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1 Chronicles 24:4

in 1 Chronicles 24

Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided: of the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen, heads of fathers’ houses; and of the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses, eight.

KJV

And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.

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This verse in 1 Chronicles 24

Commentary

3 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

there were more chief men found

on 1 Chronicles 24:4-6

The imbalance stands unresolved in the text itself, sixteen chief men from Eleazar's house against eight from Ithamar's, yet the courses divide by lot without regard to the numbers, one house drawn against another in turn. Shemaiah the scribe records the assignment in the presence of David, the princes, Zadok and Ahimelech, so the courses stand as public record rather than private arrangement. The commentators note that casting lots to settle a sacred office recurs later at Acts 1:26, when the apostles choose Matthias the same way.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

there were more chief men found--The Hebrew may be translated, "There were more men as to heads of the sons of Eleazar." It is true, in point of fact, that by the census the number of individuals belonging to the family of Eleazar was found greater than in that of Ithamar.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

and Ahimelech was of the sons of Ithamar This is Ahimelech the son of Ebiathar, as is proven immediately following (verse 6): “And Shemaiah, etc. wrote them..” until “and Ahimelech the son of Ebiathar.”
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Chronicles 24:3:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

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. 4 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

22 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּמָּצְא֣וּand they were found

    vaiyimatzeuH4672 →455 times

  • בְֽנֵי־[the] descendants of

    venei-H1121 →4930 times

  • אֶלְעָזָ֡רEleazar

    ʾelazarH499 →72 times

  • רַבִּ֞יםmany

    rabimH7227 →454 times

  • לְרָאשֵׁ֧יto [the] chiefs of

    lerasheiH7218 →599 times

  • הַגְּבָרִ֛יםthe men

    hagevarimH1397 →65 times

  • מִן־more than

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • בְּנֵ֥י[the] descendants of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • אִיתָמָ֖רIthamar

    ʾitamarH385 →21 times

  • וַֽיַּחְלְק֑וּםand they divided them

    vaiyachlekumH2505 →65 times

  • לִבְנֵ֨י[belonged] to [the] descendants of

    livneiH1121 →4930 times

  • אֶלְעָזָ֜רEleazar

    ʾelazarH499 →72 times

  • רָאשִׁ֤יםheads

    rashimH7218 →599 times

  • לְבֵית־of a house of

    leveit-H1004 →2046 times

  • אָבוֹת֙ancestors

    ʾavotH1 →1212 times

  • שִׁשָּׁ֣הsix-

    shishahH8337 →216 times

  • עָשָׂ֔רteen

    ʾasarH6240 →338 times

  • וְלִבְנֵ֧יand [belonged] to [the] descendants of

    velivneiH1121 →4930 times

  • אִיתָמָ֛רIthamar

    ʾitamarH385 →21 times

  • לְבֵ֥יתof [the] house of

    leveitH1004 →2046 times

  • אֲבוֹתָ֖םancestors their

    ʾavotamH1 →1212 times

  • שְׁמוֹנָֽה׃eight

    shemonahH8083 →109 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

5 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Chronicles 23:24These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.2 works1 Chronicles 15:6–12from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;2 worksNumbers 25:11–13“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal.2 works1 Chronicles 27:17over Levi was Hashabiah son of Kemuel; over Aaron was Zadok;2 works2 Chronicles 1:2Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the families.2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each 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 Chronicles 23:24

    These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.

    it leads to

    • Numbers 10:17

      Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting it.

    • 1 Chronicles 23:3

      The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000.

    • Numbers 10:21

      Then the Kohathites set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.

    • Numbers 4:3

      men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.

    • Ezra 3:8

      In the second month of the second year after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their associates including…

About 1 Chronicles

Cedars Are Cut Down for the Jerusalem Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Cedars Are Cut Down for the Jerusalem Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Chronicles: the study guide →Read 1 Chronicles 24 →

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

Read on in 1 Chronicles 24 →