1 Chronicles 6 Study Notes: The Line of Levi and Its Service
This chapter traces Levi’s family, following the priestly line from Aaron to Jehozadak, who was taken captive when the LORD exiled Judah through Babylon. It names the singers David put over worship music, describes the atoning work of Aaron’s sons, and lists the towns given to the Levites across Israel.
General
According to 1 Chronicles 6:49, what work belonged to Aaron’s family rather than to the other Levites?
Answer: Offering sacrifices and incense to atone for Israel
The other Levites handled all sorts of tasks at the tabernacle (6:48). But only the priests, Aaron and his descendants, carried out the duties of the inner sanctuary, the holiest room of the tabernacle. They brought offerings to the bronze altar for burnt offerings and to the incense altar to atone for Israel, that is, to cover the people’s sins so they could be right with God, just as Moses had commanded (6:49). God had given this work to Aaron’s family alone (Numbers 18:7). These sacrifices had to be offered again and again. Jesus, the great High Priest, went into God’s very presence one time, by means of His own blood, and secured eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12), offering Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:27).
- 1 Chronicles 6:48-49 (BSB)“Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God. But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the Most Holy Place. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.”The other Levites did the tabernacle’s service, but Aaron and his sons offered on the altars to make atonement for Israel.
- Numbers 18:7 (BSB)“But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.””God gave the priesthood, including the altar and what is inside the veil, to Aaron and his sons alone.
- Hebrews 9:11-12 (BSB)“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.”Christ, as high priest, entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, securing eternal redemption.
- Hebrews 7:27 (BSB)“Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.”Unlike the earlier high priests, Christ offered Himself once for all and needs no repeated sacrifices.
Theological
What priestly function does 1 Chronicles 6:49 reserve to Aaron’s house?
Answer: Offering sacrifices and incense to atone for Israel
The Levites were assigned every kind of tabernacle service (6:48), but only Aaron’s house served in the inner sanctuary, presenting sacrifices at the bronze altar and the incense altar to atone for Israel, in full keeping with the commands given through Moses (6:49). God had restricted that ministry to Aaron’s house (Numbers 18:7). The Aaronic sacrifices were necessarily repeated; they foreshadowed the work of Christ, who as high priest passed into the holiest presence of God a single time, through His own blood, and obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12), offering Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:27). His one offering actually accomplishes the redemption it was made to obtain.
- 1 Chronicles 6:48-49 (BSB)“Their fellow Levites were assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of God. But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the Most Holy Place. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.”The other Levites did the tabernacle’s service, but Aaron and his sons offered on the altars to make atonement for Israel.
- Numbers 18:7 (BSB)“But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.””God gave the priesthood, including the altar and what is inside the veil, to Aaron and his sons alone.
- Hebrews 9:11-12 (BSB)“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.”Christ, as high priest, entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, securing eternal redemption.
- Hebrews 7:27 (BSB)“Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.”Unlike the earlier high priests, Christ offered Himself once for all and needs no repeated sacrifices.
General
What task did David give the men listed in 1 Chronicles 6:31-32?
Answer: Leading the music and song in the LORD’s house
After the ark of the covenant, the sacred chest that represented God’s presence, came to rest in the tent David set up for it (16:1), David put certain Levites in charge of music in the LORD’s house (6:31). They led worship in song at the tabernacle, the tent where Israel met with God, until Solomon’s temple was finished, and they did their work by the rules given them (6:32). Elsewhere Chronicles shows David appointing Levites for thanksgiving and praise before the ark (16:4) and having the Levite leaders appoint singers to raise joyful songs with stringed instruments and cymbals (15:16). Singing God’s praise remains part of the life of God’s people (Colossians 3:16).
- 1 Chronicles 6:31-32 (BSB)“These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their duties according to the regulations given them.”David put these men in charge of music; they served with song before the tabernacle until Solomon built the temple.
- 1 Chronicles 16:1 (BSB)“So they brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”The ark was placed in the tent David pitched for it, the resting place mentioned in 6:31.
- 1 Chronicles 16:4 (BSB)“David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.”David appointed Levites to minister before the ark with thanks and praise to the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 15:16 (BSB)“David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.”David had the Levite leaders appoint singers to lift their voices with joy, with instruments.
- Colossians 3:16 (BSB)“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”God’s people continue to teach one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
Theological
What ministry does 1 Chronicles 6:31-32 assign to the Levites David appointed?
