Gill, in his commentary, gives us a useful summary of this chapter.
‘This chapter relates the distribution David made of the priests into twenty-four classes or courses, and which were observed by lot, and each course had a head or principal man over it, 1 Chronicles 24:1, and of a like distribution of the Levites into the same number of courses, to attend the priests in theirs, 1 Chronicles 24:20.’
The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, but Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons, 1 Chronicles 24:1-2. They were killed by God because they offered up strange fire to God, Leviticus 10.
The descendants of the two sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, 1 Chronicles 24:2, were divided into twenty-four groups to administer the priestly duties.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Due to the fact that many thousands of the Levites were eligible to participate in the temple services, it was necessary that some systematic manner of determining the order in which they would serve as required. One must be impressed with the manner of David’s making such a determination by lot, duly witnessed by all parties concerned.’
Zadok and Ahimelech, 1 Chronicles 24:3, rather son of Abiathar, 1 Chronicles 24:6, helped David in drawing up the priestly duties. As the captains of the hosts they helped him in making the divisions of the singers, 1 Chronicles 25:1. Zadok and Ahimelech were both high priests during David’s reign, 2 Samuel 8 / 1 Kings 4.
There were sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants, 1 Chronicles 24:4. Each Levite was chosen by lot and assigned in groups in order to minister for a week, beginning on the evening of the Sabbath, 1 Chronicles 24:5 / 1 Chronicles 24:31 / Numbers 26:55-56 / Joshua 14-19.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The assignment of their order in the courses was made by lot to the families belonging to Eleazar, and to the families belonging to Ithamar, equally. Both houses had furnished functionaries of the highest class, and therefore no preference was now given to either over the other.’
The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king, 1 Chronicles 24:6.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the family of Eleazar, 1 Chronicles 24:6.
‘The family of Eleazar was the most illustrious of the sacerdotal families, because Eleazar was the first-born of Aaron, Ithamar’s family was the second in order and dignity; therefore one of the principal families of Eleazar was first taken, and then one of Ithamar’s, and thus alternately till the whole was finished.’
The list of names and numbers, 1 Chronicles 24:7-18, were the numerical order fixed for their ministerial attendance in the house of the Lord, an attendance which was after the manner determined for them by their forefather Aaron, according to instructions which he received from God, 1 Chronicles 24:19 / 2 Kings 11:9 / 2 Chronicles 23:8.
The list of Levites mentioned here are the sons of Aaron who were mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24:1-19, and they were responsible for helping the priests in their duties. This list here includes only the descendants of Kohath and Merari1 Chronicles 24:20-30.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The object of this second enumeration of the Levitical families, 1 Chronicles 23:7-23, seems to be the designation of the heads of the families in David’s time. The omission of the Gershonites is curious and can only be accounted for by supposing that the author did not find any account of their heads in his authorities. The addition to the Merarites, 1 Chronicles 24:26-27, is also curious. It brings the number of families up to twenty-five, which is one more than we should have expected.’
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It should be remembered that these lists of names represent families rather than individuals and that a number of these families continued into New Testament times, for example, Zacharias was of the line of Abijah, Luke 1:5. Interesting as the omission is, we can give no reason for the omission of the family of Gershon. The variations in these lists are of no importance. Some of these courses died out or had to be consolidated with others and new ones were formed to take their place. At the time of the return from exile, 538 B.C., only four of these courses were operative.’
The Pulpit Commentary, says the following, concerning 1 Chronicles 24:23-25.
‘This verse is manifestly imperfect. What is necessary to fill up the evident gaps is to be found, however, in 1 Chronicles 23:19, also the pointed allusion to the time of David, in 1 Chronicles 26:31, is deserving of especial notice. The four names of this verse, then, are descendants of Kohath’s third son, Hebron, 1 Chronicles 23:12. These verses give us Shamir and Zechariah, descendants of Uzziel, Kohath’s fourth son, 1 Chronicles 23:12, the former through Michah, 1 Chronicles 23:20, and the latter through Michah’s brother, Isshiah, 1 Chronicles 23:20, called here ‘sons of Uzziel,’ but presumably not intended for immediate sons, Exodus 6:22. In all these fourteen heads were drawn from the four sons of Kohath.’
Beno, 1 Chronicles 24:26, is not really a name. It’s Hebrew for ‘his son’, and is to be attached to Jaaziah, 1 Chronicles 24:27. Notice the rest of these Levites were also chosen by lot, 1 Chronicles 24:31 / 1 Chronicles 24:5. We are told that the families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest, 1 Chronicles 24:31.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The principal fathers over against their younger brethren, i.e., all the Levitical houses enumerated drew lots in their courses on equal terms, the older families having no advantage over the younger ones. As there were 24 courses of the priests, so we must suppose that there were 24 of the Levites, though the number of the families as given in the text, 1 Chronicles 23:7-23 / 1 Chronicles 24:20-30, is 25.’