1 Chronicles 15:12
in 1 Chronicles 15And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and said unto them, Ye are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it.
KJV
And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 15
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd he said unto them, ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites,.... Of the families of the Levites, heads of their fathers' houses: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren; respectively under each, whose numbers are before given, by washing their bodies and clothes, and abstaining from their wives: that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it; 2Sa 6:17.
This site's exposition
called for Zadok and Abiathar
on 1 Chronicles 15:11-12
David summons the two priests and the six family heads just numbered, and charges them to sanctify themselves before the ark is touched again. Nothing like this charge to sanctify is recorded before the ark went out on the cart in chapter 13; the ceremonial cleansing named here is new to this second attempt. The men addressed are called the chief of the fathers of the Levites, the same standing the roster of verses 4 through 10 has just established, so the command falls on named men rather than an anonymous class.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
9 ): therefore sanctify yourselves, and mind your business." When those that have suffered for doing ill thus learn to do better the correction is well bestowed. The Levites and priests sanctified themselves (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
sanctify yourselves--This special sanctification, which was required on all grave and important occasions, consisted in observing the strictest abstinence, as well as cleanliness, both in person and dress (see on Ge 35:2;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
To hakhinoti lo. This means: to the place asher hakhinoti lo (=that I have prepared for it).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
For the first time not you ( ki le-ma-ba-rishonah lo attem ).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶ֔ם | lahem | to them | ||
| אַתֶּ֛ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| רָאשֵׁ֥י | rashei | [are] [the] chiefs of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הָאָב֖וֹת | haavot | the fathers | H1 → | 1212 times |
| לַלְוִיִּ֑ם | lalviyim | of the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| הִֽתְקַדְּשׁוּ֙ | hitkadeshu | consecrate yourselves | H6942 → | 171 times |
| אַתֶּ֣ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| וַאֲחֵיכֶ֔ם | vaacheikhem | and relatives your | H251 → | 630 times |
| וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶ֗ם | vehaalitem | and you will bring up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֵ֣ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲר֤וֹן | ʾaron | [the] ark of | H727 → | 202 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הֲכִינ֖וֹתִי | hakhinoti | [where] I have prepared | H3559 → | 217 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | for it |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָהֶ֔םto them
lahem
אַתֶּ֛םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
רָאשֵׁ֥י[are] [the] chiefs of
rasheiH7218 →599 times
הָאָב֖וֹתthe fathers
haavotH1 →1212 times
לַלְוִיִּ֑םof the Levites
lalviyimH3881 →291 times
הִֽתְקַדְּשׁוּ֙consecrate yourselves
hitkadeshuH6942 →171 times
אַתֶּ֣םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
וַאֲחֵיכֶ֔םand relatives your
vaacheikhemH251 →630 times
וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶ֗םand you will bring up
vehaalitemH5927 →890 times
אֵ֣ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
אֲר֤וֹן[the] ark of
ʾaronH727 →202 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הֲכִינ֖וֹתִי[where] I have prepared
hakhinotiH3559 →217 times
לֽוֹ׃for it
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Chronicles 30:15And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 29:34
However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 29:34
Through
2 Chronicles 35:6Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 29:15
When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the words of the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 29:5
“Listen to me, O Levites,” he said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every impurity.
- Hebrews 9:13–14
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,
- Exodus 12:21–22
Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
- 2 Chronicles 30:15–19
And on the fourteenth day of the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 29:15
Through
1 Chronicles 15:14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
it leads to
- Leviticus 10:3
Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I…
- Joel 2:16–17
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
- Leviticus 10:3
About 1 Chronicles

This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
