UNROLL
Early dawn on a hillside: a small Levite town of flat-roofed stone houses with a plain gateway, ringed by open pasture where a flock spreads over the grass; on the stone bench beside the gate a small wooden lyre and a pair of bronze cymbals lie where someone left them, under a calm, pale dawn sky.

The Book of

1 Chronicles 6

Priests, singers and forty-eight towns: the tribe set apart for worship, from Aaron to the exile.

81 verses≈ 9 min5 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–9GenealogiesAll Israel, from AdamChapter 6
  2. 10Saul fallsThe kingdom turned to David
  3. 11–12David kingAll Israel gathers
  4. 13–16The arkBrought home with songs
  5. 17The covenantA house forever
  6. 18–20David's warsThe LORD gave victory
  7. 21The siteOrnan's threshing floor
  8. 22–27Preparing the templePriests, Levites and singers
  9. 28–29David's farewellBe strong, and do the work

The Descendants of Levi

Close, in soft lamplight: the high priest's long blue robe with its hem of woven pomegranates and small gold bells lies folded on white linen over a low wooden chest, an old man's weathered hands resting on it and a younger man's hands reaching in to receive it.

Family line

From Levi to the exile

  1. Levi
    • Gershon
    • Kohath
    • Merari

    The sons of Levi:

    Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

  2. Kohath
    • Amram
    • Izhar
    • Hebron
    • Uzziel

    The sons of Kohath:

    Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

  3. Amram
    • Aaron
    • Moses
    • Miriam

    The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

    • Nadab
    • Abihu
    • Eleazar
    • Ithamar

    The first high priest

    The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

  5. EleazarPhinehasAbishuaBukkiUzzi

    Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,

    Phinehas was the father of Abishua,

    Abishua was the father of Bukki,

    Bukki was the father of Uzzi,

  6. ZerahiahMeraiothAmariahAhitub

    Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah,

    Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth,

    Meraioth was the father of Amariah,

    Amariah was the father of Ahitub,

  7. Priest in David’s day

    Ahitub was the father of Zadok,

    Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz,

  8. AhimaazAzariahJohananAzariah

    Served in Solomon’s temple

    Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah,

    Azariah was the father of Johanan,

    Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem,

  9. AmariahAhitubZadokShallum

    Azariah was the father of Amariah,

    Amariah was the father of Ahitub,

    Ahitub was the father of Zadok,

    Zadok was the father of Shallum,

  10. HilkiahAzariahSeraiahJehozadak

    Shallum was the father of Hilkiah,

    Hilkiah was the father of Azariah,

    Azariah was the father of Seraiah,

    and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Gray morning on the road north of Jerusalem in 586 BC: in a long, thin line of exiles walking away with bundles and laden donkeys, a young priest in a white linen tunic under a travel-stained brown cloak looks back at the broken city on its ridge, his wife and small child beside him.

Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

Family line

Levi’s three sons

  1. Levi
    • Gershom
    • Kohath
    • Merari

    The sons of Levi:

    Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

  2. Gershom
    • Libni
    • Shimei

    These are the names of the sons of Gershom:

    Libni and Shimei.

  3. Kohath
    • Amram
    • Izhar
    • Hebron
    • Uzziel

    The sons of Kohath:

    Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

  4. Merari
    • Mahli
    • Mushi

    The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

  5. Clans by their fathers

    These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

Levi’s three families

through AmramLevison of IsraelGershonAsaph’s choir ·13 townsKohathHeman’s choir ·10 townsMerariEthan’s choir ·12 townsAaron’s sonsthe priests · 13 townsIn every tribetowns withpasturelands

Whiteboard

Levi had three sons. From Kohath came Aaron and the priests, who alone served at the altars, and Heman the singer; from Gershon came Asaph, and from Merari, Ethan. Every family had its work in worship and its towns spread through all the tribes.

Family line

Gershom and Kohath

  1. GershomLibniJahathZimmahJoahIddoZerahJeatherai

    Of Gershom:

    Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

    Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.

  2. KohathAmminadabKorahAssirElkanahEbiasaphAssirTahathUrielUzziahShaul

    Korah’s line

    The descendants of Kohath:

    Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

    Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

    Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

  3. Elkanah
    • Amasai
    • Ahimoth

    The descendants of Elkanah:

    Amasai, Ahimoth,

  4. ElkanahZophaiNahathEliabJerohamElkanah

    Samuel’s family

    Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

    Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son.

The sons of Samuel:

Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.

The descendants of Merari:

Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

Reflect

Kept in the record

More than twenty generations of priests are named in this chapter, through faithful years and failing ones, down to a man who “went into captivity.” Even Samuel’s sons are here, though they did not walk in his ways. And the record did not end with the exile. Who handed faith on to you? Write their names. Then write the names of those who may one day receive it from you, and pray for them.

