The longest genealogy in the book belongs to Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, each line drawn down through its generations. Here too are 'they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Hashem, after the ark had rest' — Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, who 'ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Hashem in Jerusalem.' At the center stands the altar itself: 'But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of burnt-offering, and upon the altar of incense... to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.' And the chapter closes by settling the whole tribe on the map — the cities of refuge and the Levitical cities with their open lands, tribe by tribe and lot by lot.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Verse structure: 5 words, 18 letters. Verse gematria: 1612 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Merari" (וּמְרָרִֽי, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Gershom" (גֵּרְשֹׁ֕ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Levi" (root לוי, 46x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root גרשם ("Gershom") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Levi', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [son] (62) + לֵוִ֑י [Levi] (46) + גֵּרְשֹׁ֕ם [Gershom] (543) + קְהָ֖ת [Kohath] (505) + וּמְרָרִֽי [Merari] (456) = 1612.
Metzudat David
'The sons of Levi' — in order to trace the lineage of the rest of Levi's descendants, Scripture goes back and mentions all three sons again.
Malbim
'The sons of Levi' — above (5:27) this was stated for the sake of tracing the lineage of the sons of Aaron; here [the verse] returns and traces the lineage of all of them a second time.
And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni, and Shimei.
verse value 1917
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "these" (וְאֵ֛לֶּה, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Gershom" (בְּֽנֵי־גֵרְשׁ֖וֹם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Gershom" (בְּֽנֵי־גֵרְשׁ֖וֹם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles); "name" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root לבני ("Libni") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וְאֵ֛לֶּה [these] (42) + שְׁמ֥וֹת [name] (746) + בְּֽנֵי־גֵרְשׁ֖וֹם [sons·of·Gershom] (611) + לִבְנִ֥י [Libni] (92) + וְשִׁמְעִֽי [Shimei] (426) = 1917.
Metzudat Zion
Libni - This is Ladan, mentioned below, 23:7, in the division of the [Levite] watches.
And the sons of Kohath were Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
verse value 1630
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "Kohath" (קְהָ֑ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hebron" (וְחֶבְר֖וֹן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Izhar" (וְיִצְהָ֔ר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kohath', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֖י [son] (68) + קְהָ֑ת [Kohath] (505) + עַמְרָ֣ם [Amram] (350) + וְיִצְהָ֔ר [Izhar] (311) + וְחֶבְר֖וֹן [Hebron] (272) + וְעֻזִּיאֵֽל [Uzziel] (124) = 1630.
The sons of Merari: Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
verse value 2371
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·fathers" (לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Mushi" (וּמֻשִׁ֑י), "to·their·fathers" (לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶֽם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "to·their·fathers" (root אב, 95x in I Chronicles); "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מחלי ("Mahli") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Mushi', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֥י [son] (62) + מְרָרִ֖י [Merari] (450) + מַחְלִ֣י [Mahli] (88) + וּמֻשִׁ֑י [Mushi] (356) + וְאֵ֛לֶּה [these] (42) + מִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת [families·of] (834) + הַלֵּוִ֖י [the·Levites] (51) + לַאֲבֹתֵיהֶֽם [to·their·fathers] (488) = 2371.
Metzudat David
'According to their fathers' houses' — meaning, they are traced to their fathers, from son back to father.
Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son;
verse value 1315
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Gershom" (לְֽגֵרְשׁ֑וֹם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Gershom" (לְֽגֵרְשׁ֑וֹם), "Zimmah" (זִמָּ֥ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Gershom', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 6 words. Full calculation: לְֽגֵרְשׁ֑וֹם [Gershom] (579) + לִבְנִ֥י [Libni] (92) + בְנ֛וֹ [son] (58) + יַ֥חַת [Jahath] (418) + בְּנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + זִמָּ֥ה [Zimmah] (52) + בְנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 1315.
Metzudat David
'Of Gershom' — these are the generations that belong to Gershom.
Metzudat Zion
Jahath - This is Jehiel, mentioned further below.
Malbim
'Of Gershom: Libni his son' — In verse 25 [below], their lineage is traced down to Levi, and if we compare the two lists, there and here, we see that in both places the text skips some links, relying on us to fill in from one list using the other. So the order here is: Libni his son, Jahath his son, [Shimei his son], Zimmah his son, [Ethan his son], Joah his son (here the text was unwilling to skip Jahath and write "Libni [begot] Shimei," since that could be confused with the sons of Merari [in verse 14]). There, the order is: the son of Ethni, [the son of Jeatherai], the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, [the son of Joah], the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, the son of Jahath, [the son of Libni], the son of Gershon. And as for the fact that here the lineage is traced only down to Jeatherai, while further on six more ancestral houses are added — there is no wonder in that: Jeatherai was surely a distinguished figure in his generation, and so his own lineage was traced separately.
Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son.
verse value 1173
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeatherai" (יְאׇתְרַ֥י, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son, son. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Iddo" (עִדּ֣וֹ), "Jeatherai" (יְאׇתְרַ֥י). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: יוֹאָ֤ח [Joah] (25) + בְּנוֹ֙ [son] (58) + עִדּ֣וֹ [Iddo] (80) + בְנ֔וֹ [son] (58) + זֶ֥רַח [Zerah] (215) + בְּנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + יְאׇתְרַ֥י [Jeatherai] (621) + בְּנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 1173.
The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son;
verse value 1496
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Amminadab" (עַמִּינָדָ֣ב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Assir" (אַסִּ֥יר). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kohath', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֖י [son] (62) + קְהָ֑ת [Kohath] (505) + עַמִּינָדָ֣ב [Amminadab] (176) + בְּנ֔וֹ [son] (58) + קֹ֥רַח [Korah] (308) + בְּנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + אַסִּ֥יר [Assir] (271) + בְּנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 1496.
Ralbag
Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son — Now, Amminadab is Izhar, Assir.
Metzudat Zion
Amminadab - This is Izhar, mentioned [elsewhere].
Malbim
'Amminadab' — He is Izhar. 'Assir his son' — [The verse] means that Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph are [all] sons of Korah, as stated in the Torah (Exodus 6:24); and this second Assir is the son of Abiasaph, as stated in verse 22, "the son of Assir, the son of Abiasaph, the son of Korah." 'Tahath his son, Uriel his son' — Further on (in verses 21-23) there are additions and omissions [compared to this list], and the same must be said as was said at verse 5: that in each list the text omits certain links in the chain of lineage, so that we complete one from the other. Here the order is: Tahath his son, [Zephaniah his son], Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, [Joel his son], Shaul his son, [Elkanah his son], "and the sons of Elkanah," etc. There, the order is: the son of Elkanah, [the son of Shaul], the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, [the son of Uriel], the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath.
Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son;
verse value 796
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Ebiasaph" (וְאֶבְיָסָ֥ף, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ebiasaph" (וְאֶבְיָסָ֥ף), "Assir" (וְאַסִּ֥יר). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אלקנה ("Elkanah") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: אֶלְקָנָ֥ה [Elkanah] (186) + בְנ֛וֹ [son] (58) + וְאֶבְיָסָ֥ף [Ebiasaph] (159) + בְּנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + וְאַסִּ֥יר [Assir] (277) + בְּנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 796.
Ralbag
'Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son' — It is known that these three were all sons of Korah, namely Assir, Elkanah, and Ebiasaph. After this it states that Assir was the son of Ebiasaph, Tahath was the son of Assir, and Uriel was the son of Tahath, who is also called Zephaniah. Uzziah was the son of Uriel, who is also called Azariah. Shaul was the son of Uzziah, who is also called Joel. It abbreviates by not stating that Elkanah was the son of Shaul, and it says that the sons of this Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth; it abbreviates by not stating that Amasai was the father of the next Elkanah, but says that the sons of that Elkanah are Zophai — who is also called Zuph — and that Tahath was the son of Zophai, who is also called Toah (below, 6:19) or Tohu (I Samuel 1:1). Eliab was the son of Tahath, and he too is called Eliel or Elihu; Jeroham was the son of Eliab. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham, and Samuel the prophet was the son of this Elkanah, and his own sons were the second and Abijah. And it follows that these three were all sons of Hannah, since it says, “For Hashem remembered Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters” (I Samuel 2:21); but the sons of Peninnah all died, as Hannah said, “the barren has borne seven,” etc.
Metzudat David
'Elkanah his son' — not that he was the son of Assir, as though the text were listing them one begetting the next in a single chain; rather, Elkanah, like Ebiasaph, was also directly a son of Korah, as it says, 'and the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph' (Exodus 6). 'And Assir his son' — this second Assir was the son of Ebiasaph.
Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
verse value 1723
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "Tahath" (תַּ֤חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "Uriel" (אוּרִיאֵ֣ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son, son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Uzziah" (עֻזִּיָּ֥ה). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·Shaul" (root שאול, 32x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אוריאל ("Uriel") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: תַּ֤חַת [Tahath] (808) + בְּנוֹ֙ [son] (58) + אוּרִיאֵ֣ל [Uriel] (248) + בְּנ֔וֹ [son] (58) + עֻזִּיָּ֥ה [Uzziah] (92) + בְנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + וְשָׁא֥וּל [and·Shaul] (343) + בְּנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 1723.
Verse structure: 4 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "son" (וּבְנֵי֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Ahimoth" (וַאֲחִימֽוֹת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Amasai" (עֲמָשַׂ֖י), "and·Ahimoth" (וַאֲחִימֽוֹת). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמשי ("Amasai") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וּבְנֵי֙ [son] (68) + אֶלְקָנָ֔ה [Elkanah] (186) + עֲמָשַׂ֖י [Amasai] (420) + וַאֲחִימֽוֹת [and·Ahimoth] (471) = 1145.
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Elkanah' — this Elkanah was the son of Shaul. 'And Ahimoth' — he was the son of Amasai.
Malbim
'And the sons of Elkanah' — According to what is stated below, in verses 20-21, Elkanah (the father of Zuph) was the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah. The commentators were therefore forced into a strained reading of the verse here, 'And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai' — [explaining that] Amasai's son was Ahimoth (he is Mahath), and Ahimoth's son was Elkanah. But it seems to me that Amasa died without sons, and his brother Mahath performed levirate marriage with his widow; he was then given the name Ahimoth, meaning 'brother of the dead one,' and he begot Elkanah, named in memory of his dead brother. For this reason, Elkanah is 'son of Mahath' with respect to who actually fathered him, and 'son of Amasai' in that he was named for him, to establish a name for him in Israel through the levirate marriage. This bears out what is stated here, 'the sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth,' whose [common] son was Elkanah — taken in its plain sense. That is why the text says 'Elkanah his son,' hinting that he was, in truth, the son of Ahimoth; and the sense is that Amasa, Ahimoth, and Elkanah are [all, in effect] 'sons of Elkanah,' for Elkanah son of Ahimoth stood in place of Elkanah the father of Amasa, replacing Amasa his son, who had died. 'Zophai' — [that is] Zuph, [as he is called] at the beginning of [the Book of] Samuel, and in verse 20. 'And Nahath' — [that is] Toah, or Tohu (in those same passages, respectively). 'Eliab' — [called] Eliel further on, and Elihu in the Book of Samuel.
As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son;
verse value 1258
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Elkanah" (אֶלְקָנָ֑ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 186: Elkanah, Elkanah, Zophai. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Zophai" (צוֹפַ֥י), "and·Nahath" (וְנַ֥חַת). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elkanah', dividing the verse into phrases of 1 and 7 words.
Metzudat David
'As for Elkanah' — he was the son of Ahimoth. 'The sons of Elkanah' — meaning, and these are the sons of Elkanah: Zophai was his son, etc.; and Scripture lists them one begetting the next.
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Eliab" (אֱלִיאָ֥ב, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root ירחם ("Jeroham") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: אֱלִיאָ֥ב [Eliab] (44) + בְּנ֛וֹ [son] (58) + יְרֹחָ֥ם [Jeroham] (258) + בְּנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + אֶלְקָנָ֥ה [Elkanah] (186) + בְנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 662.
And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Vashni; then Abiah.
verse value 1062
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 1062 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "son" (וּבְנֵ֧י, 4 letters) and the longest is "Samuel" (שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·firstborn" (הַבְּכֹ֥ר), "Vashni" (וַשְׁנִ֖י). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "the·firstborn" (root בכור, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שמואל ("Samuel") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֧י [son] (68) + שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל [Samuel] (377) + הַבְּכֹ֥ר [the·firstborn] (227) + וַשְׁנִ֖י [Vashni] (366) + וַאֲבִיָּֽה [and·Abiah] (24) = 1062.
Rashi
And the sons of Samuel: the firstborn was Vashni, and Abiah This Abiah was Joel (below v. 18, I Sam. 8:2), or the meaning is: and the second one (וְהַשֵּׁנִי) was Abiah, i.e., the second to the first was Abiah, and the second to Abiah was Joel, whose name was not written. A similar case [in which the ה הַיְדִיעָה, the definite article, is omitted] is (II Kings 7:10): “... but the horses are tethered and the donkeys (וַחֲמוֹר) are tethered,” like וְהַחֲמוֹר ; and similarly (Jud. 6:25): “and the second bull (הַפָּר הַשֵּׁנִי)” similarly, “the first (הָרִאשׁוֹן).”
Metzudat David
'And the sons of Samuel' — this is Samuel the Prophet, son of Elkanah. 'Then Abiah' — that is, 'the second': this is Joel, mentioned in I Samuel, who was known by two names.
Malbim
'And the sons of Samuel' — the sense is [elliptical]: 'Samuel his son; and the sons of Samuel.' 'The first-born Vashni; then Abiah' — [The word] 'Vashni' means 'and the second,' for we find in many places that the patach of the definite article ה that is dropped shifts onto the letter of the prefix before it, as in 'bashamayim' ("in the heavens"). And 'the second' is vocalized like 'shni,' for by rule it should have been 'shniy,' like 'shlishi' ("third"), but it was changed because of the difficulty of pronouncing two yods together, and here it reverts to its original grammatical form. Now in the Book of Genealogies that our author copied from, it was written, 'the first-born, and the second, Joel and Abiah' — meaning, 'the first-born and his deputy' — and in I Samuel (8:2) it is written there, 'the name of his first-born was Joel, and the name of his deputy [mishneihu], Abiah.' Now 'mishneh' (deputy) is distinct from 'sheni' (second by birth): 'mishneh' applies to one who ranks after another in some office or appointment, as with 'the chief priest and his deputy.' The writer of our book, true to his practice of omitting things that are otherwise plainly known, left out the name Joel here, as though he had written, 'and the second one, etc., and Abiah' — and that is why 'and Abiah' remains with a vav, just as it was written in the book he copied from. The same can be said of what is stated above (4:15), 'and the sons of Elah: and Kenaz' — where he omitted, in between, the rest of the sons of Elah that are written in the Book of Genealogies, and concluded with 'and Kenaz.' There are many such cases in this book, as I have noted a number of times.
The sons of Merari: Mahli; Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son;
verse value 1368
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 1368 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Merari" (מְרָרִ֖י, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Uzzah" (עֻזָּ֥ה). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Mahli', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: בְּנֵ֥י [son] (62) + מְרָרִ֖י [Merari] (450) + מַחְלִ֑י [Mahli] (88) + לִבְנִ֥י [Libni] (92) + בְנ֛וֹ [son] (58) + שִׁמְעִ֥י [Shimei] (420) + בְנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + עֻזָּ֥ה [Uzzah] (82) + בְנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 1368.
Malbim
'The sons of Merari: Mahli; Libni his son' — According to what is explained further on (23:21-22), the sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish, and he had no son named Libni. The commentators therefore explained that 'Libni' here is his grandson — that is, the son of Kish — named for [an ancestor of that name]; or else that when it says here, 'the sons of Merari: Mahli,' it means Mahli the son of Mushi (ibid., v. 23), tracing the line of the sons of Mushi, and that this Mahli son of Mushi son of Merari had one son named Libni, whose line is traced here, and another son named Shamer, from whom Ethan descended, whose line is traced in verses 29-32. As for what is stated, 'Asaiah his son' [v. 15] — one may say that this is Asaiah the officer mentioned further on, 15:6, and that is why his lineage is traced here.
Verse structure: 6 words, 21 letters. Notable word values: "Haggiah" (חַגִּיָּ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "son" (בְנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Shimea" (שִׁמְעָ֥א, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: son, son, son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Haggiah" (חַגִּיָּ֥ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: שִׁמְעָ֥א [Shimea] (411) + בְנ֛וֹ [son] (58) + חַגִּיָּ֥ה [Haggiah] (26) + בְנ֖וֹ [son] (58) + עֲשָׂיָ֥ה [Asaiah] (385) + בְנֽוֹ [son] (58) = 996.
And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Hashem, after the ark had rest.
verse value 2174
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·hand·of·song" (עַל־יְדֵי־שִׁ֖יר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "he·set" (הֶעֱמִ֥יד), "over·hand·of·song" (עַל־יְדֵי־שִׁ֖יר), "from·resting·place·of" (מִמְּנ֖וֹחַ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 182x in I Chronicles); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עמד ("he·set") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root שיר ("over·hand·of·song") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֗לֶּה [these] (42) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + הֶעֱמִ֥יד [he·set] (129) + דָּוִ֛יד [David] (24) + עַל־יְדֵי־שִׁ֖יר [over·hand·of·song] (634) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + מִמְּנ֖וֹחַ [from·resting·place·of] (144) + הָאָרֽוֹן [the·ark] (262) = 2174.
