1Ch 23:24-32 | KD | STEP | Concluding remarks. - 1Ch 23:24. “These (the just enumerated) are the sons of Levi according to their fathers'-houses, according to those who were counted (Num 1:21.; ) in the enumeration by name (Num 1:18; Num 3:43), by the head, performing the work for the service of the house of Jahve, from the men of twenty years and upwards.” המּלאכה עשׂה is not singular, but plural, as in ; , ; ; , cf. 2Ch 11:1. It occurs along with עשׁי, with a similar meaning and in a like position, ; ; ; Neh 13:10. It is only another way of writing עשׁי, and the same form is found here and there in other words; cf. Ew. §16, b. The statement that the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and upwards is accounted for in thus: David said, The Lord has given His people rest, and He dwells in Jerusalem; and the Levites also have no longer to bear the dwelling (tabernacle) with all its vessels. From this, of course, it results that they had not any longer to do such heavy work as during the march through the wilderness, and so might enter upon their service even at the age of twenty. In a still further reason is given: “For by the last words of David was this, (viz.) the numbering of the sons of Levi from twenty years old and upwards.” There is a difference of opinion as to how העחרונים דויד בּדברי are to be understood. Bertheau translates, with Kimchi, “in the later histories of David are the number = the numbered,” and adduces in support of his translation , whence it is clear that by “the later histories of David” a part of a historical work is meant. But the passage quoted does not prove this. In the formula והאחרנים והאחרנים דּברי... ( ; ; ; , etc.), which recurs at the end of each king’s reign, דּברי denotes not historiae , in the sense of a history, but res gestae , which are recorded in the writings named. In accordance with this, therefore, דויד דּברי cannot denote writings of David, but only words or things (= deeds); but the Levites who were numbered could not be in the acts of David. We must rather translate according to and 2Sa 23:1. In the latter passage דויד דּברי are the last words (utterances) of David, and in the former דויד בּדּברי, “by the words of David,” i.e., according to the commands or directions of David. In this way, Cler. and Mich., with the Vulg. juxta praecepta , have already correctly translated the words: “according to the last commands of David.” המּה is nowhere found in the signification sunt as the mere copula of the subject and verb, but is everywhere an independent predicate, and is here to be taken, according to later linguistic usage, as neutr. sing. (cf. Ew. §318, b ): “According to the last commands of David, this,” i.e., this was done, viz., the numbering of the Levites from twenty years and upwards. From this statement, from twenty years and upwards, which is so often repeated, and for which the reasons are so given, it cannot be doubtful that the statement in , “from thirty years and upwards,” is incorrect, and that, as has been already remarked on , שׁלשׁים has crept into the text by an error of the copyist, who was thinking of the Mosaic census. In we have, in the enumeration of the duties which the Levites had to perform, another ground for the employment of those from twenty years old and upwards in actual service.

