Attributed commentary excerpt
Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Chronicles 6:16
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Commentary on the Old Testament
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
(Ch. 6). The families and cities of the Levites. - Vv. 1-34. Register of the families of the Levites. - This is introduced by an enumeration of the sons and grandsons of Levi ( Ch1 6:16-19), which is followed by lists of families in six lines of descent: (a) the descendants of Gershon ( Ch1 6:20-21), of Kohath ( Ch1 6:22-28), and of Merari ( Ch1 6:29-30); and (b) the genealogies of David's chief musicians ( Ch1 6:31, Ch1 6:32), of Heman the Kohathite ( Ch1 6:33-38), of Asaph the Gershonite ( Ch1 6:39-43), and of Ethan the Merarite ( Ch1 6:44-47); and in Ch1 6:48, Ch1 6:49, some notes as to the service performed by the other Levites and the priests are added. (6:1-4). The sons of Levi are in Ch1 6:1 again enumerated as in Ch1 6:1; then in Ch1 6:16-22 the sons of these three sons, i.e., the grandsons of Levi, are introduced, while in Ch1 6:1 only the sons of Kohath are mentioned. The only object of this enumeration is to make quite clear the descent of the Levitic families which follow. The name of the first son of Levi is in Ch1 6:16, Ch1 6:17, Ch1 6:20, etc. of this chapter גּרשׁם, which was the name of Moses' son, cf. Ch1 23:15.; whereas in Ch1 6:1 and in the Pentateuch we find a different pronunciation, viz., גּרשׁון. The names of Levi's grandsons in Ch1 6:17-22 coincide with the statements of the Pentateuch, Exo 6:17-19, and Num 3:17-20, cf. Num 26:57. Bertheau and other commentators consider the words in Ch1 6:17, "and these are the families of Levi according to their fathers," to be a "concluding subscription" to the statements of Ch1 6:15-17, and would remove ו before אלּה, as not compatible with this supposition. But in this he is wrong: for although the similar statement in Exo 6:20 is a subscription, yet it is in Num 3:20 a superscription, and must in our verse also be so understood; for otherwise the enumeration of the descendants of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, which follows, would be brought in very abruptly, without any connecting particle, and the ו before אלּה points to the same conclusion. 1 Chronicles 6:20
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