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
7 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
celebrated the dedication of the house of God
on Ezra 6:16-18
The priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles celebrate the dedication with joy. The offerings are modest beside Solomon's thousands, a hundred bulls, two hundred rams and four hundred lambs. The sin offering for all Israel is twelve male goats, so the remnant offers for the twelve-tribe nation.
This site's exposition
written in the Book of Moses
Gill reads the phrase as evidence that Moses wrote the Pentateuch. He sets it against the suspicion of Spinoza that Ezra wrote it. Henry finds the glory of this poorer house of God in service kept by what is written.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And they appointed priests in their orders, etc. The order demanded devotion, so that after the Lord's house was built and dedicated, priests and Levites who would minister in it were immediately ordained; lest the house shine in vain if those who serve God within …
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 Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses . . . as it is written in the book of Moses--Although David arranged the priests and Levites in courses according to their families, it was Moses who assigned to the priests and Levites their rights and privileges, their stations and several duties.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
And they set the priests - With this verse the Chaldee or Aramitic part of this chapter ends.
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
Studies9
On this verse
About Ezra
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; 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.