Chapter XXVI
of those who had cliarge of the trensure-cliainberK at their re.spe<;tive wards are given, with a general description of the precious things committed to their trust. Those treasures were imriiense, consisting of the accumulated spoils of Israellti.sh victories, as well ;is of voluntary contributions made by David and the representatives of the people.
Ver. 1-12. Divisions OF THE PoiiTEBS. 1, 2. Conceni-
tULg a»e di^-isloHs oftlif iJorJcrs—Tlitfre were 4000 (ch . 23. 6),
all taken from the families of ttie Koliathites and Merar-
it«s It. 11), divided into twenty-four courses—as the p^ie^st.s and mnsicians. Mesliflcniiuh the sous of Kore, of tl>e sous of Aaapli—Heven sons of Me.slieleuiiah are mentioned (f. 2), wliereas eighteen are given («;. 9), but in thi.s
2r)-o2. Officeks and Judges. 29. officers aitd judges —Tlie word rendered "officers" is the term wliieli signi-
latter numl)er his r<-Iative.s are included. 5. God blesseil Ikim—f. e., Obed-edoui. The occasion of the blessing was his faitliful custody of the ark (2 Samuel 6. 11, 12), and tlio nature of the blessing (I'saha 127. o) consisted in the great increase of progeny by which his house was distinguished; seventy-two de.sceiidauts are reckoned. G. •iilglity men of valojir—The circuiiistance of physical strength is prominently noticed in this chapter, as the
fies scribes or secretaries, so that (he Levitical class here de.scriljed were m:igi.strates, who, attended by their clerks, e.Kcrcised judicial functions; there were (iOOU of tlii'm (ch.
2:!. 4), wlio probably acted like their brethren on the princijjle of rotation, and these were divided into three classes—one (u. 2.9) for the outward business over Israel; one ((,-. :10), consisting of 1700, for the west of Jordan "in
all bu.siness of the Loi'd, and in the service of tlu; king;" and the third {v. 31, 32), consisting of 2700, were "rulers for every matter pertaining to God, and aUiiirs of the king."
office of the parters requiretl them not only to act as sentinels of tlie sacred editic« and its precious furniture against attacks of plunderers or popular insurrection to be, in fact, a military guard—but, after the temple was
CHAPTER XXVII.
built, to open and shut the gate.s, which were extraordinarily large and ponderous. 10. Simri tHie cliief . . . thong'h . . . tiot tiic fiist-borii—Probably because the family entitled to the right of primogeniture had died out, or because there were none of tlie existing families which could claim that right. 13. Amotig tliese ivtrie
Ver. 1-15. TwiiLVE Captains Foit evkry .Sevekax, Month. 1. came iii aud went out iitonOi by iiinntli Here is an account of the standing military force of Israel. A militia formed, it would .seem, at the beginning of David s reign (see on v. 7) was raised in the following order: Twelve legions, corresponding to the number of tribes, wei'e enlisted in the king's service. Each legion comprised a body of 21,000 men-, M'ho.se term of service w;us a month in rotation, and who were stationed either at Jerusalem or in any other place where they might be required. There was thus always a fprce sufficient for the ordinary purposes of state, as well as for resisting sudden attacks or popular tumults; and when extraordinary emergencies demanded a larger force, the whole standing army could e;usily be called to arms, amounting to 288,000, or to 300,000, including the 12,000 officers that naturally attended on the twelve princes
tlie divisions of tlie porters, even aiuoug tiie clilef mei»—These were charged with the duty of superintending the watches, being heads of the tweuty-lour courses of porters.