Rashi
And these are the ones that David stationed, etc. when they returned it from the house of Obed Edom, as it is written (below 16:37): “And he left there before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, Asaph and his brothers to serve before the Ark constantly, etc.” And it is written (verse 38f.): “... and Obed Edom the son of Jeduthun and Hosah as gate sentries before the Tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was in Gibeon, and Solomon stationed them in the Temple in Jerusalem.”
Ralbag
'After the ark had rest' — meaning that once there was a House of Hashem in which the ark could properly rest, there would be singers stationed there. Before this, David had arranged for [the Levites] to serve in song before the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, which stood in Gibeon. Or perhaps the intent is that David instituted this arrangement from the time he placed the ark in the tent he had prepared for it, which was when he brought it up from the house of Obed-edom, as will be mentioned later — and this latter explanation is the more correct one. Now, the singer who was of the sons of Kohath stood in the middle, because the service of the sons of Kohath was the most honored; to his right stood the one from the sons of Gershon, whose service was more honored than that of the sons of Merari; and to his left stood the one from the sons of Merari. From this we learn that the greatest should stand in the middle, the one next to him in greatness to his right, and the third in greatness to his left.
Metzudat David
'And these are they' — those named further below. 'Over the service of song' — meaning, to sing in the House of Hashem. 'After the ark had rest' — from the day the ark came to rest in Jerusalem, for from then on it did not move from there as it had before, when it traveled from place to place.
Malbim
'And these are' — those mentioned from verse 18 to verse 33. 'Over the service of song' — that they would be appointed over the song [service]. 'After the ark had rest' — from the time the ark came to rest in the tent that David pitched for it, as stated further on, chapters 15-16.
And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Hashem in Jerusalem; and they took their station at their service according to their order.
verse value 5856
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·face·of" (לִפְנֵ֨י, 4 letters) and the longest is "at·their·labour" (עַל־עֲבוֹדָתָֽם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "until·to·build" (עַד־בְּנ֧וֹת), "and·they·stood" (וַיַּעַמְד֥וּ), "at·their·labour" (עַל־עֲבוֹדָתָֽם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 175x in I Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·they·were" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שרת ("ministering") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root משכן ("dwelling·place") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ [and·they·were] (37) + מְשָֽׁרְתִ֜ים [ministering] (990) + לִפְנֵ֨י [to·face·of] (170) + מִשְׁכַּ֤ן [dwelling·place] (410) + אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵד֙ [tent·of·appointed·place] (156) + בַּשִּׁ֔יר [in·the·song] (512) + עַד־בְּנ֧וֹת [until·to·build] (532) + שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה [Solomon] (375) + אֶת־בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (813) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [Jerusalem] (588) + וַיַּעַמְד֥וּ [and·they·stood] (136) + כְמִשְׁפָּטָ֖ם [as·their·judgment] (489) + עַל־עֲבוֹדָתָֽם [at·their·labour] (622) = 5856.
Rashi
according to their custom according to the custom to which David had stationed them.
Metzudat David
'The tabernacle of the tent of meeting' — this is the tent that David pitched [for the ark], as stated in II Samuel. 'And they took their station... according to their order' — once the Temple would be built, they were to stand there according to the order David had established for them regarding the service assigned to them, namely, the service of song.
Malbim
'And they ministered' — for it is explained there (16:37-39) that some of them stood before the ark — namely, Asaph and his brethren — of whom it says, 'over the service of song [in] the house of Hashem' [v. 16]; while others stood before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting — namely, Heman and Ethan, who were at Gibeon — of whom it says here, 'and they ministered before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,' until [the time] Solomon had built [the Temple], when they were all united in one place, in the Temple. 'And their sons' — meaning, together with their sons.
And these are they who took their station, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel;
verse value 2330
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "these" (וְאֵ֥לֶּה, 4 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Samuel" (בֶּן־שְׁמוּאֵֽל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·standing" (הָעֹמְדִ֖ים), "singer" (הַמְשׁוֹרֵ֔ר), "son·of·Samuel" (בֶּן־שְׁמוּאֵֽל). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·their·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root קהתי ("the·Kohathites") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֥לֶּה [these] (42) + הָעֹמְדִ֖ים [the·standing] (169) + וּבְנֵיהֶ֑ם [and·their·sons] (113) + מִבְּנֵי֙ [son] (102) + הַקְּהָתִ֔י [the·Kohathites] (520) + הֵימָן֙ [Heman] (105) + הַמְשׁוֹרֵ֔ר [singer] (751) + בֶּן־יוֹאֵ֖ל [son·of·Joel] (99) + בֶּן־שְׁמוּאֵֽל [son·of·Samuel] (429) = 2330.
Metzudat David
'And these are they who took their station' — these are the chiefs who stood to sing, together with their sons. 'Heman the singer' — he was the chief. 'The son of Joel' — this is the same one called 'the second' above; and so too with the other names here, which differ from what was mentioned above — this is because these people were each known by two names, and this is an important general rule [to bear in mind].
the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah;
verse value 1138
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Toah" (בֶּן־תּֽוֹחַ, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Elkanah" (בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָה֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Eliel" (בֶּן־אֱלִיאֵ֖ל), "son·of·Toah" (בֶּן־תּֽוֹחַ). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Elkanah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָה֙ [son·of·Elkanah] (238) + בֶּן־יְרֹחָ֔ם [son·of·Jeroham] (310) + בֶּן־אֱלִיאֵ֖ל [son·of·Eliel] (124) + בֶּן־תּֽוֹחַ [son·of·Toah] (466) = 1138.
Malbim
'The son of Elkanah' — see above, from verse 7 to verse 13.
the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai;
verse value 1618
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Zuph" (בֶּן־צוּף֙, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Elkanah" (בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָ֔ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Zuph" (בֶּן־צוּף֙), "son·of·Mahath" (בֶּן־מַ֖חַת), "son·of·Amasai" (בֶּן־עֲמָשָֽׂי). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Zuph" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles).
the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah;
verse value 968
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Joel" (בֶּן־יוֹאֵ֔ל, 6 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Elkanah" (בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָה֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Azariah" (בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָ֖ה), "son·of·Zephaniah" (בֶּן־צְפַנְיָֽה). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Elkanah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָה֙ [son·of·Elkanah] (238) + בֶּן־יוֹאֵ֔ל [son·of·Joel] (99) + בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָ֖ה [son·of·Azariah] (344) + בֶּן־צְפַנְיָֽה [son·of·Zephaniah] (287) = 968.
the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah;
verse value 1748
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Tahath" (בֶּן־תַּ֙חַת֙, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ebiasaph" (בֶּן־אֶבְיָסָ֖ף, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Tahath" (בֶּן־תַּ֙חַת֙), "son·of·Assir" (בֶּן־אַסִּ֔יר). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Tahath" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־תַּ֙חַת֙ [son·of·Tahath] (860) + בֶּן־אַסִּ֔יר [son·of·Assir] (323) + בֶּן־אֶבְיָסָ֖ף [son·of·Ebiasaph] (205) + בֶּן־קֹֽרַח [son·of·Korah] (360) = 1748.
the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
verse value 1605
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Kohath" (בֶּן־קְהָ֔ת, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Israel" (בֶּן־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Izhar" (בֶּן־יִצְהָ֣ר), "son·of·Kohath" (בֶּן־קְהָ֔ת). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Izhar" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־יִצְהָ֣ר [son·of·Izhar] (357) + בֶּן־קְהָ֔ת [son·of·Kohath] (557) + בֶּן־לֵוִ֖י [son·of·Levi] (98) + בֶּן־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [son·of·Israel] (593) = 1605.
And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand; even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea;
verse value 1406
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "Asaph" (אָסָ֔ף, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Berechiah" (בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָ֖הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 141: Asaph, Asaph. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·standing" (הָעֹמֵ֖ד), "upon·his·right·hand" (עַל־יְמִינ֑וֹ). The root אסף appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Berechiah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·his·brother" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles); "Asaph" (root אסף, 20x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אסף ("Asaph") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·his·right·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאָחִ֣יו [and·his·brother] (31) + אָסָ֔ף [Asaph] (141) + הָעֹמֵ֖ד [the·standing] (119) + עַל־יְמִינ֑וֹ [upon·his·right·hand] (216) + אָסָ֥ף [Asaph] (141) + בֶּן־בֶּרֶכְיָ֖הוּ [son·of·Berechiah] (295) + בֶּן־שִׁמְעָֽא [son·of·Shimea] (463) = 1406.
