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Selected Verse: 1 Chronicles 26:12 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Ch 26:12	Strong Concordance	Among these were the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778], even among the chief [07218] men [01397], having wards [04931] one against [05980] another [0251], to minister [08334] in the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].
	King James	Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men, having wards one against another, to minister in the house of the LORD.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men--These were charged with the duty of superintending the watches, being heads of the twenty-four courses of porters.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Among these were the divisions of the porters, even among the chief men--These were charged with the duty of superintending the watches, being heads of the twenty-four courses of porters.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
This verse is obscure, but its probable meaning is the following: "To these divisions of the porters, principal men, (were assigned) the watches, together with their brethren, for service in the house of the Lord;" i. e., the "chief men" Ch1 26:1-11, amounting to no more than 93, kept the watch and ward of the house, together with a further number of their brethren (4,000, Ch1 23:5), who assisted them from time to time.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The division of the doorkeepers according to their posts of service. Ch1 26:12. "To these classes of doorkeepers, viz., to the heads of the men, (were committed) the watches, in common with their brethren, to serve in the house of Jahve." By מחלקות לאלּה it is placed beyond doubt that the above-mentioned names and numbers give us the classes of the doorkeepers. By the apposition הגּברים לראשׁי, the meaning of which is discussed in the commentary on Ch1 24:4, השׁ מחלקות is so defined as to show that properly the heads of the households are meant, only these having been enumerated in the preceding section, and not the classes. Ch1 26:13 The distribution of the stations by lot followed (cf. Ch1 25:8), the small as the great; i.e., the younger as the older cast lots, according to their fathers'-houses, "for door and door," i.e., for each door of the four sides of the temple, which was built so that its sides corresponded to the points of the compass. Ch1 26:14 The lot towards the east, i.e., for the guarding of the east side, fell to Shelemiah (cf. Ch1 26:1, Ch1 26:2); while that towards the north fell to his first-born Zechariah. Before זכריהוּ, ל is to be repeated. To him the title בּשׂכל יויץ is given, for reasons unknown to us. גו הפּילוּ, (for him) they threw lots. Ch1 26:15 To Obed-edom (fell the lot) towards the south, and to his sons it fell (to guard) the house Asuppim. As to בּית־האספּים, called for brevity עספּים in Ch1 26:17, i.e., house of collections or provisions (cf. Neh 12:25), we can say nothing further than that it was a building used for the storing of the temple goods, situated in the neighbourhood of the southern door of the temple in the external court, and that it probably had two entrances, since in Ch1 26:19 it is stated that two guard-stations were assigned to it. Ch1 26:16 The word לשׁפּים is unintelligible, and probably has come into the text merely by a repetition of the two last syllables of the preceding word, since the name שׁפּים (Ch1 7:12) has no connection with this passage. To Hosah fell the lot towards the west, by the door Shallecheth on the ascending highway. העולה המסלּה is the way which led from the lower city up to the more lofty temple site. Instead of the door on this highway, in Ch1 26:18, in the statement as to the distribution of the guard-stations, Parbar is named, and the highway distinguished from it, four doorkeepers being appointed for the מסלּה, and two for פּרבּר. פּרבּר .