Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXIII.

Vers. 1. SO when David was old and full of dayes, he made Solomon his sonne king over Israel.] That is, he declared his mind to his people and prin∣ces, that after his death, his will was that Solomon should be king, and that because the Lord had so appointed, as is more fully expressed, chap. 28—1—6. where also it is evident, that this was done before David was bedrid, vers. 2. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me my brethren, &c. and consequent∣ly, that Adonijahs attempt 1. Kings 1.5. was against the expresse command of Da∣vid, emboldened therein onely by Davids weaknesse, and the encouragement of such princes of his faction, as misliked Davids preferring Solomon before his elder

sonnes; and therefore we see that David caused Solomon to be actually anointed king, 1. Kings 1.33.34.

Vers. 2. And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.] To wit, to make known unto them that Solomon by the Lords expresse appointment was to succeed him in the throne: Secondly, to perswade the princes to assist Solomon in the building of the Temple: Thirdly, to establish a settled order for the attendance and service of the priests and Levites in the Temple; for the number of the Levites being exceedingly encreased, and they being then to serve not in severall places as before, some at the Tabernacle in Gibeon, some before the ark in Davids tent, chap. 16.37. &c. but altogether in the Temple, as the Lord was pleased to appoint an order for their service to prevent confusion, so it was re∣quisite the princes and people should be enformed of Gods will herein, and that Da∣vid did nothing herein without direction from the Lord, chap. 28.11, 12, 13—19.

Vers. 3. Now the Levites were numbred from the age of thirty years and up∣ward, &c.] Davids numbring of the Levites from the age of thirty years, was ac∣cording to the directions that God gave to Moses when they were first numbred, one∣ly then they numbred not any above fifty years, Numb. 4.2, 3. Take the summe of the sonnes of Kohath, &c. from thirty years old and upward, even untill fifty years old; but now it seems they numbred all from thirty years and upward, not staying at those that were above fifty years; and that because they were not now to carry the holy things as they did in Moses time; and therefore even those above fifty years though weakened with age, might serve in the Temple, as well as those that were younger: and for the same cause also it seems when he had distributed the thirty eight thousand, that were numbred from thirty years old and upward, to their se∣verall imployments; to wit, foure and twenty thousand for the ordinary service of the Temple, and six thousand for officers and Judges, vers. 4. foure thousand for por∣ters, and foure thousand for the quire, vers. 5. afterward he gave order that all their posterity from twenty years old and upward, should in each rank be taken in vers. 24. First, because they were not any longer to carry the tabernacle and the vessels thereof; and therefore such strength of body was not now necessarily requisite as before: as is expressed, vers. 24, 25. And secondly, because now when they were to serve onely in their courses, the service of the Temple, would imploy them all, even those from twenty years being taken in.

Vers. 4. And six thousand were officers and Judges.] And these were dispersed in severall places of the land, to judge of causes that were brought before them (for having no other civill and judiciall lawes, but those of Moses, the Levites were al∣wayes joyned with the other elders of the people in this work) and happely to train up the young Levites and other officers belonging thereto, of which see what is fur∣ther added in note, chap. 26.29.

Vers. 5. Moreover, foure thousand were porters.] So many were at this time set a part by David to this imployment; yet of these it seems there were found at their return from Babylon, onely two hundred and twelve, chap. 9.22.

And foure thousand praised the Lord with the instruments, &c.] Whereof two hundred eighty eight were eminent men for cunning, and happely teachers of the rest, see the note, chap. 25.7.

Vers. 6. And David divided them into courses, &c.] To wit into twenty foure courses, as were also the priests, according to the command of the Lord by Gad and Nathan the prophets, 2. Chron. 29.25. And he set Levites in the house of the Lord, &c. according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the kings seer, and Nathan the prophet; for so was the commandment of the Lord.

Vers. 8. The sonnes of Laadan, the chief was Jehiel, &c.] That is, the chief of the posterity of Laadan, heads of families at this time when David divided them to their severall imployments and their severall courses, were Jehiel, and Zetham and Joel, and so this word sonnes must be understood hereafter in this chapter.

Vers. 9. The sonnes of Shimei; Shelomith, &c.] This is not Shimei the sonne of Gershon, vers. 7. (for his posterity are spoken of afterward in the following verse,) but another that was it seems the head of a family amongst the sonnes of La∣adan, perhaps one of those mentioned also in the foregoing verse, though called there by another name.

Vers. 11. But Jeush and Beriah had not many sonnes: therefore they were in one reckoning, &c.] That is, they were joyned together and counted as one family, and that because there were not many of their posterity.

Vers. 13. Aaron was separated, that he should sanctifie the most holy things, he and his sonnes for ever, &c.] That is, he and his posterity were set apart to the work of the priesthood, to be imployed about the most holy things, according to the holy ordinances which God had appointed.

Vers. 24. These were the sonnes of Levi, &c. from the age of twenty years and upward.] To wit, when they came to serve in the Temple: for though at this time when they were assigned to their severall imployments, they were onely numbred that were thirty years old and upward, vers. 3. yet before his death David gave order that in each family and office of the Levites, all of twenty years old and upward should be taken in to the service of the Temple, vers. 27. For by the last words of Da∣vid the Levites were numbred from twenty years old and above; and the reason is prefixed; vers. 25, 26. For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever; and also unto the Levites, they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels thereof, &c. see the note, ver. 3.

Vers. 28. Because their office was to wait on the sonnes of Aaron, for the service of the house, &c. and in the purifying of all holy things, &c.] That is, the washing and cleansing both of the holy places and vessels, yea, and the sacrifices before they were offered by the priests upon the altar.

Vers. 29. And for all manner of measure and cise.] That is, the Levites also took care to see that those things that were employed in the service af the Temple, as fine floure, and wine, and oyle, for the meat offerings, &c. should be given to the priests according to that weight and measure appointed by the law; for to some sa∣crifices there was a greater measure of these required, and to some lesse, see Numb. 15.4, 6, 9. and Levit. 23.13. and the Levites were to look that the just measures was observed in all these things: yea, many Expositours conclude from hence, that the Levites had the overseeing of all publick measures, and kept the patterns or stan∣dard of them in the Temple, whence they say it is, that the just shekel is called the shekel of the sanctuary, Exod. 30.31.