וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִתְיַחְשׂוּ וְהִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה הָגְלוּ לְבָבֶל בְּמַעֲלָם

After having provided genealogical lists for several tribes, the text notes that the books of lineage were more comprehensive than those lists. All Israel were established in their lineage. In general, the people had orderly, reliable genealogical lists. Behold they, those records of family lineage, which do not deal with the historical events of the nation and its kings, are recorded with the book of the kings of Israel, as a kind of appendix to that work. Perhaps this is the origin of the book of Chronicles itself. The people of Judah, together with the residents of the nearby areas, were exiled to Babylon because of their trespass, due to their sins.

וְהַיּוֹשְׁבִים הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּאֲחֻזָּתָם בְּעָרֵיהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְהַנְּתִינִים

The first settlers that returned from the exile and who were in their portions, their inheritances in their cities: Some of the Israelites, regular Jews, who were neither priests nor Levites, and some of the priests, the Levites, and the Netinim, descendants of the Givonites, who lived with Israel while serving as menial laborers for the Temple. They too returned from Babylon.

וּבִירוּשָׁלִַם יָשְׁבוּ מִן־בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וּמִן־בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן וּמִן־בְּנֵי אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה

In Jerusalem settled some of the children of Judah, some of the children of Benjamin, as the city was located on the border between these two tribes, and some of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh:

עוּתַי בֶּן־עַמִּיהוּד בֶּן־עָמְרִי בֶּן־אִמְרִי בֶן־בָּנִי מִן־בְּנֵי פֶרֶץ בֶּן־יְהוּדָה

Utai son of Amihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, from the children of Peretz son of Judah.

וּמִן־הַשִּׁילוֹנִי עֲשָׂיָה הַבְּכוֹר וּבָנָיו

From the Shilonite, the descendants of Shela son of Judah: Asaya the firstborn and his sons.

וּמִן־בְּנֵי זֶרַח יְעוּאֵל וַאֲחֵיהֶם שֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת וְתִשְׁעִים

From the sons of Zerah son of Judah: Yeuel, and their brethren, the rest of the members of the tribe of Judah, numbered six hundred and ninety.

וּמִן־בְּנֵי בִּנְיָמִן סַלּוּא בֶּן־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־הוֹדַוְיָה בֶּן־הַסְּנֻאָה

From the sons of Benjamin, those who returned from the exile and came to Jerusalem at the start of the Second Temple period: Salu, son of Meshulam, who was the son of Hodavya, who was the the son of Hasenua;

וְיִבְנְיָה בֶּן־יְרֹחָם וְאֵלָה בֶן־עֻזִּי בֶּן־מִכְרִי וּמְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־שְׁפַטְיָה בֶּן־רְעוּאֵל בֶּן־יִבְנִיָּה

Yivneya son of Yeroham; Ela son of Uzi, son of Mikhri; Meshulam son of Shefatya, son of Re’uel, son of Yivneya;

וַאֲחֵיהֶם לְתוֹלְדֹתָם תְּשַׁע מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים וְשִׁשָּׁה כָּל־אֵלֶּה אֲנָשִׁים רָאשֵׁי אָבוֹת לְבֵית אֲבֹתֵיהֶם

and their brethren, by their progeny, the branches of their families, were nine hundred and fifty-six. All these counted men, important individuals, were heads of patrilineal houses by their patrilineal houses.

וּמִן־הַכֹּהֲנִים יְדַעְיָה וִיהוֹיָרִיב וְיָכִין

From the priests, only some of the priestly families returned from the exile: Yedaya, Yehoyariv, and Yakhin;

וַעֲזַרְיָה בֶן־חִלְקִיָּה בֶּן־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־צָדוֹק בֶּן־מְרָיוֹת בֶּן־אֲחִיטוּב נְגִיד בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

Azarya son of Hilkiya, son of Meshulam, son of Tzadok, son of Merayot, son of Ahituv, who was in his day the chief official, the man who had been appointed in charge of the House of God. This title may refer back to Azarya rather than to Ahituv.

וַעֲדָיָה בֶּן־יְרֹחָם בֶּן־פַּשְׁחוּר בֶּן־מַלְכִּיָּה וּמַעְשַׂי בֶּן־עֲדִיאֵל בֶּן־יַחְזֵרָה בֶּן־מְשֻׁלָּם בֶּן־מְשִׁלֵּמִית בֶּן־אִמֵּר

Adaya son of Yeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkiya; and Masai, son of Adiel, son of Yahzera, son of Meshulam, son of Meshilemit, son of Imer;

וַאֲחֵיהֶם רָאשִׁים לְבֵית אֲבוֹתָם אֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים גִּבּוֹרֵי חֵיל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבוֹדַת בֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים

and their brethren, heads of their patrilineal houses, one thousand seven hundred and sixty; mighty warriors for the labor of the service of the House of God.