פּר, probably identical with פּרורים, Kg2 23:11, a word of uncertain meaning, was the name of an out-building on the western side, the back of the outer court of the temple by the door Shallecheth, which contained cells for the laying up of temple goods and furniture. שׁלּכת, Bttcher translates, Proben, S. 347, "refuse-door;" see on Kg2 23:11. Nothing more definite can be said of it, unless we hold, with Thenius on Kg2 23:11, that Ezekiel's temple is in all its details a copy of the Solomonic temple, and use it, in an unjustifiable way, as a source of information as to the prae-exilic temple. משׁמר לעמּת משׁמר (as in Neh 12:24), guard with (over against?) guard, or one guard as the other (cf. on לעמּת, Ch1 26:12 and Ch1 25:8), Bertheau connects with Hosah, according to the Masoretic punctuation, and explains it thus: "Because it was Hosah's duty to set guards before the western gate of the temple, and also before the gate Shallecheth, which lay over against it." Clericus, on the contrary, refers the words to all the guard-stations: cum ad omnes januas essent custodiae, sibi ex adverso respondebant. This reference, according to which the words belong to what follows, and introduce the statement as to the number of guards at the individual posts which follows in Ch1 26:17., seems to deserve the preference. So much is certain in any case, that there is no ground in the text for distinguishing the gate Shallecheth from the western gate of the temple, for the two gates are not distinguished either in Ch1 26:16 or in Ch1 26:18. Ch1 26:17-18 Settlement of the number of guard-stations at the various sides and places. Towards morning (on the east side) were six of the Levites (six kept guard); towards the north by day (i.e., daily, on each day), four; towards the south daily, four; and at the storehouse two and two, consequently four also; at Parbar towards the west, four on the highway and two at Parbar, i.e., six. In all, therefore, there were twenty-four guard-stations to be occupied daily; but more than twenty-four persons were required, because, even supposing that one man at a time was sufficient for each post, one man could not stand the whole day at it: he must have been relieved from time to time. Probably, however, there were always more than one person on guard at each post. It further suggests itself that the number twenty-four may be in some way connected with the divisions or classes of doorkeepers; but there is only a deceptive appearance of a connection. The division of the priests and musicians each into twenty-four classes respectively is no sufficient analogy in the case, for these classes had to perform the service in succession each for a week at a time, while the twenty-four doorkeepers' stations had to be all occupied simultaneously every day. - In Ch1 26:2-11, then, twenty-eight heads in all are enumerated by name (Meshelemiah with seven sons, Obed-edom with eight sons and six grandsons, and Hosah with four sons); but the total number in all the three families of doorkeepers is stated at ninety-three, and neither the one nor the other of these numbers bears any relation to twenty-four. Finally, the posts are so distributed that Meshelemiah with his eighteen sons and brothers kept guard on the east and north sides with six posts; Obed-edom with his sixty-two sons and brothers on the south side with four and 2 x 2, that is, eight posts; and Hosah with his thirteen sons and brothers on the western side with four and two, that is, six; so that even here no symmetrical distribution of the service can be discovered. Ch1 26:19 Subscription, in which it is again stated that the classes of doorkeepers were taken from among the Korahites and Merarites.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The division of the doorkeepers according to their posts of service. Ch1 26:12. "To these classes of doorkeepers, viz., to the heads of the men, (were committed) the watches, in common with their brethren, to serve in the house of Jahve." By מחלקות לאלּה it is placed beyond doubt that the above-mentioned names and numbers give us the classes of the doorkeepers. By the apposition הגּברים לראשׁי, the meaning of which is discussed in the commentary on Ch1 24:4, השׁ מחלקות is so defined as to show that properly the heads of the households are meant, only these having been enumerated in the preceding section, and not the classes.

