks. This system of 24 divisions would remain in use for hundreds of years, and is mentioned directly in the New Testament: the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, belonged to the eighth priestly division (that of Abijah), and it was precisely during his period of service in the temple that he received the visit of the angel Gabriel announcing the birth of his son. This is a powerful example of how seemingly distant organizational details remain relevant centuries later.

Fun facts

  • The system of 24 priestly divisions established here by David was still fully functioning more than a thousand years later, in the time of Jesus, as mentioned in Luke 1:5, at the very beginning of the gospel.
  • The division of Abijah, listed as the eighth in the order, is the same one to which Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, belonged — a direct link between this Old Testament chapter and the beginning of the New Testament story.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Crônicas 24:1The focus returns to Aaron’s descendants: the four original sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar — the foundation of the whole priestly organization the chapter is about to detail.
  2. 1 Crônicas 24:2Nadab and Abihu die while their father is still alive, leaving no sons, after offering strange fire to God — that is why the entire priesthood comes to descend only from Eleazar and Ithamar.
  3. 1 Crônicas 24:3David organizes the priests with the help of Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar — the two remaining branches of Aaron’s family sharing the task.
  4. 1 Crônicas 24:4It turns out Eleazar’s line had far more heads of families than Ithamar’s, sixteen against eight — an imbalance the lot system, explained in the next verse, helps resolve fairly.
  5. 1 Crônicas 24:5Aaron’s descendants are divided by lot into twenty-four divisions, each serving for a set period at the temple. Centuries later, it is during one of these divisions — the eighth, that of Abijah — that the priest Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, is on duty when the angel visits him, in the Gospel of Luke.
  6. 1 Crônicas 24:6The scribe Shemaiah formally records everything before the king and the religious leaders, alternating the lot between one house of Eleazar and one of Ithamar at a time — a way of guaranteeing balance between the two lines.
  7. 1 Crônicas 24:7The list of the twenty-four priestly divisions begins in the order drawn by lot: first Jehoiarib, then Jedaiah.
  8. 1 Crônicas 24:8Third division Harim, fourth Seorim — the rotation system keeps setting the exact order in which each priestly family would serve at the temple.
  9. 1 Crônicas 24:9Fifth division Malchijah, sixth Mijamin — two more families gain their fixed slot within the service calendar.
  10. 1 Crônicas 24:10Seventh division Hakkoz, eighth Abijah — this Abijah is the same priestly division that Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, belonged to, told much later in the Gospel of Luke.
  11. 1 Crônicas 24:11Ninth division Jeshua, tenth Shecaniah — the list has already passed the halfway point of the total twenty-four divisions.
  12. 1 Crônicas 24:12Eleventh division Eliashib, twelfth Jakim — the ordered lot keeps going, the one that will organize temple service for centuries.
  13. 1 Crônicas 24:13Thirteenth division Huppah, fourteenth Jeshebeab — two more priestly families receive their fixed turn on the calendar.
  14. 1 Crônicas 24:14Fifteenth division Bilgah, sixteenth Immer — the list of twenty-four names is just a few steps from the end.
  15. 1 Crônicas 24:15Seventeenth division Hezir, eighteenth Aphses — two more slots defined within the priestly rotation.
  16. 1 Crônicas 24:16Nineteenth division Pethahiah, twentieth Jehezekel — only four slots remain to complete the full list.
  17. 1 Crônicas 24:17Twenty-first division Jachin, twenty-second Gamul — the list is nearly complete.
  18. 1 Crônicas 24:18Twenty-third division Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth and last, Maaziah — closing out the system of twenty-four priestly divisions that will govern temple service for generations.
  19. 1 Crônicas 24:19The job of each division was to enter the house of the LORD following the order Aaron himself had established, by direct command of God — tying this system David organized back to the oldest origin of the priesthood.
  20. 1 Crônicas 24:20After the priests, the text organizes the rest of the ordinary Levites: from the family of Amram comes Shubael, and from him Jehdeiah.
  21. 1 Crônicas 24:21From Rehabiah, already mentioned in the previous chapter, the chief now is Isshiah — the Levite genealogy keeps being updated generation after generation.
  22. 1 Crônicas 24:22Of the Izharites, Shelomoth is the chief, and from him comes Jahath — one more branch of the great Levite family receiving its own organization.
  23. 1 Crônicas 24:23Hebron’s four sons repeat the same order already seen in chapter 23 — Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
  24. 1 Crônicas 24:24From the family of Uzziel comes Michah, and from him Shamir — one more layer of organization within the already extensive Levite family tree.
  25. 1 Crônicas 24:25Michah’s brother, Isshiah, also has his descent recorded, reaching down to Zechariah — showing the care taken to document even the secondary branches of each family.
  26. 1 Crônicas 24:26It moves on to the Merarites: Mahli and Mushi, and a family tied to Jaaziah, who fathers Beno — one more small branch within Levi’s third great family.
  27. 1 Crônicas 24:27More descendants of Merari through the line of Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri — rounding out this part of the Levite genealogy.
  28. 1 Crônicas 24:28From Mahli comes Eleazar, who had no sons — the same detail already mentioned in the previous chapter about this line with no direct descendants.
  29. 1 Crônicas 24:29From the family of Kish comes Jerahmeel — one more name filling in the gaps of the Levite family tree David organizes in full.
  30. 1 Crônicas 24:30Mushi’s three sons close out the list of Levite families — a final summary confirms this is the whole organization of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
  31. 1 Crônicas 24:31Just like the priests, the ordinary Levites also take part in the lot before David and the religious leaders — and the system treats large and small families with the same fairness, without favoring whoever had more people.

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