The priesthood is ordered by lot: the sons of Aaron — Nadab and Abihu having died before their father — divided through Eleazar and Ithamar into twenty-four courses, 'for they were princes of the sanctuary and princes of God.' Shemaiah the scribe writes the lots down 'in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest': 'the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah' — on through the twenty-fourth, the roster by which the Temple’s service would be ordered for centuries. And the rest of the sons of Levi cast lots in the same presence, 'the fathers’ houses of the chief even as those of his younger brother.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And the courses of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
verse value 2348
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·courses" (מַחְלְקוֹתָ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 256: Aaron, Aaron. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "their·courses" (מַחְלְקוֹתָ֑ם). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "their·courses" (root מחלקת, 26x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·courses', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְלִבְנֵ֥י [and·to·sons·of] (98) + אַהֲרֹ֖ן [Aaron] (256) + מַחְלְקוֹתָ֑ם [their·courses] (624) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אַהֲרֹ֔ן [Aaron] (256) + נָדָב֙ [Nadab] (56) + וַאֲבִיה֔וּא [and·Abihu] (31) + אֶלְעָזָ֖ר [Eleazar] (308) + וְאִיתָמָֽר [and·Ithamar] (657) = 2348.
Rashi
And of the sons of Aaron The meaning is: These are the sons of Aaron, etc. according to their divisions.
Metzudat David
'And the courses of the sons of Aaron' — the sons of Aaron, too, were divided in this way into watches.
Malbim
‘And the courses of the sons of Aaron’ — [Scripture] now enumerates the arrangement of the divisions of the priests.
But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office.
verse value 2068
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "Nadab" (נָדָ֤ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Abihu" (וַֽאֲבִיהוּא֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "not·they·were" (לֹא־הָי֣וּ), "and·they·served·as·priest" (וַֽיְכַהֲנ֔וּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "not·they·were" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "their·father" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֨מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + נָדָ֤ב [Nadab] (56) + וַֽאֲבִיהוּא֙ [and·Abihu] (31) + לִפְנֵ֣י [before] (170) + אֲבִיהֶ֔ם [their·father] (58) + וּבָנִ֖ים [and·sons] (108) + לֹא־הָי֣וּ [not·they·were] (52) + לָהֶ֑ם [to·them] (75) + וַֽיְכַהֲנ֔וּ [and·they·served·as·priest] (97) + אֶלְעָזָ֖ר [Eleazar] (308) + וְאִיתָמָֽר [and·Ithamar] (657) = 2068.
Rashi
And Nadab and Abihu died, etc., and they had no sons Since they had no sons, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in their stead, but if Nadab and Abihu had had children, they would have preceded Eleazar and Ithamar in the high priesthood, for so we find with Ezra (3:9), for Jehozadak was Joshua’s father, and Jehozadak and Ezra were the sons of Seraiah, as it is written: (above 5:41): “... and Seraiah begot Jehozadak.” And in Ezra (7:1), it is written: “Ezra the son of Seraiah.” And Jehozadak went into exile to Babylon, and when they came up from Babylon, Joshua went up and served, but Ezra did not serve because Jehozadak was the firstborn, and the son of his firstborn brother preceded him, as is written in the prophecy of Haggai (1:1): “Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the High Priest.”
Metzudat David
'before their father' — during their father's lifetime. 'executed the priest's office' — meaning, they remained as priests to Hashem.
And David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in their service.
verse value 2974
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֔יד, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Ahimelech" (וַאֲחִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 152: from·sons·of, from·sons·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·their·oversight" (לִפְקֻדָּתָ֖ם), "in·their·service" (בַּעֲבֹדָתָֽם). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "in·their·service" (root עבדה, 28x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אחימלך ("and·Ahimelech") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ithamar', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֶּחָלְקֵ֣ם [and·he·divided·them] (194) + דָּוִ֔יד [David] (24) + וְצָדוֹק֙ [and·Zadok] (206) + מִן־בְּנֵ֣י [from·sons·of] (152) + אֶלְעָזָ֔ר [Eleazar] (308) + וַאֲחִימֶ֖לֶךְ [and·Ahimelech] (115) + מִן־בְּנֵ֣י [from·sons·of] (152) + אִיתָמָ֑ר [Ithamar] (651) + לִפְקֻדָּתָ֖ם [to·their·oversight] (654) + בַּעֲבֹדָתָֽם [in·their·service] (518) = 2974.