Ch1 26:13

The distribution of the stations by lot followed (cf. Ch1 25:8), the small as the great; i.e., the younger as the older cast lots, according to their fathers'-houses, "for door and door," i.e., for each door of the four sides of the temple, which was built so that its sides corresponded to the points of the compass.

Ch1 26:14

The lot towards the east, i.e., for the guarding of the east side, fell to Shelemiah (cf. Ch1 26:1, Ch1 26:2); while that towards the north fell to his first-born Zechariah. Before זכריהוּ, ל is to be repeated. To him the title בּשׂכל יויץ is given, for reasons unknown to us. גו הפּילוּ, (for him) they threw lots.

Ch1 26:15

To Obed-edom (fell the lot) towards the south, and to his sons it fell (to guard) the house Asuppim. As to בּית־האספּים, called for brevity עספּים in Ch1 26:17, i.e., house of collections or provisions (cf. Neh 12:25), we can say nothing further than that it was a building used for the storing of the temple goods, situated in the neighbourhood of the southern door of the temple in the external court, and that it probably had two entrances, since in Ch1 26:19 it is stated that two guard-stations were assigned to it.

Ch1 26:16

The word לשׁפּים is unintelligible, and probably has come into the text merely by a repetition of the two last syllables of the preceding word, since the name שׁפּים (Ch1 7:12) has no connection with this passage. To Hosah fell the lot towards the west, by the door Shallecheth on the ascending highway. העולה המסלּה is the way which led from the lower city up to the more lofty temple site. Instead of the door on this highway, in Ch1 26:18, in the statement as to the distribution of the guard-stations, Parbar is named, and the highway distinguished from it, four doorkeepers being appointed for the מסלּה, and two for פּרבּר. פּרבּר .פּר, probably identical with פּרורים, Kg2 23:11, a word of uncertain meaning, was the name of an out-building on the western side, the back of the outer court of the temple by the door Shallecheth, which contained cells for the laying up of temple goods and furniture. שׁלּכת, Bttcher translates, Proben, S. 347, "refuse-door;" see on Kg2 23:11. Nothing more definite can be said of it, unless we hold, with Thenius on Kg2 23:11, that Ezekiel's temple is in all its details a copy of the Solomonic temple, and use it, in an unjustifiable way, as a source of information as to the prae-exilic temple. משׁמר לעמּת משׁמר (as in Neh 12:24), guard with (over against?) guard, or one guard as the other (cf. on לעמּת, Ch1 26:12 and Ch1 25:8), Bertheau connects with Hosah, according to the Masoretic punctuation, and explains it thus: "Because it was Hosah's duty to set guards before the western gate of the temple, and also before the gate Shallecheth, which lay over against it." Clericus, on the contrary, refers the words to all the guard-stations: cum ad omnes januas essent custodiae, sibi ex adverso respondebant. This reference, according to which the words belong to what follows, and introduce the statement as to the number of guards at the individual posts which follows in Ch1 26:17., seems to deserve the preference. So much is certain in any case, that there is no ground in the text for distinguishing the gate Shallecheth from the western gate of the temple, for the two gates are not distinguished either in Ch1 26:16 or in Ch1 26:18.

Ch1 26:17-18

Settlement of the number of guard-stations at the various sides and places. Towards morning (on the east side) were six of the Levites (six kept guard); towards the north by day (i.e., daily, on each day), four; towards the south daily, four; and at the storehouse two and two, consequently four also; at Parbar towards the west, four on the highway and two at Parbar, i.e., six. In all, therefore, there were twenty-four guard-stations to be occupied daily; but more than twenty-four persons were required, because, even supposing that one man at a time was sufficient for each post, one man could not stand the whole day at it: he must have been relieved from time to time. Probably, however, there were always more than one person on guard at each post. It further suggests itself that the number twenty-four may be in some way connected with the divisions or classes of doorkeepers; but there is only a deceptive appearance of a connection. The division of the priests and musicians each into twenty-four classes respectively is no sufficient analogy in the case, for these classes had to perform the service in succession each for a week at a time, while the twenty-four doorkeepers' stations had to be all occupied simultaneously every day. - In Ch1 26:2-11, then, twenty-eight heads in all are enumerated by name (Meshelemiah with seven sons, Obed-edom with eight sons and six grandsons, and Hosah with four sons); but the total number in all the three families of doorkeepers is stated at ninety-three, and neither the one nor the other of these numbers bears any relation to twenty-four. Finally, the posts are so distributed that Meshelemiah with his eighteen sons and brothers kept guard on the east and north sides with six posts; Obed-edom with his sixty-two sons and brothers on the south side with four and 2 x 2, that is, eight posts; and Hosah with his thirteen sons and brothers on the western side with four and two, that is, six; so that even here no symmetrical distribution of the service can be discovered.

Ch1 26:19

Subscription, in which it is again stated that the classes of doorkeepers were taken from among the Korahites and Merarites.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Wards - Heb. having wards answerably to their brethren the other Levites, who were divided into twenty - four courses, as the priests also and the porters were.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
The rest of this chapter, with the whole of the 28th, is wanting both in the Syriac and Arabic.

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⁵ Moreover four [0702] thousand [0505] were porters [07778]; and four [0702] thousand [0505] praised [01984] the LORD [03068] with the instruments [03627] which I made [06213], said David, to praise [01984] therewith.