Rashi
And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right [at the right] of Heman and his sons.
Metzudat David
'And his brother' — meaning, his colleague. 'Asaph,' etc. — he too was a chief. 'Even Asaph the son of Berechiah' — meaning, this Asaph was the son of Berechiah, etc.
Malbim
'And his brother' — meaning, his companion in the service of song. 'Who stood on his right hand' — [that is,] on Heman's right hand.
the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah;
verse value 749
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 21 letters. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Baaseiah" (בֶּן־בַּעֲשֵׂיָ֖ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Michael" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־מִיכָאֵ֥ל [son·of·Michael] (153) + בֶּן־בַּעֲשֵׂיָ֖ה [son·of·Baaseiah] (439) + בֶּן־מַלְכִּיָּֽה [son·of·Malchijah] (157) = 749.
the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah;
verse value 921
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 17 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Zerah" (בֶן־זֶ֖רַח, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ethni" (בֶּן־אֶתְנִ֥י, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Ethni" (בֶּן־אֶתְנִ֥י), "son·of·Adaiah" (בֶּן־עֲדָיָֽה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Ethni" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֶתְנִ֥י [son·of·Ethni] (513) + בֶן־זֶ֖רַח [son·of·Zerah] (267) + בֶּן־עֲדָיָֽה [son·of·Adaiah] (141) = 921.
the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei;
verse value 1089
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 17 letters. Verse gematria: 1089 = 33². The shortest word is "son·of·Zimmah" (בֶּן־זִמָּ֖ה, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ethan" (בֶּן־אֵיתָ֥ן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Ethan" (בֶּן־אֵיתָ֥ן), "son·of·Zimmah" (בֶּן־זִמָּ֖ה), "son·of·Shimei" (בֶּן־שִׁמְעִֽי). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Ethan" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֵיתָ֥ן [son·of·Ethan] (513) + בֶּן־זִמָּ֖ה [son·of·Zimmah] (104) + בֶּן־שִׁמְעִֽי [son·of·Shimei] (472) = 1089.
Metzudat David
'The son of Shimei' — for the sake of brevity, Scripture did not mention Shimei above, and here likewise it did not mention Libni son of Gershon.
the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.
verse value 1163
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Jahath" (בֶּן־יַ֥חַת, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Gershom" (בֶּן־גֵּרְשֹׁ֖ם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Jahath" (בֶּן־יַ֥חַת), "son·of·Gershom" (בֶּן־גֵּרְשֹׁ֖ם). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Jahath" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־יַ֥חַת [son·of·Jahath] (470) + בֶּן־גֵּרְשֹׁ֖ם [son·of·Gershom] (595) + בֶּן־לֵוִֽי [son·of·Levi] (98) = 1163.
And on the left hand their brethren the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch;
verse value 2283
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֧י, 4 letters) and the longest is "on·the·left" (עַֽל־הַשְּׂמֹ֑אול, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "on·the·left" (עַֽל־הַשְּׂמֹ֑אול), "son·of·Kishi" (בֶּן־קִישִׁ֔י), "son·of·Abdi" (בֶּן־עַבְדִּ֖י). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "their·brethren" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·the·left', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֧י [and·sons·of] (68) + מְרָרִ֛י [Merari] (450) + אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם [their·brethren] (64) + עַֽל־הַשְּׂמֹ֑אול [on·the·left] (482) + אֵיתָן֙ [Ethan] (461) + בֶּן־קִישִׁ֔י [son·of·Kishi] (472) + בֶּן־עַבְדִּ֖י [son·of·Abdi] (138) + בֶּן־מַלּֽוּךְ [son·of·Malluch] (148) = 2283.
Rashi
And the sons of Merari their brethren were on the left like what is said (in German, gebreder). On the left of Heman and his sons, for Heman and his sons were in the middle.
Metzudat David
'And on the left hand' — of Heman the singer. 'Ethan,' etc. — he too was a chief.
Malbim
'The sons of Merari' — who stood, along with Ethan, on Heman's left. Heman and the leading men among the sons of Kohath stood in the middle; Asaph and the sons of Gershon stood on the right; and the sons of Merari stood on the left.
the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah;
verse value 780
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 21 letters. Verse gematria: 780 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Hashabiah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־חֲשַׁבְיָ֥ה [son·of·Hashabiah] (377) + בֶן־אֲמַצְיָ֖ה [son·of·Amaziah] (198) + בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּֽה [son·of·Hilkiah] (205) = 780.
the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer;
verse value 899
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Bani" (בֶן־בָּנִ֖י, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Amzi" (בֶּן־אַמְצִ֥י, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Amzi" (בֶּן־אַמְצִ֥י), "son·of·Bani" (בֶן־בָּנִ֖י), "son·of·Shemer" (בֶּן־שָֽׁמֶר). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Amzi" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־אַמְצִ֥י [son·of·Amzi] (193) + בֶן־בָּנִ֖י [son·of·Bani] (114) + בֶּן־שָֽׁמֶר [son·of·Shemer] (592) = 899.
the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
verse value 1148
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "son·of·Levi" (בֶּן־לֵוִֽי, 5 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Mahli" (בֶּן־מַחְלִי֙, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "son·of·Mahli" (בֶּן־מַחְלִי֙), "son·of·Mushi" (בֶּן־מוּשִׁ֔י), "son·of·Merari" (בֶּן־מְרָרִ֖י). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Mahli" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֶּן־מַחְלִי֙ [son·of·Mahli] (140) + בֶּן־מוּשִׁ֔י [son·of·Mushi] (408) + בֶּן־מְרָרִ֖י [son·of·Merari] (502) + בֶּן־לֵוִֽי [son·of·Levi] (98) = 1148.
And their brethren the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
verse value 2192
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֥ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·service·of" (לְכׇ֨ל־עֲבוֹדַ֔ת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·Levites, God. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "given" (נְתוּנִ֕ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "house·of" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·their·brethren" (root אח, 95x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Levites', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲחֵיהֶ֖ם [and·their·brethren] (70) + הַלְוִיִּ֑ם [the·Levites] (91) + נְתוּנִ֕ים [given] (556) + לְכׇ֨ל־עֲבוֹדַ֔ת [to·all·service·of] (562) + מִשְׁכַּ֖ן [dwelling·place] (410) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [God] (91) = 2192.
Rashi
And their brethren the Levites were appointed for the entire service of the Tabernacle of the House of God for gate sentries and to flay [the sacrificial animals], as is written further: (II Chron. 35: 11): “...and the Levites were flaying.”
Ralbag
'And their brethren the Levites were appointed for all the service' — meaning, for song and for keeping watch; these are the gatekeepers.
Metzudat David
'And their brethren the Levites' — the rest of the Levites were assigned to the remaining service of the tabernacle, to be gatekeepers and to be in charge of the needs of the tabernacle.
Malbim
'And their brethren' — the rest of the Levites served in the other tasks: slaughtering, flaying, and serving as gatekeepers.
But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of burnt-offering, and upon the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
verse value 5490
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. Verse gematria: 5490 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·all" (לְכֹ֕ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "offering" (מַקְטִירִ֨ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Aaron" (וְֽאַהֲרֹ֨ן), "offering" (מַקְטִירִ֨ים), "and·upon·altar·of" (וְעַל־מִזְבַּ֣ח). The root מזבח appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "God" (root אלהים, 117x in I Chronicles); "for·Israel" (root ישראל, 94x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מזבח ("upon·altar·of") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root עלה ("the·burnt-offering") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·holies', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Ralbag
'Offered upon the altar of burnt-offering' — such as burnt offerings, meal offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, which are of the most holy sacrifices. 'And to make atonement for Israel' — meaning, the burnt offerings and meal offerings are of the most holy sacrifices, and the sin offerings and guilt offerings are of the most holy sacrifices, and they come to make atonement for Israel; indeed, all the sacrifices come to bring atonement, as we explained in the portion of Vayikra.
Metzudat David
'Offered,' etc. — they were the ones who offered [the sacrifices], and they were the ones placed in charge of all the work of the Holy of Holies, for the Levites were forbidden to enter it.
Malbim
'But Aaron' — meaning, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) who stands in Aaron's place. 'For all the work of the most holy place' — on Yom Kippur, and to atone for sin-offerings and guilt-offerings.
And these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son;
verse value 1439
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abishua" (אֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Abishua" (אֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Aaron', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֖לֶּה [and·these] (42) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + אַהֲרֹ֑ן [Aaron] (256) + אֶלְעָזָ֥ר [Eleazar] (308) + בְּנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + פִּֽינְחָ֥ס [Phinehas] (208) + בְּנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲבִישׁ֥וּעַ [Abishua] (389) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1439.
