The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 399

God blessed him, with its present evident Ver. 12.-Tre.nslate, To these divisions o1 ell us ion, see eh. xiii. 14 ; 2 Sam. vi. 11. To the porters, as regards the chief men, be- this passage, the expression of eh. xxv. 5, longed the charge together with their bre- "to lift up the horn," is prob11bly analogous, thren to offioiate in the house of the Lord. where see comment. According to the present chapter, then, the Vere. 6, 7.-In the former of these verses, divisions add ap to ninety-three. And if at eulogy is pronounced by anticipation on the any time o( the history it were the co.se that six grandsons of Obed-edom through his these ninety-three were the leaders of groups son Sheme.ia.h, a.bout to be mentioned in the among the total of " four thousand porters," latter verse. The singular number of the it would put exactly forty-two under each verb (i~il), with a plural nominative, as of these ninety-three, leaving but one over. found here, often occurs elsewhere, and re- This number ninety-three, meantime, does peatedly, even in this book, in cases where not agree with the two hundred and twelve the relative pronoun i~t:t intervenes between of eh. ix. 22. And the three score and tico of Obed-edom in ver. 8 of the present the subject and its· verb. That ruled chapter does not agree with the three score throughout the 1lo11Se of their father. The and eight of Obed-edom in eh. xvi. 38. At plural masculine abstract noun (□'?\l"p9ri) the same time, no little light may be thrown here employed, in place of a verbal or on this subject by noticing that the porters participial form, is intended to go.in force. numbered in Zerubbabel's time one hundred A similar use of the feminine form of the and thirty-nine (Ezra. ii. 42); end that the same noun in the singular, and with suffix, number one hundred and seventy-two is given me.y be cited from 2 Chron. xxxii. 9. Whose for them by Nehemiah (Neh. xi. 19). The 'IJrethren. An erroneous translation for his conclusion me.y well be that the numbers brethren; a correction, however, rendering varied in David's time e.nd the other times more patent the inconvenience of the unex- severally ; and tho.t the date in question plained absence of the conjunction, which (eh. ix. 22) was not the same with the date seems to be celled for before both " Elza.- of David in our present chapter, but we.a a bad," e.nd " his brethren." Bertheau sug- subsequent de.ta nearer the time of the gests that other names are wanting which Captivity. There is, therefore, no special should fill up the meaning of" his brethren." ground for doubting the o.ccure.cy of the 'fhe brethren intended were probably Elihu numbers given in this chapter. e.nd Semacbiah. Vera. 14-16.-The casting of lots for the Ver. 8.-Able men for strength for the four chief names o.nd the four chief aspects servioe. The Hebrew gives this in the of go.tea, now proceeds. A special note is singular, ',:ri•lf•it, etc. The apparent intention made of the care taken for the house of is to diatn'bute equally to ea.eh and every Asuppim; i.e. of" gatherings" or "stores." one of ell of the sons of Obed-edom, the high For o.11 that we know of this "house," we character for strength given to them as seem to be left to the verses ( 15, 17) of this grouped here together. po.sse.ge, and to the expression (N eh. xii. Ver. 9.-This somewhat sudden return 25), " the storehouses, or stores of the to the no.me of llteahelemie.h is evidently in go.tea" (though the Authorized Version, tho order to put his numbel'S in a convenient "thresholds" of the gates), whioh wouhl position, to be added to those of Obed-edom have been more intelligible had it been just stated, thus making in all eighty porters reversed, "the go.tea of the stores." Pre- from the KorRhites. sumably it was a building for keeping ettfe Vere. 10, 11.-The porters from the de- certain of the sacred property, end Wlls scendants of lltere.ri are given in these two situated south of the temple, and, judging verses, in all thirteen. Hosah, it will be from ver. 17, had two doorways. The Vul- remembered, is found together with Obed- gate tre.nsle.tes seniorum concilium. To oclom in eh. xvi. 38, es one of the porters of the Shuppim. Nothing can be rno.de of this the ark. These thirteen bring up the number word in this connection, o.s a proper nnmc, of porters to ninety-three. We hu.vc reed (oh. though we h11ve it (eh. vii. 12, 15) ,is such. ix. 22) tb11t later the number became two It is now genero.lly rejected, 11s probl\bly duo hundred e.nd twelve. Though ... yet. 'fhe to the error of some tmuscriucr, whoso eyo likelier translation of the Hebrew would be, me.y have been Cl\ught o.gain by the last For there was not a 11.rstborn (i.e. the issue too syllables of the closely preceding" Asup- of the firstborn he.d foiled, o.nd his line wee pim." But some would placo it o.s tho therefore extinct), and his father me.de him 111st word of the previous verse, on<! mnko the ohief. Moreover, it is but probo.ble tho.t, it amplify the meaning of As1tppim, e.g. if it bad been o. case of superseding the first- "gatherings for stores." Shalleoheth. lly born, the fact would not have been statod derivation, this wor,l meo.ns "sending or without an exple.no.tion of what he.d led to throwing down." Hcnco some call it, " thu it or justified it. refuso gate." '!'he situation of it is, how- L CHIIONICLES, 2D (02 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [ea. xxv1, 1-32.