The sons of Levi, 1-3. The line of Eleazar to the captivity, 4-15. The families of Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, 16-48. The office of Aaron and his line to Ahimaaz, 49-53. The cities of the priests and Levites, 54-81.
1 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2 And the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 And the children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar begot Phinehas, Phinehas begot Abishua, 5 Abishua begot Bukki, Bukki begot Uzzi, 6 Uzzi begot Zerahiah, Zerahiah begot Meraioth, 7 Meraioth begot Amariah, Amariah begot Ahitub, 8 Ahitub begot Zadok, Zadok begot Ahimaaz, 9 Ahimaaz begot Azariah, Azariah begot Johanan, 10 Johanan begot Azariah (it is he who executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem), 11 Azariah begot Amariah, Amariah begot Ahitub, 12 Ahitub begot Zadok, Zadok begot Shallum, 13 Shallum begot Hilkiah, Hilkiah begot Azariah, 14 Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 15 And Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16 The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers. 20 Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeaterai his son. 22 The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25 And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. 26 As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. 28 And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Vashni and Abiah. 29 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.
31 And these are those whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD after the ark had rest. 32 And they ministered before the dwelling-place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with singing until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and then they waited on their office according to their order. 33 And these are those who waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel, 34 The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; 39 And his brother Asaph who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 40 The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah, 41 The son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42 The son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43 The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi; 44 And their brothers the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45 The son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46 The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer, 47 The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. 48 Their brothers the Levites were also appointed to all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
49 But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt-offering and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the most holy place and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50 And these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53 Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.
54 Now these are their dwelling-places throughout their encampments in their limits, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, for theirs was the lot. 55 And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah and its suburbs around it. 56 But the fields of the city and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57 And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron (the city of refuge), Libnah with its suburbs, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its suburbs, 58 Hilen with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs, 59 Ashan with its suburbs, Beth-shemesh with its suburbs. 60 And out of the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its suburbs, Alemeth with its suburbs, and Anathoth with its suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.
61 And to the sons of Kohath who were left of the family of that tribe, cities were given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities. 62 And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families were given out of the tribe of Issachar, out of the tribe of Asher, out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 63 To the sons of Merari were given by lot throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. 64 And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs. 65 And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.
66 And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim. 67 And they gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim with its suburbs, Gezer with its suburbs, 68 Jokmeam with its suburbs, Beth-horon with its suburbs, 69 Ajalon with its suburbs, and Gath-rimmon with its suburbs. 70 And out of the half tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its suburbs and Bileam with its suburbs for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.
71 To the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs and Ashtaroth with its suburbs. 72 And out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs, 73 Ramoth with its suburbs, and Anem with its suburbs. 74 And out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs, 75 Hukok with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs. 76 And out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, Hammon with its suburbs, and Kirjathaim with its suburbs.
77 To the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with its suburbs and Tabor with its suburbs. 78 And on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its suburbs, Jahzah with its suburbs, 79 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs. 80 And out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, Mahanaim with its suburbs, 81 Heshbon with its suburbs, and Jazer with its suburbs.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 1st Chronicles, Chapter 6[➚]