Rashi
And these are the sons of Aaron who were offering on the altar of the burnt offering and on the altar of the incense.
Metzudat David
'And these are the sons of Aaron' — who were placed in charge of the work of the Holy of Holies; and the list continues down to Ahimaaz, who was High Priest in the days of Rehoboam.
Malbim
'And these are the sons of Aaron' — their lineage down to the destruction [of the Temple] has already been given above (5:30); this scroll, however, was written in the days of David and Solomon, and so it traces their line only as far as Ahimaaz.
Verse structure: 6 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "Bukki" (בֻּקִּ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Zerahiah" (זְרַֽחְיָ֥ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Bukki" (בֻּקִּ֥י), "Zerahiah" (זְרַֽחְיָ֥ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: בֻּקִּ֥י [Bukki] (112) + בְנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + עֻזִּ֥י [Uzzi] (87) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + זְרַֽחְיָ֥ה [Zerahiah] (230) + בְנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 603.
Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son;
verse value 1122
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "Ahitub" (אֲחִיט֥וּב) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְּנ֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Ahitub" (אֲחִיט֥וּב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ahitub" (אֲחִיט֥וּב). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: מְרָי֥וֹת [Meraioth] (656) + בְּנ֛וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲמַרְיָ֥ה [Amariah] (256) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲחִיט֥וּב [Ahitub] (36) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 1122.
Verse structure: 4 words, 16 letters. The shortest word is "his·son" (בְּנ֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Ahimaaz" (אֲחִימַ֥עַץ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 58: his·son, his·son. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ahimaaz" (אֲחִימַ֥עַץ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·son" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: צָד֥וֹק [Zadok] (200) + בְּנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + אֲחִימַ֥עַץ [Ahimaaz] (219) + בְּנֽוֹ [his·son] (58) = 535.
Rashi
Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son He enumerates only those who were until Solomon.
Ralbag
'Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son' — Here it records [the line] only down to the time of David. As for the cities of Aaron, it omits here Juttah and Gibeon (Joshua 21:16-17), because it relied on the general summary stated at the end.
Now these are their dwelling-places according to their encampments in their borders: to the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, for theirs was the first lot,
verse value 3709
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·dwelling-places" (מֽוֹשְׁבוֹתָ֔ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "their·dwelling-places" (מֽוֹשְׁבוֹתָ֔ם), "to·their·encampments" (לְטִירוֹתָ֖ם), "in·their·border" (בִּגְבוּלָ֑ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "he·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "and·these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root גורל ("the·lot") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·border', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ [and·these] (42) + מֽוֹשְׁבוֹתָ֔ם [their·dwelling-places] (794) + לְטִירוֹתָ֖ם [to·their·encampments] (695) + בִּגְבוּלָ֑ם [in·their·border] (83) + לִבְנֵ֤י [to·sons·of] (92) + אַֽהֲרֹן֙ [Aaron] (256) + לְמִשְׁפַּ֣חַת [to·family·of] (858) + הַקְּהָתִ֔י [the·Kohathites] (520) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + הָיָ֥ה [he·was] (20) + הַגּוֹרָֽל [the·lot] (244) = 3709.
Rashi
And these were their settlements for their palaces in their border, etc. until “for theirs was the lot,” i.e., for the Levites and for the priests. All Israel cast lots [to determine] how much of the land of Israel would go to them and to the priests and to the Levites, and the lot fell to Judah first. That is the meaning of “for theirs was the lot”; they were the first to give them the towns mentioned here.
Metzudat David
'Now these are their dwelling-places' — these are the places where the priests and the Levites dwelt. 'According to their encampments in their borders' — a place set aside for their encampments, within the territory given to them. 'To the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites' — meaning, first, from the family of Kohath, they gave cities to the sons of Aaron, for theirs was the lot to take first.
Metzudat Zion
According to their encampments (letirotam) - An expression of a fortified settlement, as in "let their encampment be desolate" (Psalms 69:26).
Malbim
'Now these are their dwelling-places' — from here on, [the text] enumerates the dwelling-places, the cities of the Levites and the priests, as stated in the Book of Joshua (ch. 21); see there. 'For theirs was the first lot' — meaning, the first lot [drawn] (Joshua 21:10).
to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah, and the open land round about it;
verse value 2991
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "around·it" (סְבִיבֹתֶֽיהָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·gave" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "in·land·of" (root ארץ, 37x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּתְּנ֥וּ [and·they·gave] (472) + לָהֶ֛ם [to·them] (75) + אֶת־חֶבְר֖וֹן [Hebron] (667) + בְּאֶ֣רֶץ [in·land·of] (293) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + סְבִיבֹתֶֽיהָ [around·it] (489) = 2991.
but the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
verse value 2506
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "the·city" (הָעִ֖יר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·its·villages" (וְאֶת־חֲצֵרֶ֑יהָ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·field·of" (וְאֶת־שְׂדֵ֥ה), "and·its·villages" (וְאֶת־חֲצֵרֶ֑יהָ), "to·Caleb" (לְכָלֵ֥ב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Jephunneh" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "they·gave" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles); "the·city" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·villages', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־שְׂדֵ֥ה [and·field·of] (716) + הָעִ֖יר [the·city] (285) + וְאֶת־חֲצֵרֶ֑יהָ [and·its·villages] (720) + נָתְנ֖וּ [they·gave] (506) + לְכָלֵ֥ב [to·Caleb] (82) + בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּֽה [son·of·Jephunneh] (197) = 2506.
Rashi
they gave to Caleb because Moses gave it to him.
Metzudat David
'They gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh' — just as Moses had commanded by the word of Hashem.
And to the sons of Aaron they gave the city of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with the open land about it, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with the open land about it;
verse value 7051
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "Aaron" (אַהֲרֹ֗ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Libnah" (וְאֶת־לִבְנָ֖ה), "and·Jattir" (וְאֶת־יַתִּ֥ר), "and·Eshtemoa" (וְאֶֽת־אֶשְׁתְּמֹ֖עַ). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "they·gave" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·open·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְלִבְנֵ֣י [and·to·sons·of] (98) + אַהֲרֹ֗ן [Aaron] (256) + נָֽתְנוּ֙ [they·gave] (506) + אֶת־עָרֵ֣י [cities·of] (681) + הַמִּקְלָ֔ט [the·refuge] (184) + אֶת־חֶבְר֥וֹן [Hebron] (667) + וְאֶת־לִבְנָ֖ה [and·Libnah] (494) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־יַתִּ֥ר [and·Jattir] (1017) + וְאֶֽת־אֶשְׁתְּמֹ֖עַ [and·Eshtemoa] (1218) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 7051.
Metzudat David
'And to the sons of Aaron' — because Scripture had broken off to mention what was given to Caleb, it goes back and repeats 'and to the sons of Aaron.' 'The city of refuge' — for all the cities given to the priests and the Levites would give asylum to the manslayer; so too our Sages have said. 'Hebron' — since Scripture went on to mention the other cities, it mentioned Hebron again here.
Metzudat Zion
The city of refuge (hamiklat) - It is called by this name because it "takes in" [koletet] the manslayers, something no other city allows, permitting manslayers to dwell among them.
and Hilen with the open land about it, Debir with the open land about it;
verse value 3009
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "Debir" (אֶת־דְּבִ֖יר, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Hilen" (וְאֶת־חִילֵז֙), "Debir" (אֶת־דְּבִ֖יר). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־חִילֵז֙ [and·Hilen] (462) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + אֶת־דְּבִ֖יר [Debir] (617) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 3009.
and Ashan with the open land about it, and Beth-shemesh with the open land about it;
verse value 4216
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "shemesh" (שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Ashan" (וְאֶת־עָשָׁן֙), "shemesh" (שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Beth-" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־עָשָׁן֙ [and·Ashan] (827) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית [and·Beth-] (819) + שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ [shemesh] (640) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 4216.
Ralbag
'And Ashan' — this is the one called Ain in the Book of Joshua (21).
