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. XXIIII.

Vers. 3. ANd David distributed them, both Zadok of the sonnes of Eleazar, &c.] That is, David distributed all the priests the sonnes of Aaron into two parts; all that were of the sonnes of Eleazar in one, over whom Zadok was the chief; and all that were of the sonnes of Ithamar in the other, over whom Ahime∣lech was chief, to wit, under the high priest, who accordingly attended in the Tem∣ple, according to their offices in their service.

Vers. 4. And there were moe chief men found of the sonnes of Eleazar, then of the sonnes of Ithamar, &c.] That is, there were more heads of families found among the sonnes of Eleazer, then among the sonnes of Ithamar; and consequently being to divide the priests into twenty foure orders or courses, in each of which there was one to be the chief and head of the rest, he appointed sixteen of these courses among the sonnes of Eleazar, and but eight among the sonnes of Ithamar.

Vers. 5. Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another, &c.] That is, ha∣ving divided the priests into twenty foure parts, those of Eleazer into sixteen parts, and those of Ithamar into eight, there were lots cast amongst these divisions promi∣scuously, not preferring those of one Image before those of another, to determine both which of these companies should serve first, and which second, and so in order, each company being to serve a week, and then to go out, and also which of those that were heads of families in each company, should be the chief of that company: and so the first company was chosen by lot, and the lot fell upon Jehoiarib to be the head of that company, which was thenceforth called the course of Jehoiarib, and so af∣ter the same manner in all the rest.

Vers. 10. The eighth to Abijah.] Of this course was Zachariah the father of John the Baptist, Luke 1.5.

Vers. 19. These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, &c.] That is, as Eleazar and Ithamar did in former times discharge the work of the priesthood in the house of God under Aaron their father; so did these sonnes of Eleazar and Ithamar now in their courses discharge the same work, after the same manner: or else the meaning of these words is onely this, that after their manner, that is, week by week, chap. 9.25. or after the manner appointed in the Law, these priests in their se∣verall courses did all discharge the work of the inferiour priesthood, being all of them under the command of the high priest, who is here called Aaron, because he held the same place that Aaron formerly did.

Vers. 20. And the rest of the sonnes of Levi were these, &c.] Having in the former part of the chapter expressed the severall courses of the priests, here now are added the severall families of the rest of the sonnes of Levi, that were not priests, to wit, the Levites, and (as some conceive) who they were of those families that were heads of the severall companies of the Levites, that were to serve in the Temple in their turns and courses, as the priests also did: or rather, because the Gershonites were set down before, chap, 23.7. these that are here added, are said to be the rest of the sonnes of Levi, to wit, the Kohathites and Merarites, who especially attended upon the Priests.

Vers. 31. These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sonnes of Aa∣ron.] That is, as the priests being divided into twenty foure companies, there were lots cast for them, as is above-said, vers. 5. so was it on the other side with the Le∣vites too, according to the severall employments whereto they were set a part; they were divided into twenty foure divisions, and lots were cast who should attend the service in the first course, coming in and going out with the first course of the priests, and so who should be in the second course, with the second course of priests, &c. This is expressed concerning the singers in the next chapter; and the like it seems therefore was done both for the porters, and those that attended upon the priests, and did the other work of the Lord, chap. 23, 4, 5.

In the presence of David the king, and Zadok and Abimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principall fathers over against their younger brethren.] There may be a double sense of these last words, to wit, either that as the principall fathers sate with David, and Zadok, and Abimelech to see this work done, so on the other side their younger brethren stood to be distributed to their severall courses, as the lot fell amongst them; or rather, that as the chief of the fa∣thers were chosen by lots, as heads over the rest, so were their young brethren also.