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1 Crónicas 24

VBL · Chapter 24/29

1Los hijos de Aarón fueron colocados en divisiones de la siguiente manera. Los hijos de Aarón eran Nadab, Abiú, Eleazar e Itamar.

2Pero Nadab y Abiú murieron antes que su padre, y no tuvieron hijos. Sólo Eleazar e Itamar continuaron como sacerdotes.

3Con la ayuda de Sadoc, descendiente de Eleazar, y de Itamar, descendiente de Ahimelec, David los colocó en divisiones según sus funciones asignadas.

4Como los descendientes de Eleazar tenían más jefes que los de Itamar, se dividieron así: dieciséis jefes de familia de los descendientes de Eleazar, y ocho de los descendientes de Itamar.

5Se dividieron echando suertes, sin preferencia, porque había oficiales del santuario y oficiales de Dios tanto de los hijos de Eleazar como de los hijos de Itamar.

6Semaías hijo de Netanel, un levita, era el secretario. Anotó los nombres y las asignaciones en presencia del rey, de los funcionarios, del sacerdote Sadoc, de Ahimelec hijo de Abiatar y de los jefes de familia de los sacerdotes y levitas. Una familia de Eleazar y otra de Itamar fueron elegidas por turno.

7La primera suerte recayó en Joiarib. El segundo a Jedaías.

8La tercera a Harim. El cuarto a Seorim.

9La quinta a Malquías. La sexta a Mijamín.

10La séptima a Cos. La octava a Abías.

11La novena a Jesúa. La décima por Secanías.

12La undécima por Eliasib. La duodécima a Jacim.

13La decimotercera por Hupah. La decimocuarta por Jeshebeab.

14La decimoquinta por Bilga. El decimosexto a Immer.

15El decimoséptimo a Hezir. El decimoctavo a Afisés.

16La decimonovena a Petaías. El vigésimo a Hezequiel.

17El vigésimo primero a Jaquín. El vigésimo segundo a Gamul.

18El vigésimo tercero a Delaía. El vigésimo cuarto a Maazías.

19Este era el orden en que cada grupo debía servir cuando entraba en la casa del Señor, siguiendo el procedimiento que les había definido su antepasado Aarón, según las instrucciones del Señor, el Dios de Israel.

20Estos fueron el resto de los hijos de Leví: de Los hijos de Amram: Shubael; de Los hijos de Shubael: Jehdeiah.

21Para Rehabía, de sus hijos Isías (el primogénito).

22De los Izharitas: Shelomoth;

23Los hijos de Hebrón: Jeriah (el mayor), Amariah (el segundo), Jahaziel (el tercero) y Jecamán (el cuarto).

24El hijo de Uziel: Miqueas; de Los hijos de Miqueas: Shamir.

25El hermano de Micaías: Isías; de Los hijos de Isías: Zacarías.

26Los hijos de Merari: Mahli y Musi. El hijo de Jaaziah: Beno.

27Los hijos de Merari: de Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur e Ibri.

28De Mahli: Eleazar, que no tuvo hijos.

29De Cis: el hijo de Cis, Jerajmeel.

30Los hijos de Musi: Mahli, Eder y Jerimot.

31También echaron suertes de la misma manera que sus parientes los descendientes de Aarón. Lo hicieron en presencia del rey David, de Sadoc, de Ahimelec y de los jefes de familia de los sacerdotes y de los levitas, tanto de los jefes de familia como de sus hermanos menores.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David organizes the descendants of Aaron (the priests) into 24 divisions of service, determined by lot, so that each family would serve in the temple during set periods throughout the year.

Explanation

With a growing priestly population, a fair system was needed to determine who would serve and when, and casting lots ensured that no single family monopolized the most desirable periods or tasks. This system of 24 divisions would remain in use for hundreds of years, and is mentioned directly in the New Testament: the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, belonged to the eighth priestly division (that of Abijah), and it was precisely during his period of service in the temple that he received the visit of the angel Gabriel announcing the birth of his son. This is a powerful example of how seemingly distant organizational details remain relevant centuries later.