Malbim
'And Ashan' — This is Ain (ibid., v. 16); the city of Yuttah is not mentioned here. On reflection, it appears that this was actually a different city: above (4:28) it says, 'and they dwelt at Beer-sheba,' etc., 'and their villages were Etam, and Ain,' etc., 'and Ashan' — which shows that the children of Simeon dwelt there, and that place was not given to the Levites. It must therefore have been a different city, called Ain in the days of Joshua and Ashan in the days of Ezra. Now the eminent scholar, Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Av Beit Din of Moscow, wrote to me raising a difficulty about the passage in Sanhedrin (111b), namely the statement, 'one does not divide a single city between two tribes.' There an objection is raised from [the phrase] 'nine cities from these two tribes' — does this not mean four and a half from the one and four and a half from the other? No — it means four from the one and five from the other. But Scripture makes clear that only one city was given from Simeon [to the Levites]; and, by what has been said, the city of Ain, or Ashan, would not be a city of Simeon [at all]. There is a further proof from the words, 'and their villages, Ain and Ashan' — for the cities of the Levites are never referred to by the diminished term 'villages' (chatzerim), as is explained in the Mishneh LaMelech, Hilchot Rotzeach (Laws of the Murderer), ch. 8; and 'chatzerim' means specifically small, [unwalled] hamlets, as stated in the Sifra (Torat Kohanim), Behar, section 61. Therefore it is not a city of Simeon [in the ordinary sense]. Now, since Judah received its inheritance first, and afterward set aside cities from its own portion for Simeon — and the cities counted [as Simeon's] in Joshua 19, and above (ch. 4), number four — then, besides these, [Judah] set aside four more cities for Simeon in order to give them to the Levites; these were not counted as part of Simeon's inheritance, because they never remained in Simeon's possession. And Ain, or Ashan, which was given to the Levites, is not among the cities counted as Simeon's inheritance — for there, only the cities they actually dwelt in were counted, as above.
and out of the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with the open land about it, and Alemeth with the open land about it, and Anathoth with the open land about it. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.
verse value 8654
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "city" (עִ֖יר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·families" (בְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶֽם, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Geba" (אֶת־גֶּ֤בַע), "and·Alemeth" (וְאֶת־עָלֶ֣מֶת), "and·Anathoth" (וְאֶת־עֲנָת֖וֹת). The root מגרש appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "three·teen" (root שלוש, 42x in I Chronicles); "all·their·cities" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root מטה ("and·from·tribe·of") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root עלמת ("and·Alemeth") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·open·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה [and·from·tribe·of] (100) + בִנְיָמִ֗ן [Benjamin] (152) + אֶת־גֶּ֤בַע [Geba] (476) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֙יהָ֙ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־עָלֶ֣מֶת [and·Alemeth] (947) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־עֲנָת֖וֹת [and·Anathoth] (1333) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + כׇּל־עָרֵיהֶ֛ם [all·their·cities] (375) + שְׁלֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה [three·teen] (1205) + עִ֖יר [city] (280) + בְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶֽם [in·their·families] (891) = 8654.
Rashi
and to the tribe of Benjamin, Geba because the lot fell to Benjamin to give these towns.
Ralbag
'Alemeth' — this is the one called Almon in the Book of Joshua (21:18).
Metzudat David
'And out of the tribe of Benjamin' — whereas those mentioned above were from the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Simeon. 'Thirteen' — only eleven are actually listed here, and the remaining two are included among the open lands; in the book of Joshua all of them are named explicitly, some under variant names, and in both places they are called by their families — these cities were divided among the priestly families, with each family dwelling by itself and not intermingled.
Malbim
'Geba' — In Joshua, both Geba and Gibeon are counted; and even though [Gibeon] is omitted here, the total still comes out correctly to thirteen cities. One may say that by the time this scroll [of Chronicles] was written, these cities lay in ruins.
And to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, out of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities.
verse value 4517
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "Kohath" (קְהָ֜ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·remaining" (הַנּֽוֹתָרִ֗ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "the·tribe" (הַמַּטֶּ֡ה), "from·half·of" (מִֽ֠מַּחֲצִ֠ית). The root מטה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "cities" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְלִבְנֵ֨י [and·to·sons·of] (98) + קְהָ֜ת [Kohath] (505) + הַנּֽוֹתָרִ֗ים [the·remaining] (711) + מִמִּשְׁפַּ֣חַת [from·family·of] (868) + הַמַּטֶּ֡ה [the·tribe] (59) + מִֽ֠מַּחֲצִ֠ית [from·half·of] (588) + מַטֵּ֨ה [tribe·of] (54) + חֲצִ֧י [half·of] (108) + מְנַשֶּׁ֛ה [Manasseh] (395) + בַּגּוֹרָ֖ל [in·the·lot] (241) + עָרִ֥ים [cities] (320) + עָֽשֶׂר [ten] (570) = 4517.
Rashi
And to the sons of Kehath who remained for the priests came from Kehath, and they already said what they gave to the priests, the sons of Kehath. And to the sons of Kehath who remained from the family of the tribe of Levi. from half the tribe of Manasseh, by lot ten cities And to half the tribe of Manasseh, the lot fell to give the sons of Kehath, the Levites, ten cities.
Ralbag
'And to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, out of the family of the tribe' — it says “the rest,” because the sons of Aaron are also of their family. 'Out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh' — Here it is abbreviated, omitting the tribes of Ephraim and Dan; for these cities were given to them out of these two tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh, as stated in the Book of Joshua (21:20-26).
Metzudat David
'And to the rest,' etc. — for the priests too belonged to the family of the tribe of Kohath, and they had already received their portion. 'Out of the half-tribe' — they were given cities from the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh. 'By lot' — they cast lots to determine which cities would be given. 'Ten cities' — together with the cities of Ephraim and Dan mentioned further below.
Malbim
'And to the rest of the sons of Kohath' — they took from Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, as mentioned in Joshua. But since Dan had not [yet] taken possession of its inheritance (as will be explained), they took only from Ephraim and [half] Manasseh, whose territories bordered one another; hence it says 'from the family of the tribe' — meaning, from Ephraim, which belonged to the tribe of Joseph and was itself a whole tribe, 'And out of the half-tribe' — this stands in contrast to 'the tribe' [just mentioned] — that is, a whole tribe, and a half-tribe; and it then specifies, 'the half of Manasseh.' 'Ten cities' — this refers back to 'by lot': the lot concerned ten cities, but in fact they took only eight, for they did not take Eltekeh and Gibbethon, as will be explained in verse 54.
And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families, out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
verse value 6120
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Verse gematria: 6120 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Asher" (אָשֵׁ֜ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·their·families" (לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָ֗ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: and·from·tribe·of, and·from·tribe·of, and·from·tribe·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "three" (שְׁלֹ֥שׁ). The root מטה appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "Asher" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles); "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles).
Ralbag
'And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families' — it says “according to their families,” because all the families of Gershom are included in this, which was not so with the families of the sons of Kohath; and for this same reason it likewise says, regarding the sons of Merari, “according to their families.”
Metzudat David
'according to their families' — their land was divided according to their families, for they too dwelt each family by itself. 'in Bashan' — this refers to the cities in Bashan, which lay on the other side of the Jordan; for the half-tribe of Manasseh whose cities were given to the sons of Kohath dwelt within the land of Israel proper.
To the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
verse value 3987
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "to·sons·of" (לִבְנֵ֨י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·their·families" (לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָ֗ם, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "two" (שְׁתֵּ֥ים). The root מטה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "ten" (root עשר, 59x in I Chronicles); "two" (root שנים, 45x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: לִבְנֵ֨י [to·sons·of] (92) + מְרָרִ֜י [Merari] (450) + לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָ֗ם [to·their·families] (904) + מִמַּטֵּ֣ה [from·tribe·of] (94) + רְ֠אוּבֵ֠ן [Reuben] (259) + וּֽמִמַּטֵּה־גָ֞ד [and·from·tribe·of·Gad] (107) + וּמִמַּטֵּ֤ה [and·from·tribe·of] (100) + זְבֻלוּן֙ [Zebulun] (95) + בַּגּוֹרָ֔ל [in·the·lot] (241) + עָרִ֖ים [cities] (320) + שְׁתֵּ֥ים [two] (750) + עֶשְׂרֵֽה [ten] (575) = 3987.
So the children of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with the open land about them.
verse value 2922
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "and·they·gave" (וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·their·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽם, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל), "the·cities" (אֶת־הֶעָרִ֖ים), "and·their·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·they·gave" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles); "to·the·Levites" (root לוי, 46x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·Levites', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ [and·they·gave] (472) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + לַלְוִיִּ֑ם [to·the·Levites] (116) + אֶת־הֶעָרִ֖ים [the·cities] (726) + וְאֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶֽם [and·their·open·land] (1005) = 2922.
Ralbag
'The cities with the open land about them' — meaning, the thirteen cities that were given to the sons of Aaron from the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Simeon, and the tribe of Benjamin, which are the cities mentioned previously.
Metzudat David
'gave' — since Scripture is now about to specify the names of the cities, it therefore repeats ‘gave,’ etc.
