1 Crônicas 26

1 Crônicas 26

Utley - The list of Levites who were gatekeepers, treasure guardians, and civil judges is pre-figured in 1 Chronicles 23. The list comes from several periods of Israel's history. (1) David (2) Solomon (3) post-exilic. The number and places of the gates varied from (1) Solomon's temple, (2) the second temple, (3) later additions on Ezekiel's eschatological temple (Ezekiel 40-48) The gates of the Temple... (1) The east gate was main gate (cf, tabernacle) in 1Chr. 26:14 called "the king's gate" in 1Ch 9:18 with six assigned guards. (2) The south gate closest to David's palace with direct access to the temple area (1Ch 26:15) with four assigned guards. (3) The west gate called "the gate of Shallecheth" (1Ch 26:16) in the rear gate and may have opened into a courtyard or pavilion. It had four guards for the road and for the pavilion. (4) The north gate (prominent in Ezekiel) in 1Ch 26:14 with four guards. Matthew Henry sums up chapter 26 - "There were porters (GATEKEEPERS) appointed to attend the temple, who guarded all the avenues that led to it, opened and shut all the outer gates and attended at them, not only for the state, but for service, to direct and instruct those who were going to worship in the courts of the sanctuary in the decorum they were to observe, to encourage those that were timorous, to send back the strangers and unclean, and to guard against thieves and others that were enemies to the house of God." For the divisions of the gatekeepers there were of the Korahites, Meshelemiah (aka Shelemiah in 1Ch 26:14) the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph (see note below - aka Ebiasaph in 1Ch 9:19) - There are other lists of gatekeepers in see 1Ch 9:17-27 and 1Ch 16:37-38). 1 Chronicles 23:5 says "4,000 (LEVITES) were gatekeepers." Their role was guarding the Temple day and night to prevent unauthorized persons from entering and profaning it." They were arranged according to their families (1Ch 26:1-19) to take charge of the doors and gates of the temple. They were sometimes employed as musicians (1Ch 15:18). Gatekeeper duties are described in 1Ch 9:22-29. William MacDonald on the Korahites - Here we find the Korahites (1Ch 26:1),"... their duty being to prevent the presumption of which their father was guilty (Num. 16). Such are the ways of God." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary) To summarize chapter 26, note that these officials included gatekeepers (1Ch 26:1-19), treasurers (1Ch 26:20-28), and miscellaneous officials scattered outside Jerusalem (1Ch 26:29-32). ESV Study Bible (borrow) - The primary duty of the Levitical gatekeepers was to safeguard the sanctuary from trespass by unauthorized persons and from defilement by idolatrous practices (see 2Ch 29:3-7). They were also responsible for the temple treasuries and the maintenance of the building and its equipment (see 1Ch 9:22-32). The gatekeepers played a vital role in aiding the high priest Jehoiada in opposing Athaliah (2Ch 23:4-8, 19), and in the reforms by Hezekiah (2Ch 31:14) and Josiah (2Ch 34:9). The gatekeepers included the families of Meshelemiah (1Ch 26:1-3, 9), Obed-edom (1Ch 26:4-8), and Hosah (1Ch 26:10-11; see 1Ch 16:38). Life Application Study Bible (borrow) - There were 4,000 gatekeepers (1Ch 23:5). They were all Levites and did many other jobs as well. Some of their duties included (1) checking out the equipment and utensils used each day and making sure they were returned, (2) storing, ordering, and maintaining the food supplies for the priests and sacrifices, (3) caring for the furniture, (4) mixing the incense that was burned daily, and (5) accounting for the gifts brought. (For more on gatekeepers, see 1Ch 9:17, 18.) Selman - Though less prominent than some of their Levitical colleagues, from time to time the gatekeepers made a vital contribution to national life, notably under the high priest Jehoiada (2Ch 23:4-6, 19), and in the reigns of Hezekiah (2Ch 31:14-19) and Josiah (2Ch 34:9-13)....Essentially their duty was to make ordinary people aware of the practical limits of holiness, for anyone entering the sanctuary unlawfully did so on penalty of death.” (Borrow 1 Chronicles : an introduction and commentary)