Ezra 6:18
in Ezra 6They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
KJV
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
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This verse in Ezra 6
Commentary
3 notes on this verseAnd they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God which is at Jerusalem,.... All in their proper classes and courses, to do the work of the temple at Jerusalem in their turns: as it is written in the book of Moses; see Num 3:6, from hence it is plain the Pentateuch was not written by Ezra, as suspected by Spinosa (m), but by Moses; see the argument of the book of Genesis. See Gill on Gen 1:1. (m) Tract. Theolog. Polit. c. 8. p. 163.
This site's exposition
kept the dedication of this house
on Ezra 6:16-18
Israel keeps the dedication with joy, the priests, the Levites and the rest of the returned captivity together. The offerings are modest next to Solomon's thousands, a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams and four hundred lambs, but the sin offering carries its own signature: twelve he goats, one for every tribe of Israel, a remnant of two provinces still counting itself as the whole twelve-tribe nation. The priests are set in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God, exactly as it is written in the book of Moses, worship resuming by the old pattern rather than a new one.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Though the temple service could not now be performed with so much pomp and plenty as formerly, because of their poverty, yet perhaps it was performed with as much purity and close adherence to the divine institution as ever, which was the true glory of it. No beauty like the beauty of holiness.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַהֲקִ֨ימוּ | vahakimu | and they appointed | H6966 → | |
| כָהֲנַיָּ֜א | khahanaiya' | priests the | H3549 → | 8 times |
| בִּפְלֻגָּתְה֗וֹן | biflugatehon | in divisions their | H6392 → | |
| וְלֵוָיֵא֙ | velevaye' | and Levites the | H3879 → | 4 times |
| בְּמַחְלְקָ֣תְה֔וֹן | bemachlekatehon | in classes their | H4255 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5922 → | 104 times |
| עֲבִידַ֥ת | ʾavidat | [the] service of | H5673 → | 6 times |
| אֱלָהָ֖א | ʾelaha' | <the> God | H426 → | 95 times |
| דִּ֣י | di | which | H1768 → | 345 times |
| בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם | virushelem | [is] in Jerusalem | H3390 → | 26 times |
| כִּכְתָ֖ב | kikhtav | according to [the] writing of | H3792 → | |
| סְפַ֥ר | sefar | [the] book of | H5609 → | 5 times |
| מֹשֶֽׁה׃ פ | mosheh | Moses | H4873 → |
וַהֲקִ֨ימוּand they appointed
vahakimuH6966 →
כָהֲנַיָּ֜אpriests the
khahanaiya'H3549 →8 times
בִּפְלֻגָּתְה֗וֹןin divisions their
biflugatehonH6392 →
וְלֵוָיֵא֙and Levites the
velevaye'H3879 →4 times
בְּמַחְלְקָ֣תְה֔וֹןin classes their
bemachlekatehonH4255 →
עַל־over
ʾal-H5922 →104 times
עֲבִידַ֥ת[the] service of
ʾavidatH5673 →6 times
אֱלָהָ֖א<the> God
ʾelaha'H426 →95 times
דִּ֣יwhich
diH1768 →345 times
בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם[is] in Jerusalem
virushelemH3390 →26 times
כִּכְתָ֖בaccording to [the] writing of
kikhtavH3792 →
סְפַ֥ר[the] book of
sefarH5609 →5 times
מֹשֶֽׁה׃ פMoses
moshehH4873 →
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 Chronicles 24:1These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
it leads to
- Exodus 6:23
And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
- 1 Chronicles 23:6
Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
- Numbers 26:60
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were born to Aaron,
- 1 Chronicles 6:3
The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
- Numbers 3:2
These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
- Exodus 6:23
Through
Numbers 3:6“Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
it leads to
- Numbers 18:1–7
So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.
- Numbers 1:49–53
“Do not number the tribe of Levi in the census with the other Israelites.
- Numbers 2:33
But the Levites were not counted among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Numbers 18:1–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezra

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