📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 15:9
What does 1 Chronicles 15:9 mean?
"of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty;"
— 1 Chronicles 15:9 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty;
of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty;
of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred;
of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty;
of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve.
David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, up to the place that I have prepared for it.
Explanation
First Chronicles 15:9 is a brief entry in a longer list naming the Levite leaders whom King David gathered to carry the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It simply states that from the clan descended from Hebron (a grandson of Levi through Kohath), Eliel was recognized as the chief, and with him stood eighty of his relatives. On the surface it is a genealogical note, but it plays a specific role in the larger narrative of the chapter.
The context matters a great deal here. Earlier, in 1 Chronicles 13, David had attempted to move the Ark on a new cart, and the effort ended in tragedy when Uzzah touched the Ark and died, because the Ark was not being transported according to God's instructions in the Law of Moses, which required the Levites to carry it on their shoulders using poles
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