📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 24:18
What does 1 Chronicles 24:18 mean?
"the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah."
— 1 Chronicles 24:18 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,
the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,
the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,
the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
This was their ordering in their service, to come into Yahweh’s house according to the ordinance given to them by Aaron their father, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
Of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the chief.
Explanation
First Chronicles 24:18 is the closing line of a long list that names the twenty-four divisions, or "courses," of priests descended from Aaron. In plain language, it simply states that the twenty-third lot fell to a priest named Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to a priest named Maaziah. These two names complete the roster that began several verses earlier, when the priestly families were divided by casting lots into twenty-four groups so that each family would take its assigned turn serving in the temple.
The context is important for understanding why this verse exists at all. First Chronicles was likely written by Ezra or someone in his circle after the Babylonian exile, compiling Israel's history and genealogies for a community trying to reestablish its identity and worship practices in the land. Chapter 24 records how King David, near the end of his reign, organized the priesthood into a structured rotation. The sons of Aaron—through the lines of Eleazar and Ithamar—were too numerous for all of them to serve at once, so David, along with Zadok and Ahimelech, cast lots to divide them fairly into twenty-four courses. Each course would serve at the tabernacle (and later the temple) for a set period during the year, ensuring orderly, continuous worship rather than confusion or favoritism.
Theologically, this pass
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