וּמִן־הַלְוִיִּם שְׁמַעְיָה בֶן־חַשּׁוּב בֶּן־עַזְרִיקָם בֶּן־חֲשַׁבְיָה מִן־בְּנֵי מְרָרִי

From the Levites: Shemaya son of Hashuv, son of Azrikam, son of Hashavya, from the sons of Merari;

וּבַקְבַּקַּר חֶרֶשׁ וְגָלָל וּמַתַּנְיָה בֶּן־מִיכָא בֶּן־זִכְרִי בֶּן־אָסָף

and Bakbakar, Heresh, and Galal; and Matanya, son of Mikha, son of Zikhri, son of Asaf;

וְעֹבַדְיָה בֶּן־שְׁמַעְיָה בֶּן־גָּלָל בֶּן־יְדוּתוּן וּבֶרֶכְיָה בֶן־אָסָא בֶּן־אֶלְקָנָה הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּחַצְרֵי נְטוֹפָתִי

and Ovadya son of Shemaya, son of Galal, son of Yedutun; and Berekhya son of Asa, son of Elkana, who dwells in the villages of the Netofatites. It is possible that all these men belonged to families of singers, some of them tracing their lineage to the singers Asaf and Yedutun.

וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִים שַׁלּוּם וְעַקּוּב וְטַלְמֹן וַאֲחִימָן וַאֲחִיהֶם שַׁלּוּם הָרֹאשׁ

The gatekeepers: Shalum, Akuv, Talmon, and Ahiman; their aforementioned brother Shalum was the leader, the chief official.

וְעַד־הֵנָּה בְּשַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ מִזְרָחָה הֵמָּה הַשֹּׁעֲרִים לְמַחֲנוֹת בְּנֵי לֵוִי

Until now, currently, at the time of writing, he is in the king’s gate to the east; they were the gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi.

וְשַׁלּוּם בֶּן־קוֹרֵא בֶּן־אֶבְיָסָף בֶּן־קֹרַח וְאֶחָיו לְבֵית־אָבִיו הַקָּרְחִים עַל מְלֶאכֶת הָעֲבֹדָה שֹׁמְרֵי הַסִּפִּים לָאֹהֶל וַאֲבֹתֵיהֶם עַל־מַחֲנֵה ה' שֹׁמְרֵי הַמָּבוֹא

Shalum, son of Koreh, son of Evyasaf, son of Korah, and his brethren of his patrilineal house the Korahites, the family of Korah, were appointed in charge of the labor of the service, guardians of the threshold of the Tent, they stood guard at the gate of the Tent of Meeting already in the time of David; their fathers in the wilderness had been appointed in charge of the camp of the Lord, guardians of the entrance.

וּפִינְחָס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָר נָגִיד הָיָה עֲלֵיהֶם לְפָנִים ה' עִמּוֹ

The following comment refers to the early generations: Pinhas son of Elazar had been the chief official appointed over them in the distant past; the Lord was with him, and therefore he was the leader of the priests. Alternatively, the verse can be read as follows: In time past, the Lord was with him. This might be teaching that Pinhas was at some point a prophet, but did not remain a prophet for his entire life.

זְכַרְיָה בֶּן מְשֶׁלֶמְיָה שֹׁעֵר פֶּתַח לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד

The chapter returns to the later generations: Zekharya son of Meshelemya was also the gatekeeper for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

כֻּלָּם הַבְּרוּרִים לְשֹׁעֲרִים בַּסִּפִּים מָאתַיִם וּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר הֵמָּה בְחַצְרֵיהֶם הִתְיַחְשָׂם הֵמָּה יִסַּד דָּוִיד וּשְׁמוּאֵל הָרֹאֶה בֶּאֱמוּנָתָם

All of those selected as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve; their lineage was established in accordance with their villages. It was they who were established by David and Samuel the seer, the prophet, for the order of the Levite porters, in their entrusted task, to fulfill their tasks faithfully and steadily. Alternatively, this last clause is referring to David and Samuel: They ordained the Levites by virtue of their faithful, trustworthy office. Although the Temple had not yet been built in David’s lifetime, he prepared for it as much as he possibly could. Not only did he amass the many materials required for its construction, but he also built the administrative systems for the future Temple. Furthermore, Samuel apparently sat with David and shared with him his vision of the pattern of the Temple, which included the watches of the priests and Levites.

