1 Chronicles 6

This chapter lists the tribe of Levi, the tribe set apart to serve God’s house. It traces the line of priests down to the exile, then the families of the Levites, including the singers David appointed. It ends with the forty-eight towns the Levites received among the other tribes, so that God’s servants lived among all his people.

1 Chronicles 6:1

The chapter opens with Levi’s three sons. Every Levite family descends from one of them. The tribe set apart for God’s service, in tent and temple, begins here as an ordinary family.

BSA: sons (“descendants, offspring”): The word reaches beyond immediate sons to a whole line of descendants, so the list is about a growing people.

1 Chronicles 6:2-3

Kohath’s line leads to Amram, whose children were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. One household gave Israel its priest, its lawgiver and a prophetess. Aaron’s four sons come next. Two of them, Nadab and Abihu, died for offering unauthorized fire.

BSA: Aaron (“the high priest”): Aaron’s name points to the priesthood that this chapter follows through the generations. Moses (“the lawgiver”): Moses stands beside Aaron as the one who gave Israel God’s Law.

See also: Exodus 6:20; Leviticus 10:1-2.

1 Chronicles 6:4-8

The priestly line runs from Eleazar through Phinehas down to Zadok and his son Ahimaaz. Eleazar took Aaron’s place after Aaron died. The list shows an unbroken succession. God’s service did not depend on one man but was handed from father to son.

Hebrew: הוֹלִיד (holid, H3205) — “fathered, begot.” This is the repeated verb behind “was the father of.” It reminds us that the priesthood was received by birth. No one could earn it.

See also: Numbers 25:11-13.

1 Chronicles 6:9-10

The line continues through Ahimaaz, Azariah and Johanan to another Azariah. He served as priest in the temple Solomon built. The Chronicler wants his readers to see that the priestly line reached the great house of God in Jerusalem.

BSA: served (“executed the priest’s office, acted as priest”): The verb describes active priestly duty, not just holding a title.

See also: 1 Kings 6:1.

1 Chronicles 6:11-13

The names Amariah, Ahitub and Zadok come around again, then Shallum, Hilkiah and another Azariah. This stretch covers the centuries of the kings. Priests went on serving God’s house generation after generation, even in times when the nation often drifted.

See also: 2 Kings 22:8.

1 Chronicles 6:14-15

The priestly list ends in sorrow. Jehozadak was carried off when Nebuchadnezzar took Judah and Jerusalem. The text says plainly that the LORD sent them into exile, so the exile was God’s judgment and not an accident of history. Even so, the line was not lost.

BSA: hand (“power, authority”): Babylon’s king held real power, yet the verse places that power under the LORD, who sent the exile.

Hebrew: בְּיַד (beyad, H3027) — “by the hand of.” The Hebrew pictures Nebuchadnezzar as the tool in God’s hand. Babylon acted, but the LORD was directing the event.

See also: 2 Kings 25:18-21; Ezra 3:2.

1 Chronicles 6:16-19

The chapter starts over with the Levites as a whole. It lists Levi’s sons again, now giving Gershom’s spelling, with their sons and the clans of Gershom, Kohath and Merari. These clans were each given their own part of the work of carrying and caring for the tabernacle.

BSA: clans (“families, kindreds”): The Levites were organized by family, and each family had its own assigned duties.

See also: Numbers 3:17-20.

1 Chronicles 6:20-21

Here is the line of Gershom, listed father to son. The names are mostly unfamiliar to us, but they are not unknown to God. Each served in his generation, and Scripture keeps their names.

BSA: Iddo (“beloved, loved one”): The meaning of the name is a small reminder that even these listed names belong to people God loved.

1 Chronicles 6:22-24

Kohath’s line includes Korah, who led the rebellion against Moses and Aaron. His name stands in the list without hiding it. His family continued, and Numbers records that his sons did not die in that judgment. God’s mercy shows even here.

BSA: Korah (“a leader, a rebel”): The gloss recalls both his standing among the Levites and his revolt.