‏ 1 Chronicles 23:24-32

1Ch 23:24-27 Concluding remarks. - 1Ch 23:24. “These (the just enumerated) are the sons of Levi according to their fathers'-houses, according to those who were counted (Num 1:21.; Exo 30:14) in the enumeration by name (Num 1:18; Num 3:43), by the head, performing the work for the service of the house of Jahve, from the men of twenty years and upwards.” המּלאכה עשׂה is not singular, but plural, as in 2Ch 24:12; 2Ch 34:10, 2Ch 34:13; Exo 3:9; Neh 2:16, cf. 2Ch 11:1. It occurs along with עשׁי, with a similar meaning and in a like position, 2Ch 24:13; 2Ch 34:17; Neh 11:12; Neh 13:10. It is only another way of writing עשׁי, and the same form is found here and there in other words; cf. Ew. §16, b. The statement that the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and upwards is accounted for in 1Ch 23:25 thus: David said, The Lord has given His people rest, and He dwells in Jerusalem; and the Levites also have no longer to bear the dwelling (tabernacle) with all its vessels. From this, of course, it results that they had not any longer to do such heavy work as during the march through the wilderness, and so might enter upon their service even at the age of twenty. In 1Ch 23:27 a still further reason is given: “For by the last words of David was this, (viz.) the numbering of the sons of Levi from twenty years old and upwards.” There is a difference of opinion as to how העחרונים דויד בּדברי are to be understood. Bertheau translates, with Kimchi, “in the later histories of David are the number = the numbered,” and adduces in support of his translation 1Ch 29:29, whence it is clear that by “the later histories of David” a part of a historical work is meant. But the passage quoted does not prove this. In the formula והאחרנים והאחרנים דּברי... (1Ch 29:29; 2Ch 9:29; 2Ch 12:15; 2Ch 16:11, etc.), which recurs at the end of each king’s reign, דּברי denotes not historiae, in the sense of a history, but res gestae, which are recorded in the writings named. In accordance with this, therefore, דויד דּברי cannot denote writings of David, but only words or things (= deeds); but the Levites who were numbered could not be in the acts of David. We must rather translate according to 2Ch 29:30 and 2Sa 23:1. In the latter passage דויד דּברי are the last words (utterances) of David, and in the former דויד בּדּברי, “by the words of David,” i.e., according to the commands or directions of David. In this way, Cler. and Mich., with the Vulg. juxta praecepta, have already correctly translated the words: “according to the last commands of David.” המּה is nowhere found in the signification sunt as the mere copula of the subject and verb, but is everywhere an independent predicate, and is here to be taken, according to later linguistic usage, as neutr. sing. (cf. Ew. §318, b): “According to the last commands of David, this,” i.e., this was done, viz., the numbering of the Levites from twenty years and upwards. From this statement, from twenty years and upwards, which is so often repeated, and for which the reasons are so given, it cannot be doubtful that the statement in 1Ch 23:3, “from thirty years and upwards,” is incorrect, and that, as has been already remarked on 1Ch 23:3, שׁלשׁים has crept into the text by an error of the copyist, who was thinking of the Mosaic census. ^{▼▼The explanation adopted from Kimchi by the older Christian commentators, e.g., by J. H. Mich., is an untenable makeshift. It is to this effect: that David first numbered the Levites from thirty years old and upwards, according to the law (Num 4:3; Num 23:30), but that afterwards, when he saw that those of twenty years of age were in a position to perform the duties, lightened as they were by its being no longer necessary for the Levites to bear the sanctuary from place to place, he included all from twenty years of age in a second census, taken towards the end of his life; cf. 1Ch 23:27. Against this Bertheau has already rightly remarked that the census of the Levites gave the number at 38,000 (1Ch 23:3), and these 38,000 and no others were installed; it is nowhere said that this number was not sufficient, or that the arrangements based upon this number (1Ch 23:4, 1Ch 23:5) had no continued existence. He is, however, incorrect in his further remark, that the historian clearly enough is desirous of calling attention to the fact that here a statement is made which is different from the former, for of this there is no trace; the contrary, indeed, is manifest. Since אלּה (1Ch 23:24) refers back to the just enumerated fathers'-houses of the Levites, and 1Ch 23:24 consequently forms the subscription to the preceding register, the historian thereby informs us plainly enough that he does not communicate here a statement different from the former, but only concludes that which he has formerly communicated. We cannot very well see how, from the fact that he here for the first time adduces the motive which determined David to cause the Levites from twenty years old and upwards to be numbered and employed in the service, it follows that he derived this statement of David’s motive from a source different from that account which he has hitherto made use of. Nor would it be more manifest if 1Ch 23:27 contained - as it does not contain - a reference to the source from which he derived this statement.}

In 1Ch 23:28-32 we have, in the enumeration of the duties which the Levites had to perform, another ground for the employment of those from twenty years old and upwards in actual service. 1Ch 23:28-29

Their appointed place or post was at the hand of the sons of Aaron, i.e., they were ready to the priest’s hand, to aid him in carrying on the service of the house of God. “Over the courts and the cells (of the courts; cf. 1Ch 9:26), and the purifying of every holy thing,” i.e., of the temple rooms and the temple vessels. On ל before כּל־קדשׁ, used for mediate connection after the stat. const., cf. Ew. §289, b. עבדת וּמעשׂה, and for the performance of the service of the house of God. Before מעשׂה, על is to be supplied from the preceding. The individual services connected with the worship are specialized in 1Ch 23:29-31, and introduced by the preposition ל. For the bread of the pile, i.e., the shew-bread (see on Lev 24:8.), viz., to prepare it; for the laying of the bread upon the table was the priest’s business. For fine meal (סלת, see on Lev 2:1) for the meat-offering and unleavened cakes (המּצּות רקיקי, see on Lev 2:4), and for the pans, i.e., that which was baked in pans (see on Lev 2:5), and for that which was roasted (מרבּכת, see on Lev 6:14), and for all measures of capacity and measures of length which were kept by the Levites, because meal, oil, and wine were offered along with the sacrifices in certain fixed quantities (cf. e.g., Exo 29:40; Exo 30:24), and the Levites had probably to watch over the weights and measures in general (Lev 19:35). 1Ch 23:30 “On each morning and evening to praise the Lord with song and instruments.” These words refer to the duties of the singers and musicians, whose classes and orders are enumerated in 1 Chron 25. The referring of them to the Levites who assisted the priests in the sacrificial worship (Berth.) needs no serious refutation, for וּלהלּל הודות is the standing phrase for the sacred temple music; and we can hardly believe that the Levites sang psalms or played on harps or lutes while the beasts for sacrifices were slaughtered and skinned, or the meat-offerings baked, or such duties performed. 1Ch 23:31 “And for all the bringing of offerings to Jahve on sabbaths, the new moons, and the feasts, in the number according to the law concerning them (i.e., according to the regulations that existed for this matter), continually before Jahve.” It was the duty of the Levites to procure the necessary number of beasts for sacrifice, to see to their suitableness, to slaughter and skin them, etc. תּמיד refers to עלות, the burnt-offerings for Jahve, which are תּמיד, because they must always be offered anew on the appointed days. 1Ch 23:32

In conclusion, the whole duties of the Levites are summed up in three clauses: they were to keep the charge of the tabernacle, the charge of the sacred things, i.e., of all the sacred things of the worship, and the charge of the sons of Aaron, i.e., of all that the priests committed to them to be done; cf. Num 18:3., where these functions are more exactly fixed.