13-19. The Gates A.ssigned by Lot. 13. tliey cjsst lots—Their departments of duty, such as the gates they should attend to, were allotted in the same manner as those of the other Levitical bodies, and the names of the ehfefs or cjiptains are given, with the respective gates assigned them. 15. tlic Iiousc of Astippiin—Or collections, probably a storehouse, where were kept tlie grain, wine, and other ofleriiigs for the sustenance of the priests. 16. tlie gat« Slialleclietli—Probably the rubbish gate, through which all tlie accumulated filth and sweepings of the temiJle and its courts were poured out. by the catiseway of the going up—Probably the ascending road which was cast up or raised from the deep valley between Mount Zlon and Mori all, for the royal egress to the place of worship (2 Chronicles 9. 4).. ward against ward Sftrne refer these words to Shupplm and Hosah, whose duty it was to watch both the western gate and the gate Bhallechetli, which was opposite, while otliers take it as a general statement applicable to all the guards, and intended to intimate that tliej' were posted at regular distances from each other, or that they all mounted and relieved guard at the same time in uniform order. 17-19. Kastward were six Lcvites—Because the gate there was the most frequented. Four at the north gate; four at the south, at the storehouse which was adjoining the south, and which had two entrance-gates, one leading in a south-westerly direction to the city, and the other dii-ect west, two porters each—at the Parbar towards the west, there were six men posted—four at the causev>ray or ascent (v. 16), and two at Parbar, amounting to twentyfour in all, who were kept daily on guard. Parbar— is, perhaps, the same as Parvar (suburbs, 2 Kings 2:5.11), and
{v. 10-24). Such a military establishment would be burdensome neither to the country nor to the royal exchequer; for attendance on this duty being a iruu-k of honour and distinction, the expense of maintoiance would be borne probably by the militiaman himself, or furnished out of the common fund of his tribe. Nor would the brief period of actual service produce anj' derangement of the usual course of allairs; for, on the expiry of the term, every soldier returned to the pursuits and duties of private life during the other eleven months of the year. Whether the same individuals were always enrolled, cannot be determined. The probability is, that provided the requisite number was furnished, no stricter scrutiny would be made. A change of men might, to a certain degree, be encouraged, as it was a part of David's policy to train all his subjects to skill in arms; and to have made the enlistment fall always on -the same individuals would have defeated that purpose, as to have confined each month's levy rigidly within the limits of one tribe might have fallen hard upon those tribes which were weak and small. The rotation system being established, each division knew its own month, as well as the name of the commander under whom it was to serve. These commanders are styled, " the chief fathers,"
i.e., the hereditary heads of tribes who, like chieftains of clans, possessed great power and influence, captains of thousands and hundreds—The legions of 21,000 were di. vided into regiments of 1000, and these again into coni' panics of 100 men, under the direction of their respective subalterns, there being, of course, twenty-four captains of thousands, and 240 centurions, and their otlicers— The Shoterim, who in the army performed the duty of the commissariat, keeping the muster-roll, etc. 3, 3. Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel—(Kee on ch. 11. 11 ; 2 Samuel 23. 8.) Haclimoni was his father, Zabdiel probably one of his ancestors; or there might be dirterent names of the .same individual. In the rotation of the military courses, the dignity of precedence, not of author-
if so, this gatemiglit be so called as leadingto tliesuburbs. [Calmet.]
20-28. Levites that had Charge of the Trbasukes. 20. of the Xievltes, Ahljali—The heading of this section
Is altogether strange as it stands, for it looks as if the sacred historian were going to commence a new subject different from the preceding. Besides, "Ahijali, whose name occurs after" the Levites, is not mentioned in the previous lists; it is totally unknown, and is introduced abruptly without further information; and lastly, AhlJan must have united in his own person those very offices of which the occupants are named in the verses that follow. The reading is incorrect. The Scptuaginl has this very suitable heading, "And their I>;vitioal brelh ren over the treasures," &c. [Bektheau.J The names
ity, was given to the hero. 4. second uioiith ivas Dudal 203
Princes of the Twelve Tribes, 1 CHRONICLES XXVIII. David Encouragea Solomon,
—Or Dodo. Here the text seems to require the suppleraent of " Eleazar the son of Dodo" (2 Samuel 23. 9). 7.
2Kings 22. 18); and besides Joab, the commander-in-clilcf of the army, the heroes who had no particular ofiice (eh.
A^saliel—This officer having been slain at the very beginniuj; of David's reign, his name was probably given to this division in honour of his memory, and his son was invested with the command.
11; 2 Samuel 23). This assembly, a very mixed and general one, as appears from the parties invited, was more numerous and entirely different from that mentioned
(ch. 23. 2). 3. Hear me, my brethren—This was the style of address becoming a constitutional king of Israel (Deuteronomy 17. 20; 1 Samuel 30.23; 2 Samuel 5.1). I had it In mine heart—I proposed or designed, to build au house of rest—A solid and permanent temple, for the footstool of our Crod—God seated between the ehernljim. at the two extremities of the ark, might be said to be enthroned in His glory, and the coverlet of the ark to be His footstool, and had made ready for tl»c building The immense treasures wliich David had amassed, and the elaborate preparations-he had made, would have beer, amply sulBcient for the erection of the temple of which he presented the model to Solomon. 3. tltou hast been a man of war, and hast shed much blood—The church or spiritual state of the world, of which the temple at Jerusalem was to be a type, would be presided over by One who was to be pre-eminently the Prince of Peace, and therefore would be represented not so fitly by David, whose mission had been a preparatory one of battle and conquest, as by his sou, who should reign in unbroken peace. 4, 5. he hath chosen Solomon—The spirit of David's statement is this:—It was not my ambition, iny valour, or my merit that led to the enthronement of myself and family; it was the grace of God which chose the tribe, the family, the person—myself in the first instance, and now Solomon, to whom, as the Lord's anointed, you are all bound to submit. Like that of Ohri.st, of .whom he was a tyi>e, the appointment of Solomon to the kingdom above all his brethren Avas freqtiently pre-intimated
16-24. Princes of the Twelve Tribes. 16. over tlie tribes of Israel: tUe ruler—This is a list of the heredi- 'ary chiefs or rulers of tribes at the time of David's numbering the people. Gad and Asher are not included ; for what reason is unknown. The tribe of Levi had a ])rince
(v. 17), as well as the other tribes; and although it was ecclesiastically subject to the high priest, yet in all civil matters it had a chief or head, possessed of the same authority and power as in the other tribes, only his jurisdiction did not extend to the pi'iests. 18. EHiliu—Probably the same as Eliab (1 Samuel 16. 16). 33. But David took not tlie number of tUein from twenty years old and under—The meaning is, that the census which David ordered did not extend to all the Israelites; for to contemplate such an enumeration would have been to attempt an impossibility (Genesis 28. 14), and besides would have been a daring offence to God. The limitation to a certain age was what had probably quieted David's conscience as to the lawfulness of the measure, while its expediency was strongly pressed upon his mind by the army arrangements he had in view. neitlier -was tUe number put in the account of tlie clironlcles of King David—Either because the uudertakiug was not completed, Levi and Benjamin not having been numbered (ch. 21. 6), or tlie full details in the hands of the enumerating officers were not reported to David, and, consequently, not registered in the public archives, the clironiclcs— Were the daily reconls or annals of the king's reign. No notice was taken of this census in the Historical register, as from tlie public calamity with which
(ch. 17.12; 22.9; 2 Samuel 7.12-14; 12.24,2.); 2 Kings 1. ];3). 7. 1 will establisit I»is kingdom for ever, if Ite be constant to do my commandments—The same condition is set before Solomon by God (1 Kings .'3. 14; 9.4). S. Now
It was associated it would have stood a painful record of tlie Divine judgment against the king and the nation.