See also: Numbers 16:1-3; Numbers 26:11.

1 Chronicles 6:25-28

These verses give another branch of Kohath’s line, with the name Elkanah recurring. It leads to Samuel, whose sons Joel and Abijah are named. Samuel the prophet was a Levite, and this note is the first hint of the singer Heman who comes later.

BSA: firstborn (“oldest child, primary heir”): Joel held the place of the eldest son in Samuel’s family.

See also: 1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Samuel 8:1-2.

1 Chronicles 6:29-30

The third Levite clan is Merari’s. Its line is given from Mahli down to Asaiah. These Levites later carried much of the tabernacle’s frame and heavy parts. The list ends with the least-known family, and they still have their place.

See also: Numbers 4:31-32.

1 Chronicles 6:31-32

David appointed men to lead the singing in the LORD’s house once the ark had a resting place. They sang before the tabernacle until Solomon built the temple. Praise was a regular duty, done in order, not just when people felt like it.

BSA: music (“service of song, singing”): Singing is called a service, a real part of the work of worship. regulations (“order, custom”): The singers worked by an established order rather than improvising.

See also: 1 Chronicles 15:16; 2 Chronicles 5:13.

1 Chronicles 6:33-38

Heman, a Kohathite, led the singers. His family tree goes back through Samuel and Korah’s line to Kohath, Levi and Israel. A descendant of the man who rebelled became a leader in praise. God can restore a family line that once went wrong.

BSA: singer (“one who leads worship”): Heman did more than sing. He led others in worship.

See also: 1 Chronicles 25:1; Psalm 88:1.

1 Chronicles 6:39-43

Asaph, a Gershonite, stood at Heman’s right hand. His line is traced back to Gershom and Levi. Asaph is linked to a number of psalms. He worked beside Heman, and each had his own place.

BSA: served (“stood, ministered”): The word pictures Asaph standing ready in his place at Heman’s side. kinsman (“relative, brother”): The two were relatives, so Asaph’s work with Heman was a family partnership.

Hebrew: הָעֹמֵד (ha’omed, H5975) — “the one standing.” In the Old Testament, standing is the posture of a servant ready before his master. It describes the one who ministers.

See also: Psalm 50:1; Psalm 73:1.

1 Chronicles 6:44-47

On the left stood the Merarites under Ethan, with his line traced back to Merari and Levi. With Heman at the center and Asaph on the right, the three clans each had a place in the singing. Praise in God’s house took in every part of the tribe.

BSA: left (“to the left hand, on the left side”): The three singers stood in set positions, with the Merarites on the left, and the whole group worked in order.

1 Chronicles 6:48

The other Levites were given all the other work of the tabernacle. This includes carrying, guarding, cleaning and helping. Not all service is up front. The house of God needs many kinds of workers, and each kind of service counts.

BSA: service (“ministry, work”): The gloss shows that the plain work of the tabernacle was counted as ministry.

Hebrew: נְתוּנִים (netunim, H5414) — “given, assigned.” The word means these Levites were given to the work. God gave them as a gift to serve, so the service was not their own idea.

See also: Numbers 3:6-9.

1 Chronicles 6:49

Only Aaron and his sons did the priestly work of the altars and the Most Holy Place. They offered sacrifices to make atonement for Israel, just as Moses had commanded. God’s people could come near only in the way God had set.

BSA: atonement (“reconciliation, forgiveness”): The offerings were meant to restore peace between God and his people.

Hebrew: לְכַפֵּר (lekhapper, H3722) — “to cover, make atonement.” The root carries the picture of covering over sin so it no longer stands between God and the people.

See also: Leviticus 16:32-34; Hebrews 9:7.

1 Chronicles 6:50-53

The list of Aaron’s descendants is given again, now as a short line from Eleazar to Ahimaaz. It sets the priests apart as those with the special duty just named. It also leads into the towns where they were to live.

BSA: descendants (“sons, offspring”): The priesthood passed along through the family line.