Rashi
and Ahimelech was of the sons of Ithamar This is Ahimelech the son of Ebiathar, as is proven immediately following (verse 6): “And Shemaiah, etc. wrote them...” until “and Ahimelech the son of Ebiathar.”
Ralbag
'And Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar' — now, Ahimelech was the son of Abiathar, and Abiathar was of the house of Eli; and we learn from this passage that Eli was among the descendants of Ithamar. It states that the divisions of the priests were twenty-four: sixteen heads for Eleazar and eight for the sons of Ithamar; these were the heads of the divisions, each of which served for seven days. Each division was therefore subdivided into seven fathers' houses, so that the arrangement would be fixed day by day and its order would not fail. When the first division completed its week of service, the second would follow it, then the third, and so on in this order until all the divisions had served, whereupon the first would again return to serve, in the same manner as before. Now, the heads of the divisions listed here in order were those who served in the days of David, and their sons after them stood in their place and were called by these same names. Thus the first division belonged to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, and so on until the twenty-fourth, which belonged to Maaziah.
Metzudat David
'according to their ordering in their service' — according to their number, those serving in the duty assigned to them.
Malbim
‘and Ahimelech’ — this is Ahimelech son of Abiathar, for Abiathar his father had by then been removed from his position, as stated in I Kings (2:27).
And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers’ houses; and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses, eight.
verse value 7597
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שִׁשָּׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Eleazar" (בְֽנֵי־אֶלְעָזָ֡ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 651: Ithamar, Ithamar. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Eleazar" (בְֽנֵי־אֶלְעָזָ֡ר), "to·house·of·fathers" (לְבֵית־אָבוֹת֙). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Eleazar" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "to·house·of·fathers" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "their·fathers" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·divided·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 11 words.
Rashi
and thus they were divided: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen heads of the fathers’ houses Originally, in the Tabernacle of Shiloh, there were no more than sixteen watches: eight from Eleazar and eight from Ithamar, as is delineated in Tractate Taanith (27), but when David saw that the men of Eleazar were many, he divided each watch of Eleazar into two and made them sixteen watches, but the watch of the sons of Ithamar he left as the watches had originally been, viz. of eight watches. This is proven immediately following (verse 6): “... one father’s house established for Eleazar, and what was established for Ithamar remained established,” i.e., as it was established [that they] be stationed as a watch in the Tabernacle, so did David station them now in the Temple.”
Metzudat David
'chief men' — according to the number of leading men fit for the service. 'heads of fathers' houses' — he made sixteen heads of fathers' houses, and these were the watches.
Malbim
‘more’ — At first there were only sixteen divisions, eight from Eleazar and eight from Ithamar; but when it was seen that the sons of Eleazar were numerous, sixteen divisions were made from them, while Ithamar remained as before [with eight], as stated in tractate Taanit.
Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for they were princes of the sanctuary and princes of God, both of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.
verse value 3732
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·divided·them" (וַיַּחְלְק֥וּם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "by·lots" (בְּגוֹרָל֖וֹת), "princes·of·sanctuary" (שָׂרֵי־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "for·they·were" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·these', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיַּחְלְק֥וּם [and·they·divided·them] (200) + בְּגוֹרָל֖וֹת [by·lots] (647) + אֵ֣לֶּה [these] (36) + עִם־אֵ֑לֶּה [with·these] (146) + כִּֽי־הָי֤וּ [for·they·were] (51) + שָׂרֵי־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ [princes·of·sanctuary] (914) + וְשָׂרֵ֣י [and·princes·of] (516) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + מִבְּנֵ֥י [from·sons·of] (102) + אֶלְעָזָ֖ר [Eleazar] (308) + וּבִבְנֵ֥י [and·in·sons·of] (70) + אִיתָמָֽר [Ithamar] (651) = 3732.
Rashi
And they divided them by lots, these with those to whom the lot would fall to be first or second or third or fourth, and so all of them.
Metzudat David
'by lot' — [to determine] who would serve first, who second, etc. 'for they were princes of the sanctuary,' etc. — for they were all alike princes of the sanctuary, and therefore no one was given precedence over another, to place him first, without a lottery.
