1 Chronicles 9

Notes on the verses

Chap. IX. Ver. 1. Reckoned by genealogies.—The Rabbins account for the varieties and repetitions in these genealogies, by supposing that Ezra. preserved the different accounts. as he found them in different records, without attempting to correct or harmonize them. On these dry and seemingly discordant accounts, Dr. Clarke has this beautiful remark: ‘ How barren is t register, both of incident and interest; and yet, as barren rocks and sandy deserts make integral and necessary parts of the globe, so do these genealogical tables make necessary parts of the history of providence and grace:… no one that fears God will therefore despise or lightly esteem them.” Ver. 2. The first inhabitants.—That is, after the captivity; for this, and parts of the preceding chapters, were evidently written, or at least collected, after their return.

—The Israelites.—That is, individuals of different tribes, chiefly Judah, Benjamin, and Joseph. See (Ezra 2:70), &c.—Nethinims.— These were the slaves or servants of the temples; 4.’e. the Gibeonites, and the remains of other conquered nations. Ver. 3. Jerusalem.—[We have alread ancient city, (note on ch. viii. 28.) but the Jerusalem of Sacred History is no more. And, after having been successively destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans, and taken by the Saracens, Crusaders, and Turks, in the possession at the latter of whom it still continues, not a vestige remains of the capital of David and Solomon; not a monument of Jewish times is standing. " course of the walls is changed, and the boundaries of the ancient city are be- Come doubtful.

The Monks pretend to show the sites of the sacred places; but they have not the slightest pretensions to even a probable identity with the real places. ‘The Jerusalem that now is, however, called by the Arabs El Kouds, or “ the holy city,” is still a respectable, good looking town, of an iregular shape: it is surrounded by high embattled walls, enclosing an area not exceeding two miles and a half, and occupying two small hills, having the valley of j choshaphat on the east, the valley of Siloam and Gehinnom on the south, and the valley of Rephaim on the. west; and containing a population variously estimate at from 20,000 to 30,000 souls. |—Bagster Ver. 13. And their brethren.—1760 priests, “ very able men:”

which ex- Pression seems used in the sense of ‘* able-bodied men,” ‘ Ver. 18. Who hitherto waited, §-c.—[The original is wead-hennah, which Houbigant and Dr. Geddes consider as a proper name, and render, ‘ And seen the situation and extent of this the kings of Judah went to the temple. The list is here nearly the same with Adanah was over the eastern gate, called the king’s;” i. e. the Pir by which those found in Ezra and Nehemiah, and contains those who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel; but the list in Nehemiah is more pe probably because it contains those who came afterwards; the object o the sacred writer here being to give the names of those who cane (ver. 2.) These consisted of men belonging not only to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but to many of the other tribes of Israel, who took advantage of the proclamatiod of Cyrus to return to Jerusalem, Spee | speaking, the divisions mentionen here constituted the whole of the Israelitish people, who were divided into Priests, Levites, common Israelites, and Nethinims.|—Bagster.

Ver. 26. Chambers.—Many of the priests’ chambers were probably used for stores of provisions and garments,. ae Ver. 33. Employed.—lA number of Levites were employed, by rotation, in singing the praises of Jehovah; and they seem to have continued the service day and nig it. ]|—Bagster. ro oe Ver. 35. Whose wife.—{Some editions read achatho, “his sister;” but in the parallel place, ch. viii. 29, itis ishto “his wife,” whichis also the reading