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1 Chronicles 24

KJV · Chapter 24/29

1Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office.

3And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service.

4And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.

5Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

6And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

7Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

8The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,

9The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,

10The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

11The ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,

12The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,

13The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,

14The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,

15The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Aphses,

16The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel,

17The one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul,

18The three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah.

19These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

20And the rest of the sons of Levi were these: Of the sons of Amram; Shubael: of the sons of Shubael; Jehdeiah.

21Concerning Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah.

22Of the Izharites; Shelomoth: of the sons of Shelomoth; Jahath.

23And the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.

24Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah: of the sons of Michah; Shamir.

25The brother of Michah was Isshiah: of the sons of Isshiah; Zechariah.

26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi: the sons of Jaaziah; Beno.

27The sons of Merari by Jaaziah; Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri.

28Of Mahli came Eleazar, who had no sons.

29Concerning Kish: the son of Kish was Jerahmeel.

30The sons also of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after the house of their fathers.

31These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren.

📖 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 24:7The list of the twenty-four priestly divisions begins in the order drawn by lot: first Jehoiarib, then Jedaiah.
  8. 1 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 24:9Fifth division Malchijah, sixth Mijamin — two more families gain their fixed slot within the service calendar.
  10. 1 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 24:11Ninth division Jeshua, tenth Shecaniah — the list has already passed the halfway point of the total twenty-four divisions.
  12. 1 Chronicles 24:12Eleventh division Eliashib, twelfth Jakim — the ordered lot keeps going, the one that will organize temple service for centuries.
  13. 1 Chronicles 24:13Thirteenth division Huppah, fourteenth Jeshebeab — two more priestly families receive their fixed turn on the calendar.
  14. 1 Chronicles 24:14Fifteenth division Bilgah, sixteenth Immer — the list of twenty-four names is just a few steps from the end.
  15. 1 Chronicles 24:15Seventeenth division Hezir, eighteenth Aphses — two more slots defined within the priestly rotation.
  16. 1 Chronicles 24:16Nineteenth division Pethahiah, twentieth Jehezekel — only four slots remain to complete the full list.
  17. 1 Chronicles 24:17Twenty-first division Jachin, twenty-second Gamul — the list is nearly complete.
  18. 1 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 24:23Hebron’s four sons repeat the same order already seen in chapter 23 — Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
  24. 1 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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 Chronicles 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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