And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities which are mentioned by name.
verse value 4620
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Judah" (בְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָה֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: and·from·tribe·of, and·from·tribe·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "sons·of·Judah" (בְנֵֽי־יְהוּדָה֙), "sons·of·Simeon" (בְנֵֽי־שִׁמְע֔וֹן), "that·they·call" (אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֥וּ). The root מטה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Judah" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "these" (root אלה, 89x in I Chronicles); "in·names" (root שם, 67x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
And they gave by lot from the tribe of the sons of Judah and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon Though he did not mention Simeon [in the preceding verses], as giving cities, it gave its share from what Judah gave it. Neither is Judah mentioned above regarding the giving itself, and whatever he mentioned above from (v. 40): “And they gave them Hebron” until (v. 48): “And from the tribe of Benjamin,” the sons of Judah and the sons of Simeon gave; and since he did not mention it above, he mentions it here now. that they called by names That is to say, that they were called by names previously. Since [the tribe of] Benjamin was friendly with the sons of Aaron, [Scripture] mentions them here, even though it had mentioned them previously.
Metzudat David
'And they gave by lot' — since Simeon was not mentioned above, and Scripture now comes to mention it, it therefore lists all of them again. 'which are mentioned by name' — this means that the names of these cities were stated and specified above.
And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim.
verse value 2264
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·families·of" (וּמִֽמִּשְׁפְּח֖וֹת, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·from·families·of" (וּמִֽמִּשְׁפְּח֖וֹת), "their·border" (גְבוּלָ֔ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·it·was" (root היה, 104x in I Chronicles); "cities·of" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root אפרים ("Ephraim") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Kohath', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמִֽמִּשְׁפְּח֖וֹת [and·from·families·of] (880) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + קְהָ֑ת [Kohath] (505) + וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + עָרֵ֣י [cities·of] (280) + גְבוּלָ֔ם [their·border] (81) + מִמַּטֵּ֖ה [from·tribe·of] (94) + אֶפְרָֽיִם [Ephraim] (331) = 2264.
Rashi
And from the families of the sons of Kehath the cities of... were Although half the tribe of Manasseh gave to them, Ephraim also gave to them by lot.
Ralbag
'And some of the families of the sons of Kohath' — meaning, those of them that remained — and their border cities were out of the tribe of Ephraim. Here it omits mentioning the tribe of Dan, for they too had cities from the tribe of Dan, as stated in the Book of Joshua (see above, verse 46). And it omits from the cities Eltekeh and Gibbethon, because it relied on the general summary. Now, what it calls Jokmeam is the same as Kibzaim in the Book of Joshua (21:22); what it calls Aner is the same as Taanach (Joshua 21:25); and what it calls Bileam is the same as Gath-rimmon (ibid.).
Metzudat David
'And some of the families' — this means: some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities within their border, etc. Here Scripture also counts the cities of the sons of Dan, even though it does not mention Dan by name; and above it said ‘ten cities,’ which are specified in the book of Joshua. The two cities missing here are included among the open lands.
And they gave to them the city of refuge, Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim with the open land about it; Gezer also with the open land about it;
verse value 5258
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Shechem" (אֶת־שְׁכֶ֥ם), "and·Gezer" (וְאֶת־גֶּ֖זֶר). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·gave" (root נתן, 50x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "cities·of" (root עיר, 39x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root שכם ("Shechem") in I Chronicles. First appearance of the root גזר ("and·Gezer") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְּנ֨וּ [and·they·gave] (472) + לָהֶ֜ם [to·them] (75) + אֶת־עָרֵ֧י [cities·of] (681) + הַמִּקְלָ֛ט [the·refuge] (184) + אֶת־שְׁכֶ֥ם [Shechem] (761) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֖יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + בְּהַ֣ר [in·hill·of] (207) + אֶפְרָ֑יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וְאֶת־גֶּ֖זֶר [and·Gezer] (617) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 5258.
and Jokmeam with the open land about it, and Bethhoron with the open land about it;
verse value 3686
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "horon" (חוֹר֖וֹן, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Jokmeam" (וְאֶֽת־יׇקְמְעָם֙), "horon" (חוֹר֖וֹן). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Beth-" (root בית, 115x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root יקמעם ("and·Jokmeam") in I Chronicles. Full calculation: וְאֶֽת־יׇקְמְעָם֙ [and·Jokmeam] (667) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית [and·Beth-] (819) + חוֹר֖וֹן [horon] (270) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 3686.
and Aijalon with the open land about it, and Gath-rimmon with the open land about it;
verse value 3540
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "and·Aijalon" (וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן֙, 8 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Aijalon" (וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן֙), "and·Gath-rimmon" (וְאֶת־גַּת־רִמּ֖וֹן). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן֙ [and·Aijalon] (504) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־גַּת־רִמּ֖וֹן [and·Gath-rimmon] (1106) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 3540.
Malbim
'And Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon' — In Joshua it is counted that they were given, from Dan's inheritance, Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon; but here [the text] skips Eltekeh and Gibbethon, and counts Aijalon and Gath-rimmon under Ephraim instead. This is because the children of Dan never conquered their inheritance, as mentioned in the Book of Judges, whereas the children of Ephraim did conquer Aijalon and Gath-rimmon and gave them to the Levites, so they are counted in Ephraim's name; Eltekeh and Gibbethon, however, were never conquered, and so [the text] omits them.
and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with the open land about it, and Bileam with the open land about it, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.
verse value 6409
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 64 letters. Verse gematria: 6409 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "tribe·of" (מַטֵּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·from·half·of" (וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית֙), "Aner" (אֶת־עָנֵר֙), "and·Bileam" (וְאֶת־בִּלְעָ֖ם). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·open·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּמִֽמַּחֲצִית֙ [and·from·half·of] (594) + מַטֵּ֣ה [tribe·of] (54) + מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה [Manasseh] (395) + אֶת־עָנֵר֙ [Aner] (721) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־בִּלְעָ֖ם [and·Bileam] (549) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + לְמִשְׁפַּ֥חַת [for·family·of] (858) + לִבְנֵֽי־קְהָ֖ת [to·sons·of·Kohath] (597) + הַנּוֹתָרִֽים [the·remaining] (711) = 6409.
Rashi
And from half the tribe of Manasseh, etc. until “half the tribe of Manasseh” that was in trans-Jordan and in the land of Israel. to the family of the remaining sons of Kehath They are the Levites, and the meaning is that Ephraim and Manasseh gave everything to that remnant mentioned above (verse 46): “And to the sons of Kehath who remained from the family of the tribe.”
Metzudat David
'of the family' — for each family separately. 'the rest' — because the priests, who were among the sons of Kohath, had already taken their cities.
Malbim
'Aner, Bileam' — In Joshua [they are called] Taanach, Gath-rimmon; their names had changed by the days of Ezra.
To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with the open land about it, and Ashtaroth with the open land about it;
verse value 6623
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "half·of" (חֲצִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·open·land" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·open·land, and·its·open·land. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Golan" (אֶת־גּוֹלָ֥ן), "and·Ashtaroth" (וְאֶת־עַשְׁתָּר֖וֹת). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·its·open·land" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·open·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִבְנֵי֮ [to·sons·of] (92) + גֵּרְשׁוֹם֒ [Gershom] (549) + מִמִּשְׁפַּ֗חַת [from·family·of] (868) + חֲצִי֙ [half·of] (108) + מַטֵּ֣ה [tribe·of] (54) + מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה [Manasseh] (395) + אֶת־גּוֹלָ֥ן [Golan] (490) + בַּבָּשָׁ֖ן [in·the·Bashan] (354) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) + וְאֶת־עַשְׁתָּר֖וֹת [and·Ashtaroth] (1783) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·open·land] (965) = 6623.
Rashi
To the sons of Gershom, from the family of half the tribe of Manasseh Although they gave to the sons of Kehath by lot, the lot fell to them also to give likewise to the sons of Gershom.
Ralbag
'To the sons of Gershom were given,' etc. — Here it mentions all of them, but changes some of the names: Ashtaroth is the same as Be-eshterah in the Book of Joshua (21:27).
and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with the open land about it, Dobrath with the open land about it;
verse value 4672
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "and·from·tribe·of" (וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Dobrath" (אֶת־דָּבְרַ֖ת). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "Kedesh" (root קדש, 25x in I Chronicles); "and·from·tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה [and·from·tribe·of] (100) + יִשָּׂשכָ֔ר [Issachar] (830) + אֶת־קֶ֖דֶשׁ [Kedesh] (805) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + אֶת־דָּבְרַ֖ת [Dobrath] (1007) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 4672.
Ralbag
'Kedesh' — this is the same as Kishion in the Book of Joshua (21:28).
