xxiii. 29), and the transition from porters to Levites is made easier

by the fact that the four porters last mentioned (verses 26, 27) are Levites. Some commentators hold that the paragraph dealing with the duties of the Levites begins in verse 26 with the words “_And they were over_,” etc.

²⁹Some of them also were appointed over the furniture, and over all the vessels of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.

=29.= compare xxiii. 29.

=30.= A PRIESTLY DUTY.

³⁰And some of the sons of the priests prepared the confection of the spices.

=30.= _the sons of the priests_] i.e. “members of the priesthood, priests.” Compare 2 Chronicles xxv. 13, “the soldiers of the army” (literally “the sons of the troop”) and the common expression “the sons of the prophets.”

_confection_] (For the word, compare 1 Samuel viii. 13, Revised Version text and margin) This “ointment” was peculiarly holy (Exodus xxx. 23‒25). The Levites might have charge of the oil and spices (verse 29), but only the priests might make the confection.

=31, 32.= OTHER LEVITICAL DUTIES.

³¹And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were baked in pans.

=31.= _who was the firstborn of Shallum_] In xxvi. 2 the firstborn of Meshelemiah (= Shallum) is called _Zechariah_. Probably _Mattithiah_ and _Zechariah_ represent _each_ a household belonging to an elder branch of the great family of _Shallum_.

³²And some of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.

=32.= _the shewbread_] Literally _the bread of the Row_ (or _of the Pile_), for it had to be arranged in order before the Lord (Leviticus xxiv. 6). The Chronicler prefers this term to the older “Bread of the Presence” (i.e. of Jehovah). See more fully Driver, _Exodus_, pp. 274, 275, in this series.

_to prepare it every sabbath_] “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually” (Leviticus xxiv. 8). In 2 Chronicles ii. 4 (= ii. 3, _Hebrew_) it is called _the continual shewbread_ (literally “the continual Row”).

³³And these are the singers, heads of fathers’ _houses_ of the Levites, _who dwelt_ in the chambers _and were_ free _from other service_: for they were employed in their work day and night. ³⁴These were heads of fathers’ _houses_ of the Levites, throughout their generations, chief men: these dwelt at Jerusalem.

=33.= _And these are_] This verse may be intended as a conclusion to verses 15, 16, for the names there given are those of singers; compare Nehemiah xi. 17. On the other hand it may have been intended as the heading of such a list as appears in vi. 33‒47 (= 18‒32, Hebrew), the list itself having somehow been omitted.

_day and night_] Compare Psalms cxxxiv. 1; Revelation iv. 8.

=35‒44= (= viii. 29‒38). THE GENEALOGY OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL.

³⁵And in Gibeon there dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, whose wife’s name was Maacah: ³⁶and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab; ³⁷and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against their brethren. ³⁹And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchi-shua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. ⁴⁰And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal; and Merib-baal begat Micah. ⁴¹And the sons of Micah; Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea, _and Ahaz_. ⁴²And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza: ⁴³and Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son: ⁴⁴and Azel had six sons, whose names are these; Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.

See notes on viii. 29 ff. The passage serves here as an introduction to the story of the death of Saul. Whether it is in its original setting here or in viii. 29 ff., or possibly is original in both chapters, there is not sufficient evidence to determine (see note on viii. 29).

CHAPTERS X.‒XXIX. THE REIGN OF DAVID.

At this point the Chronicler begins his narrative of Israel’s history. It commences abruptly with an account of the defeat and death of Saul, which however is given not for its own interest, but to serve as a brief introduction to the reign of David (chapter xi. ff.). Why does the Chronicler choose to begin his narrative at this point, passing over in silence (a) the Mosaic period, (b) the stories of Judges and of 1 Samuel i.‒xxx.? As regards (a) his silence is due to the assumption that those for whom he writes are no less familiar than he is himself with the account of the Mosaic age as presented by the fully developed tradition of the Pentateuch. As for (b), his silence probably arises neither from the difficulty of retelling the narratives of Judges in accordance with his theory of the early history, nor yet from the fact that they were doubtless familiar to his readers; but, again, from a consideration of the central purpose of his work. His theme is the Divine guidance of Israel’s destiny, and, since that destiny had ultimately centred upon the fortunes of Jerusalem and the worship maintained through its Temple, all else in Israel’s history becomes of quite secondary importance. He begins therefore where (for Israel) Jerusalem and the Temple began――with David, who conquered the city and planned the Temple. The tales of the Judges, of Samuel, and of David’s early life and his magnanimity toward Saul (a tempting source for the exaltation of the character of the ideal king), all these are logically ignored, since they lie outside the scope of the Chronicler’s design.