Malbim
‘Thus were they divided by lot’ — [to determine] who would be first or second [in order]. ‘for they were’ — They were equal in rank, so they could not be ordered according to their standing, but only according to the lot.
And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites: one father’s house being taken for Eleazar, and proportionately for Ithamar.
verse value 6579
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 118 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֗ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֗ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Nethanel" (בֶן־נְתַנְאֵ֨ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 16: taken, taken. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·wrote·them" (וַֽיִּכְתְּבֵ֡ם), "son·of·Nethanel" (בֶן־נְתַנְאֵ֨ל), "the·scribe" (הַסּוֹפֵ֜ר). The root אחז appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Nethanel" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "house·of·father" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "the·fathers" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·of·the·Levites', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
And Shemaiah... wrote them to be a reminder for them who was first, who second, and so all of them.
Metzudat David
'wrote them' — he wrote the names of the fathers' houses on slips to place them in the urn, in order to carry out the lottery. 'one father's house being taken for Eleazar,' etc. — our Sages said that at first there were eight fathers' houses for Eleazar and eight for Ithamar; and since David found that the sons of Eleazar were more numerous, he divided each father's house into two. This is what is meant by 'one father's house being taken for Eleazar' — meaning, each father's house took hold of one more, so that it became two. 'and proportionately for Ithamar' — meaning, what had been assigned to Ithamar remained as it was from before, unchanged, with nothing added.
Malbim
‘one father’s house being taken’ — They drew out one from the sons of Eleazar and one from the sons of Ithamar, up through the seventeenth division and beyond, which was entirely from Eleazar. Since Eleazar's divisions were new, it says ‘one being taken’; but Ithamar's were the original, long-standing ones, so it says ‘and proportionately taken’ [doubling the word] — meaning it had already been fixed among the divisions from the start. So the Sages explained it in tractate Taanit.
Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah;
verse value 1680
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·went·out" (וַיֵּצֵ֞א, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Jehoiarib" (לִיה֣וֹיָרִ֔יב, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Jehoiarib" (לִיה֣וֹיָרִ֔יב), "to·Jedaiah" (לִידַֽעְיָ֖ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 24x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֞א [and·he·went·out] (107) + הַגּוֹרָ֤ל [the·lot] (244) + הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ [the·first] (562) + לִיה֣וֹיָרִ֔יב [to·Jehoiarib] (273) + לִידַֽעְיָ֖ה [to·Jedaiah] (129) + הַשֵּׁנִֽי [the·second] (365) = 1680.
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "to·Harim" (לְחָרִם֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·third" (הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Harim" (לְחָרִם֙). 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: לְחָרִם֙ [to·Harim] (278) + הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י [the·third] (655) + לִשְׂעֹרִ֖ים [to·Seorim] (650) + הָרְבִעִֽי [the·fourth] (287) = 1870.
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "the·sixth" (הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Malchijah" (לְמַלְכִּיָּה֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Malchijah" (לְמַלְכִּיָּה֙), "to·Mijamin" (לְמִיָּמִ֖ן). 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: לְמַלְכִּיָּה֙ [to·Malchijah] (135) + הַחֲמִישִׁ֔י [the·fifth] (373) + לְמִיָּמִ֖ן [to·Mijamin] (170) + הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי [the·sixth] (615) = 1293.
Verse structure: 4 words, 21 letters. The shortest word is "to·Hakkoz" (לְהַקּוֹץ֙, 5 letters) and the longest is "the·eighth" (הַשְּׁמִינִֽי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Hakkoz" (לְהַקּוֹץ֙), "to·Abijah" (לַאֲבִיָּ֖ה). 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: לְהַקּוֹץ֙ [to·Hakkoz] (231) + הַשְּׁבִעִ֔י [the·seventh] (387) + לַאֲבִיָּ֖ה [to·Abijah] (48) + הַשְּׁמִינִֽי [the·eighth] (415) = 1081.
Verse structure: 4 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "to·Jeshua" (לְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙, 5 letters) and the longest is "to·Shecaniah" (לִשְׁכַנְיָ֖הוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Jeshua" (לְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙), "the·ninth" (הַתְּשִׁעִ֔י), "to·Shecaniah" (לִשְׁכַנְיָ֖הוּ). 4 unique roots are used. Full calculation: לְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙ [to·Jeshua] (416) + הַתְּשִׁעִ֔י [the·ninth] (785) + לִשְׁכַנְיָ֖הוּ [to·Shecaniah] (421) + הָעֲשִׂרִֽי [the·tenth] (585) = 2207.
