1 Chronicles 26

1 These were the divisions [groups, courses] of the gatekeepers [porters, doorkeepers]: From the Korahites [descendants of Korah, a Levite]: Meshelemiah [a Levite and gatekeeper] son of Kore [a Korahite Levite], one of the sons [descendants] of Asaph [a Levite and father of several sons]. word study 2 Meshelemiah [a Levite gatekeeper] had sons: Zechariah [Jehovah remembers] the firstborn [holding a special status], Jediael [God makes known] the second, Zebadiah [endowment of Jehovah] the third, Jathniel [God hires me] the fourth, word study 3 Elam [a son of Shem, referring to a region] the fifth, Jehohanan [Jehovah has graced] the sixth, and Eliehoenai [unto Jehovah are my eyes, Elioenai] the seventh. word study 4 And Obed-edom [a faithful Levite, servant of God] also had sons: Shemaiah [heard by God, a prophet] the firstborn [holding a special status], Jehozabad [Jehovah has endowed] the second, Joah [Jehovah is brother] the third, Sachar [an Israelite, possibly related to Ahiam] the fourth, Nethanel [given of God, a chief of Issachar] the fifth, word study 5 Ammiel [my kinsman is God] the sixth, Issachar [there is recompense] the seventh, and Peullethai [a Levite gatekeeper] the eighth. For [because, since] God [Elohim, the one supreme God] had blessed [praised, honored] Obed-edom. word study 6 Also to his son [offspring, descendant] Shemaiah were born sons [children, descendants] who ruled [exercised dominion, had authority] over their families [households, clans] because they were strong [mighty, powerful], capable [valiant, skilled] men [warriors, leaders]. word study 7 Shemaiah’s sons [descendants, heirs] were Othni [lion of Jehovah], Rephael [healed of God], Obed [serving, a servant], and Elzabad [God has given]; his brothers [relatives, kin] were Elihu [He is my God] and Semachiah [Jehovah has sustained], also [valiant, strong] capable men [capable, mighty]. word study 8 All [every single one] these were descendants [sons and grandsons] of Obed-edom [a faithful Levite]; they and their sons [male descendants] and brothers [male siblings or close relatives] were capable [strong and able] men with [possessing] strength [physical or spiritual power] to do the work [service or ministry]—62 [sixty-two, a specific number] in all from Obed-edom [this particular family line]. word study 9 Meshelemiah [a Levite gatekeeper] also had sons [descendants, male offspring] and brothers [male siblings, close relatives] who were capable [strong, valiant] men—18 [eighteen, a total of eighteen] in all [altogether, as a complete group]. word study 10 Hosah [a Merarite Levite, descendant of Merari] the Merarite also had sons: Shimri [the chief, head] the first [prominent, leader] (although he was not the firstborn [born first, initial], his father [parent, ancestor] had appointed [set, placed] him as the first), word study 11 Hilkiah [a significant Israelite leader] the second, Tebaliah [meaning purified] the third, and Zechariah [Jehovah remembers] the fourth. The sons [descendants, male offspring] and brothers [male siblings, close relatives] of Hosah [meaning refuge] numbered [totally, all together] 13 [thirteen, a complete group] in all [everything, the total sum]. word study 12 These [specific, appointed] divisions [groups, courses] of the gatekeepers [porters, doorkeepers], through their chief men [leaders, great men], had duties [charges, responsibilities] for ministering [serving, worshiping] in the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God], just as their brothers [relatives, fellow servants] did. word study 13 They cast [drew by lot, made a decision] lots [pebbles or small stones used for making decisions] for each gate [city entrance, temple door], according to their families [households, clans], young [small, insignificant] and old [great, mature] alike [equally, without distinction]. word study 14 The lot [a pebble or small stone used for making decisions] for the East Gate [the direction of the sunrise] fell to Shelemiah [repaid by Jehovah]. Then lots [allotted portions] were cast for his son [a descendant or offspring] Zechariah [Jehovah remembers], a wise [having understanding and insight] counselor [one who advises or gives guidance], and the lot for the North Gate [the direction of Zaphon] fell to him. word study 15 The lot [assignment, portion] for the South Gate [Negeb, southern district] fell to Obed-edom [faithful servant, Levite], and the lot [allotment, share] for the storehouses [house of Asuppim, place of gathering] to his sons [descendants, offspring]. word study 16 The lots [by divine appointment, through random chance] for the West Gate [facing the evening sun, towards the west] and the Shallecheth Gate [of overthrow, removal] on the ascending [going up, rising] highway [raised public road, main route] fell to Shuppim and Hosah [as guardians, doorkeepers]. There were guards [watchmen, custodians] stationed at every watch [custody, place of confinement, post]. word study 17 Each day [daily, every 24 hours] there were six [a group of six, six in number] Levites [descendants of Levi, from the tribe of Levi] on the east [toward the sunrise, facing the rising sun], four [a group of four, four in number] on the north [toward the north, in the northern direction], four [a group of four, four in number] on the south [toward the Negeb, in the southern district], and two [in pairs, two by two] pairs [together, side by side] at the storehouse [the place of gathering, the treasury]. word study 18 As for the court [colonnade, Parbar] on the west [toward the evening sun], there were four [a quartet, a small group] at the highway [raised public road, causeway] and two [a pair, a duo] at the court [colonnade, Parbar]. word study 19 These [specific, particular] were the divisions [sections, groups] of the gatekeepers [porters, doorkeepers] who were descendants [sons, offspring] of Korah [a Levite, a Korahite] and Merari [a Levite, head of a family of Levites]. word study 20 Now their fellow Levites [descendants of Levi, ministers of God] were in charge of the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of God [Elohim, the supreme Lord] and the treasuries [dedicated repositories] of the dedicated things [holy vessels, sacred offerings]. word study 21 From the descendants [sons, offspring] of Ladan [a Levite, son of Gershon], who were Gershonites [belonging to the family of Gershon] through Ladan [as their ancestor] and heads [chiefs, leaders] of the families [father’s households] of Ladan the Gershonite [a descendant of Gershon], were Jehieli [a leader, a chief father], word study 22 the sons [descendants, offspring] of Jehieli [a Jechielite, descendant of Jechiel], Zetham [meaning ‘he is my olive tree’], and his brother [close relative, male sibling] Joel [Jehovah is God]. They were in charge [over, responsible for] of the treasuries [storehouses, depositories] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]. word study 23 From the Amramites [descendants of Amram, a Levite], the Izharites [of the tribe of Levi], the Hebronites [from the city of Hebron, associated with Levi], and the Uzzielites [a clan of Levites, from Uzziel]: word study 24 Shebuel, a descendant of Gershom [a Levite] son of Moses [the Israelite leader, lawgiver], was the officer [ruler, leader] in charge of the treasuries [storehouses, treasures]. word study 25 His relatives [brethren, close family members] through Eliezer [God is help, a divine assistant] included Rehabiah [Jehovah has enlarged] his son, Jeshaiah [Jehovah has saved, a declaration of salvation] his son, Joram [exalted, a position of honor] his son, Zichri [memorial, a reminder of God’s presence] his son, and Shelomith [peaceful, a state of serenity] his son. word study 26 This Shelomith [a Levite, son of Izhar] and his brothers [relatives, close family members] were in charge of all [every single one] the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] for the things dedicated [set apart, consecrated] by King David [the king of Israel], by the heads of families [chiefs, leaders of households] who were the commanders [rulers, captains] of thousands [large groups, companies] and of hundreds [smaller units, battalions], and by the army [military, host] commanders [leaders, chiefs]. word study 27 They had dedicated [set apart as holy, consecrated] some of the plunder [spoils, booty] from their battles [wars, conflicts] to the repair [maintenance, strengthening] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 28 Everything [all things, every possession] that had been dedicated [set apart, consecrated] by Samuel [Shemuel, the prophet and judge] the seer [the one who sees, a prophet], Saul [Shaul, the king] son of Kish [the father of king Saul], Abner [the army captain] son of Ner [the father of Abner], and Joab [the army general] son of Zeruiah [the sister of David], along with everything else [all other things, every gift] that was dedicated [given to God, sanctified], was under the care [in the hand, under the responsibility] of Shelomith [Shelomoth, the caretaker] and his brothers [relatives, kin]. word study 29 From the Izrahites, Chenaniah [Jehovah establishes] and his sons [descendants, family members] had the outside [outer, external, secular] duties as officers [high-ranking officials, overseers] and judges [rulers, vindicators] over Israel [God’s chosen people, Jacob’s descendants]. word study 30 From the Hebronites [descendants of the city of Hebron, associated with the tribe of Levi], Hashabiah [Jehovah has considered] and his relatives [brothers or close kin], 1,700 [a thousand and seven hundred] capable men [men of valor, strength, or might], had charge of the affairs [oversight, care, or responsibility] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] west [in the direction of the evening sun] of the Jordan [the key river running from Lebanon to the Dead Sea] for all [everything, the entirety] the work [employment, occupation, or labor] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and for the service [duty, or ministry] of the king [the royal person, or monarch]. word study 31 As for the Hebronites [descendants of the city of Hebron, associated with the tribe of Levi], Jerijah [the chief leader, head] was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the genealogies [family histories, generations] of his ancestors [fathers, forefathers]. In the fortieth [a significant period of time, 40 years] year of David’s [the king of Israel] reign [royal power, kingdom] the records [historical documents, archives] were searched [examined, investigated], and strong [mighty], capable men [mighty men of valor, warriors] were found [discovered, located] among the Hebronites at Jazer [a city east of the Jordan River, in the territory of Gad] in Gilead [a mountainous region, rocky region]. word study 32 Among Jerijah’s relatives [close family members, brethren] there were 2,700 capable [men of valor, strong] men who were heads [chiefs, leaders] of families [fathers’ households]. King David [the ruler of Israel, a king after God’s heart] appointed them over the Reubenites [descendants of Reuben], the Gadites [descendants of Gad], and the half-tribe [a divided people, a split nation] of Manasseh [a tribe of Israel, the son of Joseph] for every matter [all things, every affair] pertaining to God [Elohim, the supreme God] and to the affairs [business, kingdom] of the king. word study