1 Chronicles 23:13
in 1 Chronicles 23The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, for ever, to burn incense before Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, for ever.
KJV
The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseSanctify - That he might keep them from pollution: for these most holy things were polluted when they were touched by any other person. He and his - Not only his eldest sons the high-priests successively, but all his posterity or all the priests; for the works here following were not peculiar to the high-priest, but common to all the priests.
This site's exposition
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel
on 1 Chronicles 23:12-17
Kohath's family carries the chapter's one narrative turn. Aaron is separated to sanctify the most holy things for ever, while his brother Moses is named only to record that Moses' own sons were counted as common Levites, no priesthood and no standing rank attached to the lawgiver's name. Chronicles states the contrast without comment, the same restraint Numbers already keeps toward Moses' family. Matthew Henry reads it as a mark of Moses' own self denial, the man who refused a nation built from his own line at Exodus 32:10 and is here counted level with the tribe he led.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): To sanctify the most holy things, to burn incense before the Lord, and to bless in his name; that work the Levites were not to meddle with, and yet they had work enough, and good work, according to that to which they were appointed,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
To bless in his name - To bless the people by invoking the name of the Lord.
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמְרָ֖ם | ʾamram | Amram | H6019 → | 14 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֣ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| וּמֹשֶׁ֑ה | umosheh | and Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| וַיִּבָּדֵ֣ל | vaiyibadel | and he was separated | H914 → | 42 times |
| אַהֲרֹ֡ן | ʾaharon | Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| לְֽהַקְדִּישׁוֹ֩ | lehakdisho | to consecrate it | H6942 → | 171 times |
| קֹ֨דֶשׁ | kodesh | a holy one of | H6944 → | 469 times |
| קָֽדָשִׁ֤ים | kadashim | holy ones | H6944 → | 469 times |
| הֽוּא־ | hu'- | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וּבָנָיו֙ | uvanav | and descendants his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עוֹלָ֔ם | olam | perpetuity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| לְהַקְטִיר֩ | lehaktir | to make smoke | H6999 → | |
| לִפְנֵ֨י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לְשָׁרְת֛וֹ | leshareto | to serve him | H8334 → | 97 times |
| וּלְבָרֵ֥ךְ | ulevarekh | and to bless | H1288 → | 330 times |
| בִּשְׁמ֖וֹ | bishmo | in name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| עוֹלָֽם׃ | olam | perpetuity | H5769 → | 438 times |
בְּנֵ֥י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמְרָ֖םAmram
ʾamramH6019 →14 times
אַהֲרֹ֣ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
וּמֹשֶׁ֑הand Moses
umoshehH4872 →765 times
וַיִּבָּדֵ֣לand he was separated
vaiyibadelH914 →42 times
אַהֲרֹ֡ןAaron
ʾaharonH175 →347 times
לְֽהַקְדִּישׁוֹ֩to consecrate it
lehakdishoH6942 →171 times
קֹ֨דֶשׁa holy one of
kodeshH6944 →469 times
קָֽדָשִׁ֤יםholy ones
kadashimH6944 →469 times
הֽוּא־he
hu'-H1931 →1879 times
וּבָנָיו֙and descendants his
uvanavH1121 →4930 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עוֹלָ֔םperpetuity
olamH5769 →438 times
לְהַקְטִיר֩to make smoke
lehaktirH6999 →
לִפְנֵ֨י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לְשָׁרְת֛וֹto serve him
lesharetoH8334 →97 times
וּלְבָרֵ֥ךְand to bless
ulevarekhH1288 →330 times
בִּשְׁמ֖וֹin name his
bishmoH8034 →864 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
עוֹלָֽם׃perpetuity
olamH5769 →438 times
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
1 Samuel 2:28And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I…
it leads to
- Exodus 28:1
“Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests.
- Leviticus 8:7–8
He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He tied the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened…
- Exodus 28:1
Through
Deuteronomy 21:5And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:8
At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in…
- Malachi 2:7
For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
- Deuteronomy 19:17
both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.
- Deuteronomy 18:5
For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.
- Deuteronomy 10:8
Through
Exodus 6:20And Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
it leads to
- Exodus 2:1–2
Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi,
- Numbers 26:59
and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
- Exodus 2:1–2
About 1 Chronicles

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