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָׂ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Eliashib" (לְאֶלְיָשִׁיב֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: ten, ten. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Eliashib" (לְאֶלְיָשִׁיב֙), "to·Jakim" (לְיָקִ֖ים). The root עשר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "two" (root שנים, 45x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְאֶלְיָשִׁיב֙ [to·Eliashib] (383) + עַשְׁתֵּ֣י [one] (780) + עָשָׂ֔ר [ten] (570) + לְיָקִ֖ים [to·Jakim] (190) + שְׁנֵ֥ים [two] (400) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 2893.
the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab;
verse value 2521
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָׂ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jeshebeab" (לְיֶשֶׁבְאָ֖ב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: ten, ten. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Huppah" (לְחֻפָּה֙), "to·Jeshebeab" (לְיֶשֶׁבְאָ֖ב). The root עשר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "three" (root שלוש, 42x in I Chronicles); "four" (root ארבע, 41x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְחֻפָּה֙ [to·Huppah] (123) + שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה [three] (635) + עָשָׂ֔ר [ten] (570) + לְיֶשֶׁבְאָ֖ב [to·Jeshebeab] (345) + אַרְבָּעָ֥ה [four] (278) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 2521.
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָׂ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Bilgah" (לְבִלְגָּה֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: ten, ten. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Bilgah" (לְבִלְגָּה֙). The root עשר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Immer" (root אמר, 73x in I Chronicles); "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "six" (root שש, 22x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְבִלְגָּה֙ [to·Bilgah] (70) + חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה [five] (353) + עָשָׂ֔ר [ten] (570) + לְאִמֵּ֖ר [to·Immer] (271) + שִׁשָּׁ֥ה [six] (605) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 2439.
the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez;
verse value 2468
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָׂ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hezir" (לְחֵזִיר֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 570: ten, ten. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Hezir" (לְחֵזִיר֙), "to·Happizzez" (לְהַפִּצֵּ֖ץ). The root עשר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "seven" (root שבע, 29x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְחֵזִיר֙ [to·Hezir] (255) + שִׁבְעָ֣ה [seven] (377) + עָשָׂ֔ר [ten] (570) + לְהַפִּצֵּ֖ץ [to·Happizzez] (295) + שְׁמוֹנָ֥ה [eight] (401) + עָשָֽׂר [ten] (570) = 2468.
the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel;
verse value 2689
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עָשָׂ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jehezkel" (לִֽיחֶזְקֵ֖אל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Pethahiah" (לִֽפְתַחְיָה֙), "to·Jehezkel" (לִֽיחֶזְקֵ֖אל), "the·twentieth" (הָעֶשְׂרִֽים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "the·twentieth" (root עשרים, 38x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לִֽפְתַחְיָה֙ [to·Pethahiah] (533) + תִּשְׁעָ֣ה [nine] (775) + עָשָׂ֔ר [ten] (570) + לִֽיחֶזְקֵ֖אל [to·Jehezkel] (186) + הָעֶשְׂרִֽים [the·twentieth] (625) = 2689.
the one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul;
verse value 1894
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·twenty" (וְעֶשְׂרִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 626: and·twenty, and·twenty. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Jachin" (לְיָכִין֙), "to·Gamul" (לְגָמ֖וּל). The root עשרים appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "two" (root שנים, 45x in I Chronicles); "and·twenty" (root עשרים, 38x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְיָכִין֙ [to·Jachin] (120) + אֶחָ֣ד [one] (13) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֔ים [and·twenty] (626) + לְגָמ֖וּל [to·Gamul] (109) + שְׁנַ֥יִם [two] (400) + וְעֶשְׂרִֽים [and·twenty] (626) = 1894.
the three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah.
verse value 2418
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2418 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "three" (שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Maaziah" (לְמַעַזְיָ֖הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 626: and·twenty, and·twenty. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Delaiah" (לִדְלָיָ֙הוּ֙), "to·Maaziah" (לְמַעַזְיָ֖הוּ). The root עשרים appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "three" (root שלוש, 42x in I Chronicles); "four" (root ארבע, 41x in I Chronicles); "and·twenty" (root עשרים, 38x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לִדְלָיָ֙הוּ֙ [to·Delaiah] (85) + שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה [three] (635) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֔ים [and·twenty] (626) + לְמַעַזְיָ֖הוּ [to·Maaziah] (168) + אַרְבָּעָ֥ה [four] (278) + וְעֶשְׂרִֽים [and·twenty] (626) = 2418.