Answer: Leading the music and song in the LORD’s house
Once the ark rested in the tent David had pitched (16:1), David set these Levites over the music of the LORD’s house; they served in song at the tabernacle until Solomon’s temple was built, following their prescribed order (6:31-32). Chronicles elsewhere narrates how this ministry took shape: Levites to serve before the ark with thanksgiving and praise (16:4) and singers with stringed instruments and cymbals to raise joyful praise (15:16). Singing God’s praise continues among His people in the church (Colossians 3:16).
- 1 Chronicles 6:31-32 (BSB)“These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their duties according to the regulations given them.”David put these men in charge of music; they served with song before the tabernacle until Solomon built the temple.
- 1 Chronicles 16:1 (BSB)“So they brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.”The ark was placed in the tent David pitched for it, the resting place mentioned in 6:31.
- 1 Chronicles 16:4 (BSB)“David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.”David appointed Levites to minister before the ark with thanks and praise to the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 15:16 (BSB)“David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.”David had the Levite leaders appoint singers to lift their voices with joy, with instruments.
- Colossians 3:16 (BSB)“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”God’s people continue to teach one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
General
Hebron and its pasturelands went to Aaron’s descendants. Who received the farmland and villages surrounding it (1 Chronicles 6:55-56)?
Answer: Caleb son of Jephunneh
The priests received Hebron itself with its pasturelands, and Hebron was also a city of refuge, a town where someone who had killed a person by accident could flee for safety (6:55, 6:57; Numbers 35:11). But the farmland and villages surrounding Hebron belonged to Caleb, Jephunneh’s son (6:56). Joshua records the same division (Joshua 21:11-12). Decades earlier God had promised Caleb and his descendants the land because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly (Numbers 14:24), and Joshua made Hebron his inheritance (Joshua 14:13-14). God’s promise to a faithful man was still honored as the land was divided.
- 1 Chronicles 6:55-56 (BSB)“They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.”Hebron and its pasturelands went to Aaron’s descendants, but its fields and villages went to Caleb.
- 1 Chronicles 6:57 (BSB)“So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,”Hebron is identified as a city of refuge.
- Numbers 14:24 (BSB)“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.”God promised Caleb and his descendants the land because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.
- Joshua 14:13-14 (BSB)“Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.”Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb as an inheritance because he wholly followed the LORD.
- Joshua 21:11-12 (BSB)“They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.”Joshua records the same division: the city to the priests, the fields and villages to Caleb.
- Numbers 35:11 (BSB)“designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.”Cities of refuge were places where someone who killed unintentionally could flee.
Theological
According to 1 Chronicles 6:55-56, to whom did the farmland and villages surrounding the priestly city of Hebron belong?
Answer: Caleb son of Jephunneh
Hebron, which served as a refuge city for the unintentional manslayer (6:57; Numbers 35:11), was given with its pasturelands to Aaron’s descendants (6:55), while its surrounding fields and villages remained Caleb’s (6:56), the same division recorded in Joshua 21:11-12. The detail preserves God’s promise to Caleb, who followed the LORD wholeheartedly and was assured that he and his descendants would inherit the land (Numbers 14:24), a promise Joshua fulfilled by giving him Hebron (Joshua 14:13-14). The priestly settlement was arranged without overturning God’s earlier word to His faithful servant.
- 1 Chronicles 6:55-56 (BSB)“They were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands. But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.”Hebron and its pasturelands went to Aaron’s descendants, but its fields and villages went to Caleb.
- 1 Chronicles 6:57 (BSB)“So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,”Hebron is identified as a city of refuge.
- Numbers 14:24 (BSB)“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.”God promised Caleb and his descendants the land because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.
- Joshua 14:13-14 (BSB)“Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.”Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb as an inheritance because he wholly followed the LORD.
- Joshua 21:11-12 (BSB)“They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.”Joshua records the same division: the city to the priests, the fields and villages to Caleb.
- Numbers 35:11 (BSB)“designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.”Cities of refuge were places where someone who killed unintentionally could flee.
General
True or False: Heman, the leader of the Kohathite singers, was a grandson of the prophet Samuel.
Answer: True
This is true. Verse 6:33 traces Heman the singer through his father Joel back to Samuel, and 6:28 lists Joel as Samuel’s firstborn, just as First Samuel does (1 Samuel 8:2). So a grandson of the prophet Samuel was one of the leading singers in the LORD’s house in David’s day. Chronicles later calls Heman the king’s seer, a man to whom God gave seventeen children, sons and daughters according to His promises (1 Chronicles 25:5).
- 1 Chronicles 6:28 (BSB)“The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.”Samuel’s sons are listed as Joel his firstborn and Abijah.
- 1 Chronicles 6:33 (BSB)“These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,”Heman the singer is traced as the son of Joel, the son of Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 8:2 (BSB)“The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.”First Samuel also names Joel as Samuel’s firstborn son.