וְהֵם וּבְנֵיהֶם עַל־הַשְּׁעָרִים לְבֵית־ה' לְבֵית הָאֹהֶל לְמִשְׁמָרוֹת

They, the porters, and their children, were in charge of the gates of the House of the Lord, for the house of the Tent, by watches, by the groups appointed to guard the Temple.

לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת יִהְיוּ הַשֹּׁעֲרִים מִזְרָח יָמָּה צָפוֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה

On the four sides were the gatekeepers: east, westward, northward, and southward.

ואֲחֵיהֶם בְּחַצְרֵיהֶם לָבוֹא לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים מֵעֵת אֶל־עֵת עִם־אֵלֶּה

Their brethren, who were living in their villages, the Levite cities, were charged to come for seven days at fixed times, intervals, in order to be with and assist them. Both the priests and the Levites were divided into watches, each of which served a week at a time.

כִּי בֶאֱמוּנָה הֵמָּה אַרְבַּעַת גִּבּוֹרֵי הַשֹּׁעֲרִים הֵם הַלְוִיִּם וְהָיוּ עַל־הַלְּשָׁכוֹת וְעַל־הָאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים

For the aforementioned (verse 17) four head gatekeepers had an entrusted task; they fulfilled their tasks faithfully and steadily. They are the Levites, the permanent staff who managed the Temple, who were also appointed over the chambers and over the treasuries in the House of God. Apart from the priests and Levites who would come at fixed times to perform the Temple service itself, there was a need for a permanent, dependable team to handle the administrative and logistical requirements of the Sanctuary.

וּסְבִיבוֹת בֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים יָלִינוּ כִּי־עֲלֵיהֶם מִשְׁמֶרֶת וְהֵם עַל־הַמַּפְתֵּחַ וְלַבֹּקֶר לַבֹּקֶר

They lodged around the House of God so that they should always be close to the Temple, because upon them was cast the watch, and they were in charge of the opening of the doors of the Temple each and every morning, some of which were locked at night.

וּמֵהֶם עַל־כְּלֵי הָעֲבֹדָה כִּי בְּמִסְפָּר יְבִיאוּם וּבְמִסְפָּר יוֹצִיאוּם

Some of them were in charge of the vessels of service, the vessels for the regular service, such as those used for carrying the blood of the offerings and sprinkling it upon the altar, as well as the forks and shovels for transporting the sacrificial parts and the ashes; as they would count when bringing them out and count when removing them. Due to the importance of the sacred vessels in the Temple, they were all numbered and counted, and brought out only when needed.

וּמֵהֶם מְמֻנִּים עַל־הַכֵּלִים וְעַל כָּל־כְּלֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְעַל־הַסֹּלֶת וְהַיַּיִן וְהַשֶּׁמֶן וְהַלְּבוֹנָה וְהַבְּשָׂמִים

From them were those appointed over the vessels, those vessels that were not directly connected to the sacred service, such as cooking implements, over all the sacred vessels, e.g., the table for the showbread and its appurtenances, and over the high-quality flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense, and the spices.

וּמִן־בְּנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים רֹקְחֵי הַמִּרְקַחַת לַבְּשָׂמִים

Some of the sons of the priests were the blenders of the blend of the spices. A specific family was assigned this role.

וּמַתִּתְיָה מִן־הַלְוִיִּם הוּא הַבְּכוֹר לְשַׁלֻּם הַקָּרְחִי בֶּאֱמוּנָה עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַחֲבִתִּים

Matitya of the Levites, he was the firstborn of Shalum the Korahite, was entrusted with the preparation of pancakes. This is referring to the meal offering prepared on a griddle, especially the unique meal offering baked on a griddle that was brought by the High Priest every day. An especially appointed, trustworthy person would perform the complex preparation of this meal offering every day, before sunrise. Half of the meal offering was brought in the morning, and the other half in the afternoon.

וּמִן־בְּנֵי הַקְּהָתִי מִן־אֲחֵיהֶם עַל־לֶחֶם הַמַּעֲרָכֶת לְהָכִין שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּת

Some of the children of the Kehatites of their brethren, of those mentioned above, were put in charge of the bread of the arrangement, to prepare it each and every Sabbath. Before each Sabbath, they would prepare a fresh set of loaves to place on the table for the showbread in the Sanctuary.