2.>. over tlie king's treasures—Those ti-easures consisted of gold, silver, precious stones, cedar-wood, Ac; those which lie had i/i Jerusalem as distinguished from others williout the city, tlie storehouses ii» the fields—Grain covered over with layers of straw is frequently preserved in the fields under little earthen mounds, lilie our potato pits. 37. the vineyards—These seem to have been In the vine-growing districts of Judali, and were committed to two men of that quarter, wine-cellars—Stores; the wine is deposited in jars sunlt in the court of the liouse. 38. olive . . . and . . . sycamore trees ... in tl>e low plains— 1. e., tlie Shcphela, the rich low-lying ground between tlie Jlediterraneaii and the mountains of Judah. 39. herds that fed in Sharon—A fertile plain between Ciesarea and Joppa. sheep and camels—Tlu se were probably in the countries east of the .Jordan, and hence an Ishmaelite and Nazarite were appointed to take charge of them. 31. rulers of the substance ttiat was King David's— How and when the king acquired these demesnes and this variety of property — wliether it was partly Ijy conquests, or partly by conflscation, or by his own active cultivation of waste lands— is not said.- It was probably in all these ways. The munagoment of the king's private possessions was divided into twelve parts, like his public atrairs and tlie revenue derived from all these sources mentionol must liave been very largo.
. . . in the sigitt of all Isi-ael, . . . keep, and seek for all tlic commandiiients of the Lord, Ac.—This solemn and earnest exhortation to those present, and toall Israel through their representatives, to continue faitliful in observing tlie Divine law as essential to their nation.-il prosperity and permanence, is similar to that of Moses (Deuteronomy ;3U. 1.5-20).
9-20. He Encourages Soi.omon to Build the Temple.
9, 10. And thou, Solomon my son—The royal speaker now turns lo Solomon, and in a most iiii|)ressive nianiier presses upon him the liuixirtance of sincere and practical piety, know tliou— lie did not mean head-knowledge, for Solomon possessed that already, but tliat experimental acquaintance with (Jod which is only to be ()l>tained liy loving and serving Ilim. 11. Then David gave to Solomon . . . the pattern—He now put into tlie hands of his
.son and successor the plan or model of the temple, wltli the elevations, measurements, apartments, and chief articles of furniture, all of wliicli were designed according to the pattern given him liy Divine revelation (v. 19). 13. the pattei-n of all that he Itnd by the spiritIviither, with hliu in spirit; i.e., was tli>atlng in his mind. 1.1, 10.
tl»e candlesticks of silver—Solomon made t'.iem all of gold—In this ami a tew minor partlculais departing I'roni the letter of liis father's instructions, whiM'e lie had tlio means of executing them in a more splendid style. There was only one candl(>st Ick ami one table in (he tal>ernacle, but ten in tli<> temple, is. the cliariot of tine cherubim —The expMiided wings ot llie cherubim loriiied wliat was figuratively styled the throne of (iod, and as they wei'O emblematical of rapid mution, the throne or seat was spoken of as a chariot (IVnlm IS. 10; 99. 1). It Is quite clear that In all tiies(> directions David was not guided by his own taste, or by a iK'sIn' for taking iiily existing model of architecture, hut solely by a regard to the express revelation of the Divine will. In a vision, or trance, the whole edifice, with Itsappiirtcnances, had been placed before his eyes so vividly and permanently, that he hud be(>n able to take a sUetcli of them in the models delivered to Solomon. 30. He strong an«lof good courage—The ttii-