¹ Concerning the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778]: Of the Korhites [07145] was Meshelemiah [04920] the son [01121] of Kore [06981], of the sons [01121] of Asaph [0623].
² And the sons [01121] of Meshelemiah [04920] were, Zechariah [02148] the firstborn [01060], Jediael [03043] the second [08145], Zebadiah [02069] the third [07992], Jathniel [03496] the fourth [07243],
³ Elam [05867] the fifth [02549], Jehohanan [03076] the sixth [08345], Elioenai [0454] the seventh [07637].
⁴ Moreover the sons [01121] of Obededom [05654] were, Shemaiah [08098] the firstborn [01060], Jehozabad [03075] the second [08145], Joah [03098] the third [07992], and Sacar [07940] the fourth [07243], and Nethaneel [05417] the fifth [02549],
⁵ Ammiel [05988] the sixth [08345], Issachar [03485] the seventh [07637], Peulthai [06469] the eighth [08066]: for God [0430] blessed [01288] him.
⁶ Also unto Shemaiah [08098] his son [01121] were sons [01121] born [03205], that ruled [04474] throughout the house [01004] of their father [01]: for they were mighty men [01368] of valour [02428].
⁷ The sons [01121] of Shemaiah [08098]; Othni [06273], and Rephael [07501], and Obed [05744], Elzabad [0443], whose brethren [0251] were strong [02428] men [01121], Elihu [0453], and Semachiah [05565].
⁸ All these of the sons [01121] of Obededom [05654]: they and their sons [01121] and their brethren [0251], able [02428] men [0376] for strength [03581] for the service [05656], were threescore [08346] and two [08147] of Obededom [05654].
⁹ And Meshelemiah [04920] had sons [01121] and brethren [0251], strong [02428] men [01121], eighteen [08083] [06240].
¹⁰ Also Hosah [02621], of the children [01121] of Merari [04847], had sons [01121]; Simri [08113] the chief [07218], (for though he was not the firstborn [01060], yet his father [01] made [07760] him the chief [07218];)
¹¹ Hilkiah [02518] the second [08145], Tebaliah [02882] the third [07992], Zechariah [02148] the fourth [07243]: all the sons [01121] and brethren [0251] of Hosah [02621] were thirteen [07969] [06240].

¹⁹ These are the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778] among the sons [01121] of Kore [07145], and among the sons [01121] of Merari [04847].

² And the sons [01121] of Meshelemiah [04920] were, Zechariah [02148] the firstborn [01060], Jediael [03043] the second [08145], Zebadiah [02069] the third [07992], Jathniel [03496] the fourth [07243],
³ Elam [05867] the fifth [02549], Jehohanan [03076] the sixth [08345], Elioenai [0454] the seventh [07637].
⁴ Moreover the sons [01121] of Obededom [05654] were, Shemaiah [08098] the firstborn [01060], Jehozabad [03075] the second [08145], Joah [03098] the third [07992], and Sacar [07940] the fourth [07243], and Nethaneel [05417] the fifth [02549],
⁵ Ammiel [05988] the sixth [08345], Issachar [03485] the seventh [07637], Peulthai [06469] the eighth [08066]: for God [0430] blessed [01288] him.
⁶ Also unto Shemaiah [08098] his son [01121] were sons [01121] born [03205], that ruled [04474] throughout the house [01004] of their father [01]: for they were mighty men [01368] of valour [02428].
⁷ The sons [01121] of Shemaiah [08098]; Othni [06273], and Rephael [07501], and Obed [05744], Elzabad [0443], whose brethren [0251] were strong [02428] men [01121], Elihu [0453], and Semachiah [05565].
⁸ All these of the sons [01121] of Obededom [05654]: they and their sons [01121] and their brethren [0251], able [02428] men [0376] for strength [03581] for the service [05656], were threescore [08346] and two [08147] of Obededom [05654].
⁹ And Meshelemiah [04920] had sons [01121] and brethren [0251], strong [02428] men [01121], eighteen [08083] [06240].
¹⁰ Also Hosah [02621], of the children [01121] of Merari [04847], had sons [01121]; Simri [08113] the chief [07218], (for though he was not the firstborn [01060], yet his father [01] made [07760] him the chief [07218];)
¹¹ Hilkiah [02518] the second [08145], Tebaliah [02882] the third [07992], Zechariah [02148] the fourth [07243]: all the sons [01121] and brethren [0251] of Hosah [02621] were thirteen [07969] [06240].

