The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 400

eYer, defined here, 9.8 by the oa.useway through Laa.dan, previously called Lilmi of tbe going up, and would seem to ren- (eh. Yi. 17; also Exod. vi. 17; Numb. iii, der such an interpretation less likely. Ao- 18). The sons named as heads of houses <Jording to GroYe (in Smith's • Bible Dic- are three, viz. J"ehieli (eh. xxiii. 8) e.nd hie tionary'), this causeway is still traceable: sons, Zetham e.nd Joel. Those who think it runs up from the central valley of the that eh. xxiii. 8 carries with it the meaning town to the sacred site west of the temple that Jehieli, Zetharn, e.nd Joel were e.11 (1 Kings x. 5; 2 Chron. ix. 4); and Grove three brothers, can, in point of fact, plausibly would identify the "gate of Shallecheth" reduce this verse to their shape. For the yod, with the pre~ent Bab Sil,sileh. The Sep- not welcome at the end of the name Jehieli tuagint tunslates ,;, ,ru.\.¾1 ora.<T-ro</>opiou, i.e. here, might be read the conjunction vau in the gate of the temple-cell, which word both instances in which it occurs. 'fhe they could get from the inverting of the reading would then run thus: "Jehiel and order of the first two letters of the Hebrew tbe sons of Jehiel, both Zetham e.nd Joel Shallecheth. The Septuagint then omits the his brother." following word, ;,';,.;,~, Wa.rd aga.inst ward; Ver. 23.-The chiefs of the preceding two i.e. watch with wakh. The expression ap- verses were introduced as descende.nt.s of pears to refer to the fact that Hosah's lot GerEhon through his son Lae.de.n. The threw to him the charge of a double position. four names of this verse would seem to stand collectively for that of their father Vers. 17, 18.-These verses give the Kohe.th. One might, under these circum- nnmber of individuals who composed the stances, have looked for the no.me of some watch at a time, beginning again from She- member of each of these sub-families to lemiah's eastward position. The two and appear in the number of the treasure-keepers two toward Asnppim. suggest most naturally just about to be mentioned. This is not so. the suppositon of two att,endants at each of Yet among other officio.ls, and before the two gates, or else of two succeeding two. end of the general subject, the Izharitea Pa.rbar (.,~-;,~)- This word a.ppears a.s .,\7!1 (ver. 29) e.nd the B:ebronites (vers. 30, 31) in 2 Kings :xxiii. ll. These words, with do e.ppee.r. This may possibly explain the forms akin to them, are often found in the mapping out thus of the Kohe.th family. Targums, but not elsewhere in the Scrip- Vere. 24, 25.-Shebuel (eh. xxiii. 16; tures. The nearest approa.ch to the meaning :xxiv. 20), then, was the Amre.mite repre- of the word, as yet discovered, is a "suburb." sentative (and apparently e. very special one The connection may just do a.s much a.s in the office of .,'}J, here attributed to him) indicate that, whereas four porters kept the through Gershom, the elder son of Moses. ca.useway gate, the Parbar gate was in closer Next, through Eliezer, the second son of proximity to the temple that was to be, but Moses, e.nd through Rehe.biah, son of wha.t thls Parbar really was is not yet ascer- Eliezer (eh. xxiii. 17), we are brought tained. Possibly it is the orpocf<Tnwv of to the four-leshe.iah (eh. xxiv. 21, Isshiah), Josephus(' Ant.,' xv. xi. 5). If we e.dd the e.nd Joram, and Zichri, and Shelomith, who numbers of Levites given in these two verses, seem at first to mark four successions of it will be noticed that they mount up to generations upon Rehabiah, but who more twenty-four. probably (though it cannot be said posi- Vere. 20-28.-These verses describe those tively) were four brothers, each e. son of Levites to whom belonged the care of the Rehe.biah (eh. xxiii. 17). And it me.y be treaswres of the house of God e.nd of the trea- that it is to these four that reference is me.de sures o.f things dedicated, i.e. "dedicated to in the first clause of our next verse (26), maintain the house of tho Lord" (vera. "Which Shelomith e.nd his brethren," etc. 27, 28). The Shelomith here intended as e.n Arn- Ver. 20.-First, the Hebrew text contains re.mite must be distinguished from the no "of" in the first word of this verse; and, Gershonite of eh. xxiii. 9, e.nd from the secondly, no meaning ce.n Le obtained out Izhe.rite of eh. xxiii. 18. of the name Ahija.h e.s it is placed here. Ver. 26.-The treasures. The very first The Septuagint reading, "their brethren,'' use of this word to signify o. pie.ea where is exactly what we should expect, e.nd is treasures were kept is in Josh. vi. 19, 24. paralleled by other passages (2 Chron. xxix. 'fhe so.me word is used for either the place 34). This correction of the present text or the treasures kept in it. Not found in me.y be safely accepted, viz. c::;i•r.i~ for ;i:-:i!I, the Books of Samuel, the word often occurs The two cle.sses of treasures e.re here in the two Books of Kings e.nd of Chro- marked, preparatory to tho statements of nicles, once in Ezra, several times in vers. 22 e.nd 26- 28. Nehemiah, etc. In our next chapter (rh. Vera. 21, 22.-These ver3es name those xxvii. 25, 27, 28) it appears in the Au- who had the care of the treasures of the thorized Vcrsion as "ston:hou,cs " untl Jwuse of the Lord. They e.re Gershonitee "cellftrd." Captains ovor thousands and CH, xxv1. 1-32.] THE FIRST DOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 403