And the porters ,.... Or keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: were Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren; Shallum was the chief ; of these four porters, and their brethren. read more
Who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward ,.... At the gate through which the king went into the temple, and was at the east of it; and here these porters were placed in the same order after the captivity, and their return from it, as before: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi ; or in the camp of Levi, which was placed around the tabernacle, as in the wilderness: the Septuagint version is, "these are the gates of the camp of the children of Levi"; at which... read more
And Shallum the son of Kore ,.... The same as in 1 Chronicles 9:17 whose pedigree is traced up to Ebiasaph the son of Korah, see Exodus 6:24 . and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites ; so called, because they descended from Korah: were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle ; until the temple was built: and their fathers being over the host of the Lord ; the Levites, who were the Lord's army, and whose service is represented... read more
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past ,.... Over the host, over the Levites, and the chief of them; which is to be understood of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, in the time of Moses, who succeeded his father in that post, see Numbers 3:32 though some think, as Kimchi observes, that this was not Phinehas the priest, but a certain Levite of this name in this post; but since he is said to be in time past, it may very well be understood of him: and it also is... read more
And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah ,.... Some think this refers to one that was in the times of David; but it seems rather to respect one that was after the Babylonish captivity, see 1 Chronicles 26:1 though he and his brethren were in an office established in the times of David, and the order of which was now, as then, observed: was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : who was the chief porter, and kept the door; either that led into the outer court, and kept... read more
All those that were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve ,.... As fixed in the days of David, and might not be fewer: these were reckoned by their genealogies in their villages ; where they dwelt: whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office ; the scheme was first drawn by Samuel the prophet, and communicated to David, who put it into execution, to be constantly and perpetually observed. read more
So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the Lord ,.... They that were appointed in David's time to watch the gates of the temple, their posterity succeeded them in that office; for it was hereditary: namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards ; that which was at Gibeon in David's time, and now one was erected until the temple was built. read more
In four quarters were the porters ,.... For, according to the Targum on 1 Chronicles 9:22 there were twenty four wards: towards the east, west, north, and south ; and, as the same paraphrase has it, six wards to the east, six to the west, six to the north, and six to the south. read more
And their brethren, which were in their villages ,.... Assigned them to dwell in: were to come after seven days from time to time with them ; there was a new course of them every week; the old ones went off of duty, and another course succeeded, which came out of the villages where they dwelt, and the old course retired to theirs. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 9:14-34
We have here a further account of the good posture which the affairs of religion were put into immediately upon the return of the people out of Babylon. They had smarted for their former neglect of ordinances and under the late want of ordinances. Both these considerations made them very zealous and forward in setting up the worship of God among them; so they began their worship of God at the right end. Instances hereof we have here. I. Before the house of the Lord was built they had the house... read more