These were the orderings of them in their service, to come into the house of Hashem according to the ordinance given to them by the hand of Aaron their father, as Hashem, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
verse value 3773
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֣לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·house·of·Hashem" (לְבֵית־יְהֹוָה֙, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "their·oversight" (פְקֻדָּתָ֞ם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "their·father" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: אֵ֣לֶּה [these] (36) + פְקֻדָּתָ֞ם [their·oversight] (624) + לַעֲבֹדָתָ֗ם [for·their·service] (546) + לָב֤וֹא [to·go·in] (39) + לְבֵית־יְהֹוָה֙ [to·the·house·of·Hashem] (468) + כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֔ם [as·their·ordinance] (489) + בְּיַ֖ד [by·hand·of] (16) + אַהֲרֹ֣ן [Aaron] (256) + אֲבִיהֶ֑ם [their·father] (58) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר [as·that] (521) + צִוָּ֔הוּ [commanded·him] (107) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3773.
Rashi
These are their appointment[s] to their service Those who are written here are the heads of the watches. Their appointments were over the watches.
Metzudat David
'These were the orderings of them' — this is the number of the watches for coming into the house of Hashem for their service, according to the ordinance stated by the hand of Aaron, as Hashem had commanded him.
Malbim
‘These were the orderings of them in their service, to come’ — meaning that each one would come in during the week in which his division fell.
And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
verse value 2110
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "Levi" (לֵוִ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·remain" (הַנּוֹתָרִ֑ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 339: Shubael, Shubael. The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·of·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Levi" (root לוי, 46x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שובאל ("Shubael") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'who·remain', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְלִבְנֵ֥י [and·of·sons·of] (98) + לֵוִ֖י [Levi] (46) + הַנּוֹתָרִ֑ים [who·remain] (711) + לִבְנֵ֤י [of·sons·of] (92) + עַמְרָם֙ [Amram] (350) + שֽׁוּבָאֵ֔ל [Shubael] (339) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·sons·of] (92) + שׁוּבָאֵ֖ל [Shubael] (339) + יֶחְדְּיָֽהוּ [Jehdeiah] (43) = 2110.
Ralbag
'Of the sons of Amram, Shubael' — this is the same Shubael mentioned earlier (23:16).
Metzudat David
'And of the rest of the sons of Levi' — their divisions were likewise; and it says 'the rest,' because the priests among the sons of Levi, and the sons of Gershon son of Levi, had already been counted; and although they too were mentioned together with the others above, nevertheless Scripture counts them again, because the names of their fathers' houses had changed, and to the sons of Merari more was added. 'of the sons of Amram, Shubael,' etc. — meaning, the father's house among the sons of Amram, which was originally called after Shubael, was now renamed after Jehdeiah, who was among the sons of Shubael; and so it is with all the names stated in this passage.
Malbim
‘And of the rest of the sons of Levi’ — [Scripture] already listed them in chapter 23; here it returns to the sons of Kohath and Merari to explain additional details not given there, while the sons of Gershon are already known from there. Here it newly supplies the head of each family: the sons of Shubael (see 23:16), and Rehabiah (23:17), the sons of Shelomith (23:18); and what was stated (23:19), ‘Jeriah the chief,’ meant that he was the father of Amariah and so on. Likewise for the sons of Micah and Isshiah it gives the head of each; and likewise in verses 26-27 we learn new details about who completed the count of the twenty-four divisions, as stated above, chapter 23:22.
Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief.
verse value 1415
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "of·sons·of" (לִבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Rehabiah" (לִרְחַבְיָ֑הוּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Rehabiah" (לִרְחַבְיָ֑הוּ). The root רחביהו appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "the·chief" (root ראש, 73x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root רחביהו ("to·Rehabiah") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Rehabiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 4 words. Full calculation: לִרְחַבְיָ֑הוּ [to·Rehabiah] (261) + לִבְנֵ֣י [of·sons·of] (92) + רְחַבְיָ֔הוּ [Rehabiah] (231) + הָרֹ֖אשׁ [the·chief] (506) + יִשִּׁיָּֽה [Isshiah] (325) = 1415.
Metzudat David
'Of Rehabiah' — for the father's house of Rehabiah, Isshiah, one of his sons, was made the head, and the father's house was called by his name.
Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.
verse value 2407
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "Jahath" (יָֽחַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Izharites" (לַיִּצְהָרִ֣י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 776: Shelomoth, Shelomoth. The root שלמות appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יצהרי ("the·Izharites") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root שלמות ("Shelomoth") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: לַיִּצְהָרִ֣י [the·Izharites] (345) + שְׁלֹמ֔וֹת [Shelomoth] (776) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·sons·of] (92) + שְׁלֹמ֖וֹת [Shelomoth] (776) + יָֽחַת [Jahath] (418) = 2407.
Metzudat David
'Of the Izharites' — the father's house among the sons of Izhar, which had been called after Shelomoth, is now called after Jahath.
And Benai, Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
verse value 2204
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "and·Benai" (וּבְנָ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "Amariah" (אֲמַרְיָ֙הוּ֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Amariah" (אֲמַרְיָ֙הוּ֙), "Jekameam" (יְקַמְעָ֖ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Benai" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jeriah', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּבְנָ֖י [and·Benai] (68) + יְרִיָּ֑הוּ [Jeriah] (231) + אֲמַרְיָ֙הוּ֙ [Amariah] (262) + הַשֵּׁנִ֔י [the·second] (365) + יַחֲזִיאֵל֙ [Jahaziel] (66) + הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י [the·third] (655) + יְקַמְעָ֖ם [Jekameam] (260) + הָרְבִיעִֽי [the·fourth] (297) = 2204.
Metzudat David
'And Benai, Jeriah' — meaning, the father's house that had been called after Jeriah now became one father's house together with that of Amariah, which had been second to it, and both were now called after Amariah. 'Jahaziel' — that father's house did not change its name, and so too Jekameam.
The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir.
verse value 1518
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Uzziel" (עֻזִּיאֵל֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: Micah, Micah. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Shamir" (שָׁמִֽיר). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles).
The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.
verse value 1084
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "brother·of" (אֲחִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zechariah" (זְכַרְיָֽהוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 325: Isshiah, Isshiah. The root ישיה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "brother·of" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: אֲחִ֤י [brother·of] (19) + מִיכָה֙ [Micah] (75) + יִשִּׁיָּ֔ה [Isshiah] (325) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·sons·of] (92) + יִשִּׁיָּ֖ה [Isshiah] (325) + זְכַרְיָֽהוּ [Zechariah] (248) = 1084.
Metzudat David
'The brother of Micah, Isshiah' — meaning, the father's house that had been called after Isshiah, the brother of Micah, was now renamed after Zechariah, who was among the sons of Isshiah.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, his son,
verse value 1190
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jaaziah" (יַעֲזִיָּ֥הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: sons·of, sons·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Jaaziah" (יַעֲזִיָּ֥הוּ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בְּנֵ֤י [sons·of] (62) + מְרָרִי֙ [Merari] (450) + מַחְלִ֣י [Mahli] (88) + וּמוּשִׁ֔י [and·Mushi] (362) + בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + יַעֲזִיָּ֥הוּ [Jaaziah] (108) + בְנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1190.
Metzudat David
'The sons of Merari' — meaning, whereas previously there had been fathers' houses for the sons of Merari only from the sons of Mahli and Mushi, now fathers' houses were added for the sons of Jaaziah son of Merari, who had not been mentioned above.
even the sons of Merari through Jaaziah his son: Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri.
verse value 1586
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 1586 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jaaziah" (לְיַעֲזִיָּ֣הוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "to·Jaaziah" (לְיַעֲזִיָּ֣הוּ), "and·Shoham" (וְשֹׁ֥הַם), "and·Zaccur" (וְזַכּ֖וּר). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Merari', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [sons·of] (62) + מְרָרִ֑י [Merari] (450) + לְיַעֲזִיָּ֣הוּ [to·Jaaziah] (138) + בְנ֔וֹ [his·son] (58) + וְשֹׁ֥הַם [and·Shoham] (351) + וְזַכּ֖וּר [and·Zaccur] (239) + וְעִבְרִֽי [and·Ibri] (288) = 1586.
