1 Chronicles 24:20

ORDERING OF THE OTHER LEVITES

"And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief. Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. And of the sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekemeam the fourth. The sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno. The sons of Merari: of Jaaziah, Beno and Shoham, and Zaccri, and Ibri. Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. Of Kish; the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel. And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after their fathers' houses. These likewise cast lots even as their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers' houses of the chief even as those of his younger brother."

"It should be remembered that these lists of names represent families rather than individuals, and that a number of these families continued into N.T. times (for example, Zacharias was of the line of Abijah, Luke 1:5)."[3]

Interesting as the omission is, we can give no reason for the omission of the family of Gershon.

The variations in these lists is of no importance. "Some of these courses died out, or had to be consolidated with others; and new ones were formed to take their place. At the time of the return from exile, 538 B.C., only four of these courses were operative."[4]

Any intelligent criticism of any of these lists would therefore have to begin with the exact date of it.