Chapter XXIII
Ver. 1. David Makes Solomon King. 1. when David was old . . . he made Solomon king—This brief statement, which comprises the substance of 1 Kings 1. 32-48, is made here solely to introduce an account of the preparations carried on by David during the latter years of his
rollers and some sharp spikes. The driver sits on his knees on the box, while another person is employed in drawing back the straw and separating it from the grain underneath. By this operation the chaff is very much chopped, and the grain threshed out. 23. I give
life for providing a national place of worship.
2-6. Number and Distribution of the Levites. 2. he gathered together all the princes of Israel—All important measures relating to the public interest were submitted for consideration to a general assembly of the representatives of the tribes (ch. 13. 1; 15. 25; 22. 17; 20i. 3. the Levites were numbered . . . thirty and eiglittSiousand—Four times their number at the early census taken by Moses (see on Numbers 4. and 26). It was, in all lilcelihood, this vast increase that suggested and rendered ex-- pedient thatclassification, made in the last yearof David's reign, which the present and three subsequenl chapters describe, hy their polls, man by man—Women and children were not included. 4. twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of tine Lord—They were not to preside over all the services of the temple. The Levites were subject to the priests, and they were superior to the Nethinims and other servants, who were not of the race of Levi. But they had certain departments of duty assigned, some of which are lu're specified. 5. praised the Lord with the instrumciita whicli I made—David seems to have been an inventorof many of the musical instruments used in the teiniile (Amos 6. 5). 6. David divided titem into courses among
tltee . , . tite tlireshlng instruments for wood i. e.,
to burn the sacrifice of the oxen. Very little real import—the haste and the value of the present ofl'ered—can be understood in this country. The offering was made for imtant use. Ornan, hereby hoping to terminate the pestilence without a moment's delay, "gave all," oxen, the large threshing machine, and the wheat. 25. David . . . gave for the place six hundred sliekels of gold— At
first he bought only the cattle aijd the threshing instruments, for which he paid fift.v shekels of silver (2 Samuel
2A. 24); afterwards he purchased the whole property, Mount Moriah, on which the future temple stood. High in the centre of the mountain platform rises a remarkable rock, now covered by the dome of " the Sakrah." It is irregu-
lar In its form, and measures about sixty feet in one direction and fifty feet in the other. It is the natural surface of Mount Moriah, and is thought by many to be the rock of the threshing-floor of Araunah, selected by David, and continued by Solomon and Zerubbabel as " the unhewn stone" on which to build the altar. [Baktlett's "Walks About Jerusalem." Stanley.] 26. David built tliere an altar—He went in procession with liis leading men from the royal palace, down MountZion, and through the Intervening city ; and, having plenty of space on his own property, he was commande<l, under peremp-
tile sons of Levi—These are enumerated according lo their fathers' houses, but no more of those are mentiont-d here than tlie twent.v-four tliousand wlio were engaged m
^ the work connected with the Lord's house. The fathers' liousesof those Levites corresponded with the classes into
tory direction, to go a considerable distance from his
Division oj the Sons of Aaron. 1 CIIKONICLES XXIV, XXV. Number and Office of the Singer*.
right of performing particular duties. 6. one principal household—The marg. reading is preferable, "one liouse of the father." The lot was cast in a deliberate and solemn manner in presence of the king, the princes, tlie two higli priests, and the chiefs of tlie priestly and Levitical fam-
which *hey [Josepiius' Antiquities] as well as the priests wore divided (see on ch. 24. 20-31 ; 2f). 2u-2(^).
7-11. Sons OF Geushon. 7-11. tl»e Gershonites—They had nine latheis' houses, six descended Irom Laadan, and three Irom Sliimei.
ilies—the headsof families belonging to Eleazar and Ithamar were alternately brouglit forward to draw, and the name of each individual, as called, registered by an attendant secretary. To accommodate tlie casting of tlio lots to t!re inequalitj' of the number, there being sixtceu fathers' houses of Eleazar, and only eight of Ithamar, it was arranged that every house of Ithamar should be followed by two of Eleazar, or, what is the same thing, that every two houses of Eleazar should be followed by one of Ithamar. . If, then, we suppose a eommenceinent to have been made by Eleazar, the order would be as follows : one and two, Eleazar; three, Ithamar; four and five, Eleazar; six, Ithamar; seven and eight, Eleazar; nine, Ithamar; and so forth. [Bertheau.] The lot determined also the order of the priests' service. That of the Levites was afterwards distributed by the same arrangement {v. 31).
12-21). Of Kohath. I'i. Tlie sons of KoJialh—He was Die founder of nine Levilical fathers' houses. 13.' Aaron »vas scijarated—As higli priest (see on ch. 25. 1-19). l-t.
loiii-'ci ning Moses—His sons were ranlied witli the Le-
vites generally, but not introduced into the distinctive portion of the descendants of Levi, who were appointed
to tlie special functions of tlie priesthood.
21-2.'?. Of Meuari. 21-'-J3. Tlie sons of Merari—They
f-Qinprised six fathers' houses. Humming tliem together, Gershon founded nine lathers' houses, Kohath nine, and Alerari six: total, twenty-four.
2t. Office of the Levites. 34. These were tUe sons of Levi . . . tUat did the work . . . froih twenty years and upwards—The enumeration of the Levltes w;!S made by David (v. 3) on tlie same rule as that followed by Moses
• (^s'umbers -1. 3), viz., from thirty years. But lie saw afterwards that this rule might be beneflcially relaxed, and that •the enrolment of Levites for their proper duties might be made from twenty years of age. The ark and tabernacle being now stationary at Jeru.salem, the labovir of tlie Levites was greatly diininislied, as they were no longer obliged to transport its heavy furniture from place to place. The number of 38,000 Levites, exclusive of