1 Chronicles 6:54

The priestly family of Aaron, from the Kohathites, received the first lot when the Levites were given their towns. Israel chose by lot and trusted God to decide. The priests were placed where he put them.

BSA: lot (“allotment, inheritance”): The lot gave what could be held as a settled share, given by God and not taken.

Hebrew: גּוֹרָל (goral, H1486) — “lot.” Stones or markers were used to settle a matter. Israel treated the outcome as God’s own decision.

See also: Joshua 21:4; Proverbs 16:33.

1 Chronicles 6:55-56

The priests were given the town of Hebron and the pasture around it, but the surrounding fields and villages went to Caleb. Caleb had been promised Hebron for his faithfulness. Both promises were kept, with God’s servants and a faithful man each given a share.

BSA: pasturelands (“open fields, common grazing areas”): The Levites had open land for their animals, but the fields were not their farmland.

Hebrew: מִגְרָשׁ (migrash, H4054) — “open pasture around a town.” It names the open ground just outside a town, where flocks could graze. The Levites received living space but little farmland.

See also: Joshua 14:13-14; Joshua 21:11-12.

1 Chronicles 6:57-59

Aaron’s descendants received Hebron and a group of towns in Judah, including Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa and Beth-shemesh. Hebron was also a city of refuge, a place where someone who killed by accident could find safety.

BSA: refuge (“a place of safety”): Hebron was a safe place for someone who had killed unintentionally.

Hebrew: עִיר מִקְלָט (ir miqlat, H5892) — “city of refuge.” The second word comes from a root for taking in and sheltering. It marks a town where a person could be protected until the case was heard.

See also: Numbers 35:11-12; Joshua 20:7.

1 Chronicles 6:60

From Benjamin the priests received Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth, making thirteen towns in all. Anathoth later became the home of the prophet Jeremiah, who came from a priestly family. Priests were placed near the people to teach and serve.

See also: Joshua 21:17-18; Jeremiah 1:1.

1 Chronicles 6:61-63

The rest of the Kohathites received ten towns, the Gershomites thirteen and the Merarites twelve. Each clan was given a share by lot from many tribes. The towns were scattered across the land so that every tribe had Levites among them.

BSA: allotted (“assigned, given as an inheritance”): The towns were given as a settled possession, not a loan.

See also: Joshua 21:5-7.

1 Chronicles 6:64-65

The Israelites gave these towns to the Levites, and the cities from Judah, Simeon and Benjamin were assigned by lot. Levi had no tribal territory of its own, so the other tribes shared from what they had. The people supported God’s servants because they belonged to all of them.

BSA: lot (“through a divine decision, by the Lord’s decision”): The lot was treated as God’s own decision about who lived where.

See also: Numbers 35:1-3; Joshua 21:3.

1 Chronicles 6:66-70

Some Kohathite clans received towns from Ephraim, including Shechem, another city of refuge, along with Gezer, Beth-horon and Aijalon. The remaining Kohathites received towns from half of Manasseh. The Levites lived in towns in the hill country as well.

BSA: Shechem (“a town to which men might go in flight”): Shechem was a place of safety for those fleeing, as a city of refuge.

See also: Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:20-22.

1 Chronicles 6:71-76

The Gershomites received towns in the north and east: Golan and Ashtaroth in Bashan, then towns in Issachar, Asher and Naphtali. Golan and the two named Kedesh are the ones usually counted as cities of refuge in this region.

BSA: Kedesh (“a city of refuge”): The gloss marks Kedesh as one of the towns where an accidental killer could be safe.

See also: Joshua 20:7-8; Joshua 21:27-33.

1 Chronicles 6:77-81

The Merarites received towns from Zebulun, Reuben and Gad, including Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead, both on the east side of the Jordan. Together the Levite towns numbered forty-eight, so God’s servants lived in every part of the land. The tribe with no territory had a home among all.

BSA: wilderness (“desert, arid region”): Bezer lay in dry open country east of the Jordan, and it too served as a safe place.

See also: Numbers 35:6-7; Joshua 21:34-40.