Metzudat David
'the sons of Merari' — these are the fathers' houses among the sons of Merari that belonged to Jaaziah his son, namely, etc.
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·he·was" (וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Mahli" (לְמַחְלִי֙). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·not·he·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "to·him" (root לו, 20x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְמַחְלִי֙ [Mahli] (118) + אֶלְעָזָ֔ר [Eleazar] (308) + וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה [and·not·he·was] (57) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + בָּנִֽים [sons] (102) = 621.
Metzudat David
'who had no sons' — and he therefore did not become the head of a father's house.
Verse structure: 3 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "Kish" (לְקִ֖ישׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Kish" (בְּנֵי־קִ֥ישׁ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Kish" (לְקִ֖ישׁ). 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Kish" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לְקִ֖ישׁ [Kish] (440) + בְּנֵי־קִ֥ישׁ [sons·of·Kish] (472) + יְרַחְמְאֵֽל [Jerahmeel] (289) = 1201.
Metzudat David
'Of Kish' — the father's house of Kish is now called after Jerahmeel, who was among the sons of Kish.
And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after their fathers’ houses.
verse value 2553
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֛לֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֛לֶּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Jerimoth" (וִירִימ֑וֹת, 7 letters). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "to·house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "their·fathers" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jerimoth', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + מוּשִׁ֔י [Mushi] (356) + מַחְלִ֥י [Mahli] (88) + וְעֵ֖דֶר [and·Eder] (280) + וִירִימ֑וֹת [and·Jerimoth] (672) + אֵ֛לֶּה [these] (36) + בְּנֵ֥י [sons·of] (62) + הַלְוִיִּ֖ם [the·Levites] (91) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·house·of] (442) + אֲבֹתֵיהֶֽם [their·fathers] (458) = 2553.
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Mushi: Mahli,' etc. — those fathers' houses did not have their names changed. 'after their fathers' houses' — of the members of their families (and thus they were now divided into twenty-four divisions, like the priests: nine from the sons of Gershon, eight from the sons of Kohath, and seven from the sons of Merari).
These likewise cast lots even as their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers’ houses of the chief even as those of his younger brother.
verse value 5259
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "also·they" (גַם־הֵ֨ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Aaron" (בְּנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֗ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 540: to·side·of, to·side·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Aaron" (בְּנֵי־אַהֲרֹ֗ן). The root עמה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Aaron" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "their·brethren" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמה ("to·side·of") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·of·the·Levites', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Ralbag
These likewise cast lots, etc. — Meaning: the Levites, too, had already been divided into twenty-four divisions, so that each of them would serve for a full week, in the manner mentioned above concerning the service of the priests. the fathers’ houses of the chief even as those of his younger brother — Meaning: the father’s houses of each division numbered seven, each one serving on its own day; and this was also the case regarding the divisions of the Levites, such that just as there was a division of Levites corresponding to a particular division of the priests, so too each father’s house among the Levites corresponded to the known father’s house from the priests’ division for that week. Now, it calls it ‘the younger,’ because the head of a single father’s house is lesser than the head of the entire division.
Metzudat David
‘lots’ — these determined who would serve first; their service was to sing with the mouth. ‘even as their brethren’ — meaning, like their brethren the sons of Aaron, similar to them in the matter of the lot. ‘the fathers’ houses of the chief,’ etc. — the head of all the fathers’ houses was called by the name “fathers”; and so it says that although this “fathers’ house” was head over all the rest, it was nevertheless placed in the lot on the same footing as its youngest brother, and its eminence did not avail to give its father’s house precedence to go first.
Malbim
'These likewise cast lots even as their brethren' — every Levite division would serve together with one of the priestly divisions, ministering alongside it. 'the fathers’ houses of the chief' — that is, in the casting of lots the great and the small were treated as equal, and no one house had any precedence over another.
Rashi
Metzudat David
Malbim