- 1 Chronicles 25:5 (BSB)“All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.”Heman, the king’s seer, was given many children through God’s promises.
Theological
True or False: According to 1 Chronicles 6:28 and 6:33, Heman the singer was the son of Samuel’s firstborn, Joel.
Answer: True
This is true. Heman’s genealogy begins with Joel and then Samuel (6:33), and Joel is Samuel’s firstborn (6:28; 1 Samuel 8:2). The prophet’s grandson thus became the leading Kohathite singer, later described as the king’s seer, whom God blessed with seventeen children, sons and daughters according to His promises (1 Chronicles 25:5).
- 1 Chronicles 6:28 (BSB)“The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.”Samuel’s sons are listed as Joel his firstborn and Abijah.
- 1 Chronicles 6:33 (BSB)“These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,”Heman the singer is traced as the son of Joel, the son of Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 8:2 (BSB)“The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.”First Samuel also names Joel as Samuel’s firstborn son.
- 1 Chronicles 25:5 (BSB)“All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.”Heman, the king’s seer, was given many children through God’s promises.
General
How did the Levites receive places to live, according to 1 Chronicles 6:54-65?
Answer: Israel gave them towns among the tribes, chosen by lot
The tribe of Levi did not receive one block of land like the other tribes. Instead, the Israelites gave the Levites towns with surrounding pasturelands, grazing land for their animals, from many different tribes, assigned by casting lots (6:54, 6:64-65). God had commanded this arrangement (Numbers 35:2). The reason Levi had no tribal land is that the LORD Himself was their inheritance (Deuteronomy 18:1-2). Casting lots left the choice in God’s hands, for every decision of the lot comes from the LORD (Proverbs 16:33). Spread among the tribes, the Levites lived throughout Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 6:54 (BSB)“Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:”The descendants of Aaron received their settlements because the first lot fell to them.
- 1 Chronicles 6:64-65 (BSB)“So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.”Israel gave the Levites cities with pasturelands, assigned by lot from the tribes.
- Numbers 35:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.”God commanded Israel to give the Levites cities and pasturelands from their own inheritance.
- Deuteronomy 18:1-2 (BSB)“The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food offerings to the LORD; that is their inheritance. Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.”Levi had no tribal inheritance because the LORD Himself was their inheritance.
- Proverbs 16:33 (BSB)“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”Every decision of the lot comes from the LORD.
Theological
By what means were the Levites settled, according to 1 Chronicles 6:54-65?
Answer: Israel gave them towns among the tribes, chosen by lot
Levi received no territorial allotment; the Israelites gave the Levites cities with their pasturelands out of the other tribes’ holdings, distributed by lot, the priests receiving theirs first (6:54, 6:64-65). This carried out God’s command in the law (Numbers 35:2) and expressed Levi’s distinctive inheritance: the LORD Himself (Deuteronomy 18:1-2). The lot placed the distribution under God’s sovereign disposal, since every decision of the lot comes from the LORD (Proverbs 16:33).
- 1 Chronicles 6:54 (BSB)“Now these were the territories assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:”The descendants of Aaron received their settlements because the first lot fell to them.
- 1 Chronicles 6:64-65 (BSB)“So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. They assigned by lot the cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.”Israel gave the Levites cities with pasturelands, assigned by lot from the tribes.
- Numbers 35:2 (BSB)““Command the Israelites to give, from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to live in and pasturelands around the cities.”God commanded Israel to give the Levites cities and pasturelands from their own inheritance.
- Deuteronomy 18:1-2 (BSB)“The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food offerings to the LORD; that is their inheritance. Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.”Levi had no tribal inheritance because the LORD Himself was their inheritance.
- Proverbs 16:33 (BSB)“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”Every decision of the lot comes from the LORD.
General
How does 1 Chronicles 6:15 describe the exile in which Jehozadak, the last priest in Aaron’s listed line, was taken captive?
Answer: The LORD exiled Judah, using Nebuchadnezzar
Chapter 6 traces the priestly line from Aaron through Eleazar, Phinehas, and Zadok down to Seraiah and his son Jehozadak (6:3-14). Verse 6:15 says Jehozadak was taken captive when the LORD drove Judah and Jerusalem out of their land, using Babylon’s ruler Nebuchadnezzar. The verse names the LORD as the one who sent His people away; Babylon was His instrument. Through Jeremiah the LORD had said He would summon Nebuchadnezzar, calling him His servant, against the land (Jeremiah 25:9). Seraiah the chief priest was taken when Jerusalem fell (2 Kings 25:18). Yet the priestly line did not end: after the exile, Joshua son of Jehozadak served as high priest (Haggai 1:1).
