Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

9:1 The summarizing conclusion to the tribal genealogies of all Israel in chs. 2-8. Judah's exile to Babylon for breach of faith (Hb. ma‘al) parallels the fate of the northern tribes (see 5:25-26) and represents the culmination of the narrative of the post-Solomonic dynasty in 2 Chron. 10-36 (see esp. 2 Chron. 36:14-20). the Book of the Kings of Israel. See note on 1 Kings 14:19.

9:2-34 The resettlement of Jerusalem and Judah after the exile indicates that a new chapter has opened in Israel's existence. The punishment of exile is past (2 Chron. 36:22-23), so the people should respond to God's grace by ordering their lives in the right way, in the hope of a fuller restoration than their present experience. Their obedient response includes repopulating Jerusalem (1 Chron. 9:2-17; for an account of how this was encouraged by Nehemiah see Neh. 11:1-19, which is closely related to this passage), and a renewed commitment to supporting the temple and its services, signified here by its personnel (1 Chron. 9:10-33).

9:3-9 The repopulated Jerusalem includes people from Ephraim and Manasseh, as well as Judah and Benjamin, as a representative nucleus of all Israel. The Judahites are listed as descendants of the patriarch's sons Perez, Shelah (assuming the word Shilonites should have the vowels for "Shelanites"; see Num. 26:20), and Zerah.

9:10-13 The priests in postexilic Jerusalem are commended for their ability and commitment to the temple ministry (v. 13). Their numbers (1,760) have grown significantly since earlier days (1,192 in Neh. 11:12-14).

9:14-16 The Levitical singers and musicians include descendants of Asaph and Jeduthun, choir leaders in David's day (6:39; 25:1). Other singers lived in the villages of the Netophathites, near Bethlehem (Neh. 12:28).

9:17-32 The Chronicler gives special attention to the Levitical gatekeepers, tracing their authority to their service under Phinehas (v. 20; see Num. 25:6-11) and their appointment by David (1 Chron. 9:22; 26:1-32). Along with their primary duty of safeguarding the sanctity and security of the temple (which entailed regular shifts by Levites from the villages near Jerusalem, 9:22-25), the gatekeepers were also responsible for the utensils and supplies used in the daily sacrifices (vv. 28-32).

9:31 and Mattithiah . . . was entrusted with making the flat cakes. The responsibilities of vv. 28-31 may strike the modern reader as obscure and dull. Perhaps they seemed so to the ancient reader as well. Nevertheless, the whole work of the sanctuary depended on the faithfulness of these men; and all of God's people may take comfort from this reminder that God both notices and remembers those who faithfully perform routine tasks in service to him. The mention of these servants was probably a source of pride to their later descendants.