Fun facts

  • The system of 24 priestly divisions established here by David was still fully functioning more than a thousand years later, in the time of Jesus, as mentioned in Luke 1:5, at the very beginning of the gospel.
  • The division of Abijah, listed as the eighth in the order, is the same one to which Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, belonged — a direct link between this Old Testament chapter and the beginning of the New Testament story.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Crónicas 24:1The focus returns to Aaron’s descendants: the four original sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar — the foundation of the whole priestly organization the chapter is about to detail.
  2. 1 Crónicas 24:2Nadab and Abihu die while their father is still alive, leaving no sons, after offering strange fire to God — that is why the entire priesthood comes to descend only from Eleazar and Ithamar.
  3. 1 Crónicas 24:3David organizes the priests with the help of Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar — the two remaining branches of Aaron’s family sharing the task.
  4. 1 Crónicas 24:4It turns out Eleazar’s line had far more heads of families than Ithamar’s, sixteen against eight — an imbalance the lot system, explained in the next verse, helps resolve fairly.
  5. 1 Crónicas 24:5Aaron’s descendants are divided by lot into twenty-four divisions, each serving for a set period at the temple. Centuries later, it is during one of these divisions — the eighth, that of Abijah — that the priest Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, is on duty when the angel visits him, in the Gospel of Luke.
  6. 1 Crónicas 24:6The scribe Shemaiah formally records everything before the king and the religious leaders, alternating the lot between one house of Eleazar and one of Ithamar at a time — a way of guaranteeing balance between the two lines.
  7. 1 Crónicas 24:7The list of the twenty-four priestly divisions begins in the order drawn by lot: first Jehoiarib, then Jedaiah.
  8. 1 Crónicas 24:8Third division Harim, fourth Seorim — the rotation system keeps setting the exact order in which each priestly family would serve at the temple.
  9. 1 Crónicas 24:9Fifth division Malchijah, sixth Mijamin — two more families gain their fixed slot within the service calendar.
  10. 1 Crónicas 24:10Seventh division Hakkoz, eighth Abijah — this Abijah is the same priestly division that Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, belonged to, told much later in the Gospel of Luke.
  11. 1 Crónicas 24:11Ninth division Jeshua, tenth Shecaniah — the list has already passed the halfway point of the total twenty-four divisions.
  12. 1 Crónicas 24:12Eleventh division Eliashib, twelfth Jakim — the ordered lot keeps going, the one that will organize temple service for centuries.
  13. 1 Crónicas 24:13Thirteenth division Huppah, fourteenth Jeshebeab — two more priestly families receive their fixed turn on the calendar.
  14. 1 Crónicas 24:14Fifteenth division Bilgah, sixteenth Immer — the list of twenty-four names is just a few steps from the end.
  15. 1 Crónicas 24:15Seventeenth division Hezir, eighteenth Aphses — two more slots defined within the priestly rotation.
  16. 1 Crónicas 24:16Nineteenth division Pethahiah, twentieth Jehezekel — only four slots remain to complete the full list.
  17. 1 Crónicas 24:17Twenty-first division Jachin, twenty-second Gamul — the list is nearly complete.
  18. 1 Crónicas 24:18Twenty-third division Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth and last, Maaziah — closing out the system of twenty-four priestly divisions that will govern temple service for generations.
  19. 1 Crónicas 24:19The job of each division was to enter the house of the LORD following the order Aaron himself had established, by direct command of God — tying this system David organized back to the oldest origin of the priesthood.
  20. 1 Crónicas 24:20After the priests, the text organizes the rest of the ordinary Levites: from the family of Amram comes Shubael, and from him Jehdeiah.
  21. 1 Crónicas 24:21From Rehabiah, already mentioned in the previous chapter, the chief now is Isshiah — the Levite genealogy keeps being updated generation after generation.
  22. 1 Crónicas 24:22Of the Izharites, Shelomoth is the chief, and from him comes Jahath — one more branch of the great Levite family receiving its own organization.
  23. 1 Crónicas 24:23Hebron’s four sons repeat the same order already seen in chapter 23 — Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
  24. 1 Crónicas 24:24From the family of Uzziel comes Michah, and from him Shamir — one more layer of organization within the already extensive Levite family tree.
  25. 1 Crónicas 24:25Michah’s brother, Isshiah, also has his descent recorded, reaching down to Zechariah — showing the care taken to document even the secondary branches of each family.
  26. 1 Crónicas 24:26It moves on to the Merarites: Mahli and Mushi, and a family tied to Jaaziah, who fathers Beno — one more small branch within Levi’s third great family.
  27. 1 Crónicas 24:27More descendants of Merari through the line of Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri — rounding out this part of the Levite genealogy.
  28. 1 Crónicas 24:28From Mahli comes Eleazar, who had no sons — the same detail already mentioned in the previous chapter about this line with no direct descendants.
  29. 1 Crónicas 24:29From the family of Kish comes Jerahmeel — one more name filling in the gaps of the Levite family tree David organizes in full.
  30. 1 Crónicas 24:30Mushi’s three sons close out the list of Levite families — a final summary confirms this is the whole organization of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses.
  31. 1 Crónicas 24:31Just like the priests, the ordinary Levites also take part in the lot before David and the religious leaders — and the system treats large and small families with the same fairness, without favoring whoever had more people.

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