- 1 Chronicles 6:14-15 (BSB)“Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak. Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.”The priestly line traced from Aaron ends with Jehozadak, who went into captivity when the LORD exiled Judah through Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD says He Himself will summon Nebuchadnezzar, His servant, against the land.
- 2 Kings 25:18 (BSB)“The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.”Seraiah the chief priest was taken away by the captain of the guard when Jerusalem fell.
- Haggai 1:1 (BSB)“In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating”After the exile, Joshua son of Jehozadak served as high priest, so the line survived the captivity.
Theological
What does 1 Chronicles 6:15 say about the agency behind the exile in which Jehozadak was carried away?
Answer: The LORD exiled Judah, using Nebuchadnezzar
The Aaronic priestly line runs from Eleazar and Phinehas through Zadok to Seraiah and Jehozadak (6:3-14), and it ends with the notice that Jehozadak was taken captive when the LORD drove Judah and Jerusalem out of their land, using Nebuchadnezzar (6:15). The exile is ascribed directly to the LORD, with the Babylonian king as His instrument, as Jeremiah had announced when God called Nebuchadnezzar His servant (Jeremiah 25:9). Seraiah the chief priest was taken in the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:18). Judgment did not cancel God’s purposes for the priesthood: Joshua son of Jehozadak served as high priest after the return (Haggai 1:1).
- 1 Chronicles 6:14-15 (BSB)“Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak. Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.”The priestly line traced from Aaron ends with Jehozadak, who went into captivity when the LORD exiled Judah through Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (BSB)“behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.”The LORD says He Himself will summon Nebuchadnezzar, His servant, against the land.
- 2 Kings 25:18 (BSB)“The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.”Seraiah the chief priest was taken away by the captain of the guard when Jerusalem fell.
- Haggai 1:1 (BSB)“In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating”After the exile, Joshua son of Jehozadak served as high priest, so the line survived the captivity.
General
The genealogies of the lead singers Asaph, Heman, and Ethan each go back to a different ancestor. What do they show (1 Chronicles 6:33-47)?
Answer: Each came from a different son of Levi
Levi had three sons, Kohath, Merari, and Gershon (Numbers 3:17); Chronicles also spells Gershon as Gershom (6:16). The three chief singers came one from each branch. Heman was a Kohathite whose line goes back through Kohath to Levi (6:33-38). Asaph, placed at Heman’s right hand, descended from Gershom (6:39-43). Ethan, of the group on the left, came from Merari’s line (6:44-47). So every family of the tribe of Levi had a share in leading Israel’s praise. These are the same three men the Levites appointed to lead the music when the ark was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:17, 15:19).
- 1 Chronicles 6:33 (BSB)“These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,”Heman the singer led from the Kohathites.
- 1 Chronicles 6:39 (BSB)“Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,”Asaph, of the line of Gershom, stood at Heman’s right hand.
- 1 Chronicles 6:44 (BSB)“On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,”Ethan, of the sons of Merari, stood on the left.
- Numbers 3:17 (BSB)“These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.”Levi’s three sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- 1 Chronicles 15:17 (BSB)“So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;”The Levites appointed Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, the last from the Merarites, as leaders.
- 1 Chronicles 15:19 (BSB)“The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.”Heman, Asaph, and Ethan together sounded the bronze cymbals.
Theological
What do the genealogies of Asaph, Heman, and Ethan in 1 Chronicles 6:33-47 show when set side by side?
Answer: Each came from a different son of Levi
The three leaders of the singers are traced to Levi’s three sons (Numbers 3:17): Heman through Korah and Izhar to Kohath (6:33-38); Asaph, at Heman’s right hand, to Gershom (6:39-43); and Ethan, of the kinsmen on the left, to Merari (6:44-47). The arrangement gives each Levitical clan a place in the leadership of Israel’s praise, so that worship belonged to the whole tribe set apart for it. The same three were appointed when the ark was brought up and sounded the bronze cymbals together (1 Chronicles 15:17, 15:19).
- 1 Chronicles 6:33 (BSB)“These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,”Heman the singer led from the Kohathites.
- 1 Chronicles 6:39 (BSB)“Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,”Asaph, of the line of Gershom, stood at Heman’s right hand.
- 1 Chronicles 6:44 (BSB)“On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,”Ethan, of the sons of Merari, stood on the left.
- Numbers 3:17 (BSB)“These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.”Levi’s three sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
- 1 Chronicles 15:17 (BSB)“So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;”The Levites appointed Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, the last from the Merarites, as leaders.
- 1 Chronicles 15:19 (BSB)“The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.”Heman, Asaph, and Ethan together sounded the bronze cymbals.