¹⁷ Eastward [04217] were six [08337] Levites [03881], northward [06828] four [0702] a day [03117], southward [05045] four [0702] a day [03117], and toward Asuppim [0624] two [08147] and two [08147].
¹⁸ At Parbar [06503] westward [04628], four [0702] at the causeway [04546], and two [08147] at Parbar [06503].

¹⁸ At Parbar [06503] westward [04628], four [0702] at the causeway [04546], and two [08147] at Parbar [06503].

¹⁶ To Shuppim [08206] and Hosah [02621] the lot came forth westward [04628], with the gate [08179] Shallecheth [07996], by the causeway [04546] of the going up [05927], ward [04929] against [05980] ward [04929].

⁸ And they cast [05307] lots [01486], ward [04931] against [05980] ward, as well the small [06996] as the great [01419], the teacher [0995] as the scholar [08527].

¹² Among these were the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778], even among the chief [07218] men [01397], having wards [04931] one against [05980] another [0251], to minister [08334] in the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].

²⁴ And the chief [07218] of the Levites [03881]: Hashabiah [02811], Sherebiah [08274], and Jeshua [03442] the son [01121] of Kadmiel [06934], with their brethren [0251] over against them, to praise [01984] and to give thanks [03034], according to the commandment [04687] of David [01732] the man [0376] of God [0430], ward [04929] over against [05980] ward [04929].

¹¹ And he took away [07673] the horses [05483] that the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had given [05414] to the sun [08121], at the entering in [0935] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], by the chamber [03957] of Nathanmelech [05419] the chamberlain [05631], which was in the suburbs [06503], and burned [08313] the chariots [04818] of the sun [08121] with fire [0784].

¹⁸ At Parbar [06503] westward [04628], four [0702] at the causeway [04546], and two [08147] at Parbar [06503].

¹² Shuppim [08206] also, and Huppim [02650], the children [01121] of Ir [05893], and Hushim [02366], the sons [01121] of Aher [0313].

¹⁹ These are the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778] among the sons [01121] of Kore [07145], and among the sons [01121] of Merari [04847].

²⁵ Mattaniah [04983], and Bakbukiah [01229], Obadiah [05662], Meshullam [04918], Talmon [02929], Akkub [06126], were porters [07778] keeping [08104] the ward [04929] at the thresholds [0624] of the gates [08179].

¹⁵ To Obededom [05654] southward [05045]; and to his sons [01121] the house [01004] of Asuppim [0624].

¹ Concerning the divisions [04256] of the porters [07778]: Of the Korhites [07145] was Meshelemiah [04920] the son [01121] of Kore [06981], of the sons [01121] of Asaph [0623].

¹⁴ And the lot [01486] eastward [04217] fell [05307] to Shelemiah [08018]. Then for Zechariah [02148] his son [01121], a wise [07922] counsellor [03289], they cast [05307] lots [01486]; and his lot [01486] came out [03318] northward [06828].

⁸ And they cast [05307] lots [01486], ward [04931] against [05980] ward, as well the small [06996] as the great [01419], the teacher [0995] as the scholar [08527].

¹³ And they cast [05307] lots [01486], as well the small [06996] as the great [01419], according to the house [01004] of their fathers [01], for every gate [08179].

⁴ And there were more [07227] chief [07218] men [01397] found [04672] of the sons [01121] of Eleazar [0499] than of the sons [01121] of Ithamar [0385]; and thus were they divided [02505]. Among the sons [01121] of Eleazar [0499] there were sixteen [08337] [06240] chief men [07218] of the house [01004] of their fathers [01], and eight [08083] among the sons [01121] of Ithamar [0385] according to the house [01004] of their fathers [01].