The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 93

mention of the other tribes (Numb. i. 47- !mown of them. Lig-htfoot (' Temple Service,' M), but it is compenst1tcd for somewht1t later 1v. § I) supposes that the chan~e of priest- (Numb. iii. 14-20). O hood family to Ithamar took place aft,,r Yer. 2.-The second son, Xohe.th, rather l\'leraioth. Bnt it is just as probable that J(el,ath (n~R• Hebrew, t1nd so f::eptuagint and t~e gap between Abiahua and Eli, or pos- Ynlg11tc), is e.t once singled out, in order to sibly even between Phinehas and Eli, was get 1:1t the priest line. lie was one of the fillerl by holders of the high priest office travellers with Jacob into Egypt, was pro- unknown by name to us. bably about twenty years the junior of Ver. 8.-Ahitub. With this name bee-ins Joseph, lived thirty years after his death, and the light _again. Abitub, Zaclok, Ahim~z, attained the age of one huudred aud thirty- and Azarmh are of fre')uent mention in the three years, after a residence iu Egypt of about Books of Samuel and Kiugs. Abitub, here one hundred and fifteen years in all. The and elsewhere plainly given as father of Za- Kohathites are expressly mentioned in their dok, seems to be given as father of Meraioth sacred duties in the time of David (eh. xv. in eh. ix. 11 and N eh. xi. 11, and grandfatl!er 5-8), and in tile time of Hezeki.,h (2 Chron. of Zadok; and in both passages is termed nix. 12--14). Tue four sous of Kohath are "ruler of the house of God" -an expression next instanced, in order to get another step probably equivalent to high priest, as Aza- nearer the clear beginning of the priest lino. riah, high priest in the rei~'Il of Hezekiah. id This is done in the person of the oldest also so described (2 Chron. :uxi. 13). The brother, Ailll'am, who became fother of Aaron recurrence of the two names Ahitub and and Moses and Miriam. Zadok in vers. 11 and 12 is very possibly the Ver. 3.-Once more, Aaron is singled out, result of some error; and it is in favour of such and Eleazar, the third of his four sons, fixes a supposition, in some form of it, at all events, tlie exact channel of descent required. that in that place, where, inclucling Sballum Ver. 4.-Eleazar. From this name inclusive (or Meshullam), only three steps are founcl, follow the twenty-two, which terminate with several more seem to be required-the pe- Jehozadnk, who indeed never attained himself riod one of some oue hundred o.nd eighty to the office of high priest, but was son of years, and filled in the list of J udah's kings Geraiah, last high priest before tho Captivity, by as many as nine in succession. On tho and father of J eshua,high priest, who returned other hand, it is open to question whether with Zerubbabel from the Captivity. It has the recurrenoo of the nt1mes Ahitub anu been pointed out by Lord A. C. Hervey that Zadok be not le:;itimt1to. And this mC1y the name Jehozadak is of the at1me meaning then be the solution of eh. ix. II o.ncl Neb. xi. with Zedekiah, the last king before the 11, t1s above, with their insertion ofl\Iemioth Captivity; and tho.t Jeshua is the same in -still othernC1mes being absent wliich would menning with Joshua, the leader of the tribes make up the requisite number of generations. into Co.nnan. The two elder brother~ of Ze.dok. The earliest glimpse we get of him Eleazar, viz. No.dab and Abihu, died without is in oh. xii. 28, where he is introduced t1d issue (Lev. x. 1; Numb. iii. 4, 32; xx. 28; '' t1 young man mighty of valour," who now eh. xxiv. 1-3). It is somewhat obscurely casts in his lot with David o.t Hebron, on said that the sacred office remained in the Saul's death. In 2 So.rn. xv. 2-1, 29, 35, we fomily of Eleazar till, in the person of Eli, find him o.nd Abiathar t.he recognized priests. it passed o.while into !hat of Itho.mar, his In l Kings i. 7, 8, we find him true to David brother (1 Kings ii. 26, 27; Joseplms, viii. I, when Abii,tho.r joined Adonijt1h-tho pun- § 3), to be recovered o.gain in the Zadok ol' ishment of the lt1tter and the reward of tho our ver. 9 (eh. xxiv. 3, 4). Phinehas; a former being recorded in I Kings ii. 27, 35, memomble mt1n (Numb. xxv. 7-13; Josh. respectively. Up to that time it is evident ::.xii. 10-33; Judg. xx. 28; Pa. cvi. 30, 31; that Abiutho.r had precedence in rank over which Grove well compares with Gen. xv. 6; Zadok. His death is not recorded, but it Rom. iv. 3). Abiahua; only mentioned in must bo o.ssigned to o. do.te previous to tho this chnpter and Ezro. vii. 1-5. Josephus dedication of the temple, from the account (viii. 1, § 3) nsserts that he it was who wao of which (f Kings viii.) his n1\mo is entirely succeeded in the high priesthood, not by absent. 'rhe lo.at allusions to him are in I any one of his own descendants, but by Eli, Kings iv. 2, 4; in tho lntter of which verses ~ill Zadok, in tho time of David, o.11 tho (specio.lly coupled as tho no.me is with tho mtervening members of tho Eleazar family deposed Abiatho.r) the notico is probably us being private individuals. But no reliance merely historical o.s it certainly is in tho can be placed on this assertion, for see former. This same verse st1:1tes thut Aza- Josephns again (v. 11, § 5). rio.h was "the priest," o.nd tho.t ho wo.s sou, Vers. 5-7.-Of the five succeeding names, i.q. grandson, of Zo.clok, proving, with very llukki, Uzzi, Zere.hiah, Meraioth, Amariah, it little doubt, tho.t the explano.tory pnron- muy bo sC1id that they reappear in the list thesis of our vor. 10 should follow tho of Ezra vii., but that little or nothing else is Azuriah men tionr.d in the previous verse. 84 THE FIRST TIOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [CH, VI, 1-81.