Malbim
'Kedesh' — there [in Joshua] it is [called] Kishion. 'Ramoth' — there it is [called] Jarmuth. 'Anem' — there it is [called] En-gannim.
and Ramoth with the open land about it, and Anem with the open land about it;
verse value 3551
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "and·Anem" (וְאֶת־עָנֵ֖ם, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Ramoth" (וְאֶת־רָאמוֹת֙), "and·Anem" (וְאֶת־עָנֵ֖ם). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־רָאמוֹת֙ [and·Ramoth] (1054) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־עָנֵ֖ם [and·Anem] (567) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3551.
Ralbag
'Ramoth' — this is the same as Jarmuth (Joshua 21:29). 'Anem' — this is the same as En-gannim (ibid.).
and out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with the open land about it, and Abdon with the open land about it;
verse value 3841
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "Asher" (אָשֵׁ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Mashal" (אֶת־מָשָׁ֖ל), "and·Abdon" (וְאֶת־עַבְדּ֖וֹן). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Asher" (root אשר, 77x in I Chronicles); "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "and·from·tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root עבדון ("and·Abdon") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה [and·from·tribe·of] (100) + אָשֵׁ֔ר [Asher] (501) + אֶת־מָשָׁ֖ל [Mashal] (771) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־עַבְדּ֖וֹן [and·Abdon] (539) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3841.
Ralbag
'Mashal' — this is the same as Mishal (Joshua 21:30).
Malbim
'Mashal' — there it is [called] Mishal. 'Hukok' — there it is [called] Helkath. 'Hammon' — there it is [called] Hammoth-dor. 'Kiriathaim' — there it is [called] Kartan.
and Hukok with the open land about it; and Rehob with the open land about it;
verse value 3168
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 3168 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·Rehob" (וְאֶת־רְחֹ֖ב, 6 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Hukok" (וְאֶת־חוּקֹק֙), "and·Rehob" (וְאֶת־רְחֹ֖ב). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־חוּקֹק֙ [and·Hukok] (621) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־רְחֹ֖ב [and·Rehob] (617) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3168.
Ralbag
'Hukok' — this is the same as Helkath (Joshua 21:31).
and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with the open land about it, and Hammon with the open land about it, and Kiriathaim with the open land about it.
verse value 6123
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 63 letters. Verse gematria: 6123 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·from·tribe·of" (וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "in·the·Galilee" (בַּגָּלִיל֙), "and·Hammon" (וְאֶת־חַמּ֖וֹן), "and·Kiriathaim" (וְאֶת־קִרְיָתַ֖יִם). The root מגרש appears 3 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "Kedesh" (root קדש, 25x in I Chronicles); "and·from·tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. 6 of the verse's 9 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וּמִמַּטֵּ֣ה [and·from·tribe·of] (100) + נַפְתָּלִ֗י [Naphtali] (570) + אֶת־קֶ֤דֶשׁ [Kedesh] (805) + בַּגָּלִיל֙ [in·the·Galilee] (75) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־חַמּ֖וֹן [and·Hammon] (511) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־קִרְיָתַ֖יִם [and·Kiriathaim] (1167) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 6123.
Ralbag
'Hammon' — this is the same as Hammoth-dor (Joshua 21:32). 'Kiriathaim' — this is the same as Kartan (ibid.).
To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono with the open land about it, Tabor with the open land about it;
verse value 5084
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "to·sons·of" (לִבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Rimmono" (אֶת־רִמּוֹנ֖וֹ), "Tabor" (אֶת־תָּב֖וֹר). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·sons·of" (root בן, 665x in I Chronicles); "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "from·tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: לִבְנֵ֣י [to·sons·of] (92) + מְרָרִי֮ [Merari] (450) + הַנּוֹתָרִים֒ [the·remaining] (711) + מִמַּטֵּ֣ה [from·tribe·of] (94) + זְבֻל֔וּן [Zebulun] (95) + אֶת־רִמּוֹנ֖וֹ [Rimmono] (703) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + אֶת־תָּב֖וֹר [Tabor] (1009) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 5084.
Rashi
To the sons of Merari who remained, from the tribe of Zebulun i.e., those who did not receive those twelve cities that Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun gave them, and this is the meaning of “who remained from the tribe of Zebzulun”: i.e., from the share of Zebulun, they [the tribe of Naphtali] gave to the remaining sons of Merari.
Ralbag
'To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari, were given,' etc. — It omits two cities, namely Jokneam and Kartah, and changes the names of some of the cities it does mention: Rimmono is the same as Dimnah (Joshua 21:35), and Tabor is the same as Nahalal in the Book of Joshua.
Metzudat David
'the rest' — of the sons of Levi; for the descendants of Gershon and Kohath had already taken theirs.
Malbim
'Rimmono, Tabor' — In Joshua [the cities listed are] Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal. In fact, Jokneam lies within the inheritance of Zebulun (Joshua 19:11), and Kartah is Kattath (ibid., v. 15), which is also called Kitron (Judges 1); and likewise Nahalal (Joshua 19:15). One may say that the children of Zebulun failed to drive out [the Canaanites from] Kattath and Nahalal (Judges 1:30), and it is clear from the borders of the land that Kattath lay close to the stream in front of Jokneam — see my commentary there, section 15 — so that they no longer held Jokneam either. They were therefore given only Rimmono, which is Dimnah, and which is also the Rimmon described [there] (v. 13); and Tabor, a city on the border of [Mount] Tabor. Ezra recorded the list as it stood afterward, since [Zebulun] had proven unable to drive out [the inhabitants of the originally assigned towns].
and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with the open land about it, and Jahaz with the open land about it,
verse value 5131
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "Jericho" (יְרֵחוֹ֮, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Jericho" (יְרֵחוֹ֮), "Bezer" (אֶת־בֶּ֥צֶר), "and·Jahaz" (וְאֶת־יַ֖הְצָה). The root ירדן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "from·tribe·of" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). First appearance of the root ירדן ("to·Jordan") in I Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמֵעֵ֜בֶר [and·from·beyond] (318) + לְיַרְדֵּ֣ן [to·Jordan] (294) + יְרֵחוֹ֮ [Jericho] (224) + לְמִזְרַ֣ח [to·east·of] (285) + הַיַּרְדֵּן֒ [the·Jordan] (269) + מִמַּטֵּ֣ה [from·tribe·of] (94) + רְאוּבֵ֔ן [Reuben] (259) + אֶת־בֶּ֥צֶר [Bezer] (693) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־יַ֖הְצָה [and·Jahaz] (517) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 5131.
Metzudat David
'at the Jordan at Jericho' — that is, at the Jordan near Jericho. Here too two cities are missing, and they are included among the open lands.
and Kedemoth with the open land about it, and Mephaath with the open land about it;
verse value 3894
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·Kedemoth" (וְאֶת־קְדֵמוֹת֙, 8 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Kedemoth" (וְאֶת־קְדֵמוֹת֙), "and·Mephaath" (וְאֶת־מֵיפַ֖עַת). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־קְדֵמוֹת֙ [and·Kedemoth] (957) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־מֵיפַ֖עַת [and·Mephaath] (1007) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3894.
and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with the open land about it, and Mahanaim with the open land about it,
verse value 3749
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "in·Gilead" (בַּגִּלְעָ֖ד, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "Ramoth" (אֶת־רָאמ֥וֹת), "and·Mahanaim" (וְאֶֽת־מַחֲנַ֖יִם). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles); "and·from·tribe·of·Gad" (root מטה, 24x in I Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·pasture', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּמִ֨מַּטֵּה־גָ֔ד [and·from·tribe·of·Gad] (107) + אֶת־רָאמ֥וֹת [Ramoth] (1048) + בַּגִּלְעָ֖ד [in·Gilead] (109) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֑יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶֽת־מַחֲנַ֖יִם [and·Mahanaim] (555) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3749.
and Heshbon with the open land about it, and Jazer with the open land about it.
verse value 3407
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·Heshbon" (וְאֶת־חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙, 8 letters) and the longest is "and·its·pasture" (וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 965: and·its·pasture, and·its·pasture. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Chronicles. Unique to this verse in I Chronicles (hapax): "and·Heshbon" (וְאֶת־חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙), "and·Jazer" (וְאֶת־יַעְזֵ֖יר). The root מגרש appears 2 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·its·pasture" (root מגרש, 44x in I Chronicles). Full calculation: וְאֶת־חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙ [and·Heshbon] (773) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶׁ֔יהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) + וְאֶת־יַעְזֵ֖יר [and·Jazer] (704) + וְאֶת־מִגְרָשֶֽׁיהָ [and·its·pasture] (965) = 3407.
Metzudat David
Malbim