The Temple Musicians

Late afternoon before a large dark goat-hair tent on a rise: Levite singers in plain undyed linen stand in three groups, a tall singer in the center leading with one hand raised, the group at his right with bronze cymbals, the group at his left with small wooden lyres and an upright harp, boys among the men.

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. These are the men who served, together with their sons.

0:25

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Family line

Heman, back to Israel

  1. The singer

    From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

  2. ElkanahJerohamElielToah

    the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

  3. ZuphElkanahMahathAmasai

    the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

  4. ElkanahJoelAzariahZephaniah

    the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

  5. TahathAssirEbiasaphKorah

    the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

  6. IzharKohathLeviIsrael

    the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand:

Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,

the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.

Family line

Ethan, on the left

  1. EthanKishiAbdiMalluch

    On the left

    On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari:

    Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

  2. HashabiahAmaziahHilkiah

    the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

  3. AmziBaniShemer

    the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

  4. MahliMushiMerariLevi

    the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

Question

Quick question

Three singers led the music David set up before the tent, one from each family of Levi.

Who served at Heman’s right hand?

The Descendants of Aaron

to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

1 Chronicles 6:49

Family line

Aaron to Zadok

  1. EleazarPhinehasAbishua

    These were the descendants of Aaron:

    Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

  2. BukkiUzziZerahiah

    Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

  3. MeraiothAmariahAhitub

    Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

  4. In David’s day

    Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

Territories for the Levites

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:

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.

Morning on a ridge in Benjamin: a small village of flat-roofed stone houses among pasture with goats, and to the east the bare wilderness falling away in pale folds toward the Jordan valley.

Levites’ towns

Thirteen for Aaron’s sons

  1. Judah

    Hebron, a refuge city, and three more

    So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,

  2. Hilen, Debir

    Hilen, Debir,

  3. Ashan, Juttah, Beth-shemesh

    Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

  4. Benjamin

    Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, Anathoth

    And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with their pasturelands.

  5. Total

    Thirteen in all

    So they had thirteen cities in all among their families.

Sheep and goats graze on the open land right around a small town's low stone wall, watched by a Levite herdsman in a plain wool cloak.

To the rest of the Kohathites, ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh.

The Gershomites, according to their clans, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.

The Merarites, according to their clans, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

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.

HebronGibeonBeth-shemeshShechemGolan (site uncertain)KedeshRamoth in Gilead (site uncertain)Bezer (site uncertain)Heshbon

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Levites in every tribe

The Levites had no tribal land of their own. Every tribe gave them towns with pasturelands: the priests in Judah and Benjamin (Anathoth among them, just beside Gibeon here), near where Jerusalem would stand; Kohath’s other clans in Ephraim and Manasseh; Gershom’s in the north and in Bashan; Merari’s in Zebulun and across the Jordan. Hebron, Shechem, Kedesh, Golan, Ramoth and Bezer were also cities of refuge. Golan’s and Bezer’s sites are uncertain.

Levites’ towns

The rest of Kohath

  1. Ephraim

    Towns from Ephraim

    And some of the clans of the Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:

  2. Shechem, a refuge city, and Gezer

    They were given Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer,

  3. Jokmeam, Beth-horon

    Jokmeam, Beth-horon,

  4. Aijalon, Gath-rimmon

    Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon, together with their pasturelands.

  5. West Manasseh

    Aner and Bileam

    And from the half-tribe of Manasseh the rest of the clans of the Kohathites were given Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands.

The Gershomites received the following:

From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.

Levites’ towns

The Gershomites

  1. Issachar

    Kedesh, Daberath

    From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh, Daberath,

  2. Ramoth, Anem

    Ramoth, and Anem, together with their pasturelands.

  3. Asher

    Mashal, Abdon

    From the tribe of Asher they were given Mashal, Abdon,

  4. Hukok, Rehob

    Hukok, and Rehob, together with their pasturelands.

  5. Naphtali

    Kedesh in Galilee and two more

    And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following:

From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.

Levites’ towns

Across the Jordan

  1. Reuben

    Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah

    From the tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the wilderness, Jahzah,

  2. Kedemoth, Mephaath

    Kedemoth, and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands.

  3. Gad

    Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim

    And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,

  4. Heshbon, Jazer

    Heshbon, and Jazer, together with their pasturelands.

Pray

In every tribe

No family in Israel lived far from a Levite: the men who taught God’s law and led His worship were given towns in every tribe, and they served “according to the regulations given them.” Thank God for the pastors, teachers and those who lead His people in song where you live, and pray that they serve faithfully and with joy. Then thank Him that we have a High Priest who made atonement once for all, and who always lives to pray for us.

You’ve experienced

1 Chronicles 6

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A verse to carry with you

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.

1 Chronicles 6:49

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