וְאֵלֶּה הַמְשֹׁרְרִים רָאשֵׁי אָבוֹת לַלְוִיִּם בַּלְּשָׁכֹת פְּטוּרִים כִּי־יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם בַּמְּלָאכָה

These are the singers, who were heads of the patrilineal houses of the Levites, in the chambers, who were exempt from other service in the Temple because the labor is incumbent upon them, day and night. The singers, who were occupied with their special job, did not deal with the administrative tasks of running the Temple and preparing the requisite materials; that was left to the other Levites. Many Temple rites were accompanied by music, but few of the vocal and instrumental arrangements are known to us. There were certain regular songs that were chanted in public, while others were performed only on certain days.

אֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לַלְוִיִּם לְתֹלְדוֹתָם רָאשִׁים אֵלֶּה יָשְׁבוּ בִירוּשָׁלִָם

These men are heads of patrilineal houses of the Levites, by their progeny; these heads dwelled in Jerusalem.

וּבְגִבְעוֹן יָשְׁבוּ אֲבִי גִבְעוֹן יְעִיאֵל וְשֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ מַעֲכָה

In Givon settled the father of the settlement of Givon, who was called Ye’iel, and the name of his wife was Maakha.

וּבְנוֹ הַבְּכוֹר עַבְדּוֹן וְצוּר וְקִישׁ וּבַעַל וְנֵר וְנָדָב

His firstborn son was Avdon, and his subsequent sons were called Tzur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadav,

וּגְדוֹר וְאַחְיוֹ וּזְכַרְיָה וּמִקְלוֹת

Gedor, Ahyo, Zekharya, and Miklot.

וּמִקְלוֹת הוֹלִיד אֶת־שִׁמְאָם וְאַף־הֵם נֶגֶד אֲחֵיהֶם יָשְׁבוּ בִירוּשָׁלִַם עִם־אֲחֵיהֶם

Miklot begot Shime’am, called Shima above (8:32), and they, the members of this family, also dwelled like their brethren in Jerusalem, like their brothers, they lived in Jerusalem with their brethren.

וְנֵר הוֹלִיד אֶת־קִישׁ וְקִישׁ הוֹלִיד אֶת־שָׁאוּל וְשָׁאוּל הוֹלִיד אֶת־יְהוֹנָתָן וְאֶת־מַלְכִּי־שׁוּעַ וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָב וְאֶת־אֶשְׁבָּעַל

The following short list provides the lineage of the family of King Saul and his descendants: Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, who later became king, and Saul begot Yehonatan, Malki Shua, Avinadav, and Eshbaal.

וּבֶן־יְהוֹנָתָן מְרִיב בָּעַל וּמְרִי־בַעַל הוֹלִיד אֶת־מִיכָה

The son of Yehonatan was Meriv Baal, more generally known as Mefivoshet, Meriv Baal begot Mikha.

וּבְנֵי מִיכָה פִּיתֹן וָמֶלֶךְ וְתַחְרֵעַ

The sons of Mikha: Piton, Melekh, and Tahre’a.

וְאָחָז הוֹלִיד אֶת־יַעְרָה וְיַעְרָה הוֹלִיד אֶת־עָלֶמֶת וְאֶת־עַזְמָוֶת וְאֶת־זִמְרִי וְזִמְרִי הוֹלִיד אֶת־מוֹצָא

Ahaz begot Yara, who was earlier called Yehoada (8:36); and Yara begot Alemet, Azmavet, and Zimri; Zimri begot Motza.

וּמוֹצָא הוֹלִיד אֶת־בִּנְעָא וּרְפָיָה בְנוֹ אֶלְעָשָׂה בְנוֹ אָצֵל בְּנוֹ

Motza begot Bina, and Refaya, who was earlier called Rafa (8:37), was his son, Elasa his son, Atzel his son.

וּלְאָצֵל שִׁשָּׁה בָנִים וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹתָם עַזְרִיקָם בֹּכְרוּ וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל וּשְׁעַרְיָה וְעֹבַדְיָה וְחָנָן אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי אָצַל

Atzel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bokhru, Yishmael, She’arya, Ovadya, and Hanan; these are the sons of Atzel. This too is an abbreviated list of the descendants of Benjamin, some of whom were already mentioned earlier. However, these last few lists serve to complete the account of the Temple and Jerusalem, as well as the dynasty of King Saul.