1 Chronicles 26:29

Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were for the outward business over Israel, for officers and judges.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

III. THE LEVITES CHARGED WITH BUSINESS EXTERNAL TO THE SANCTUARY (1Chronicles 26:29-32).

(29) Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons.—As to the Izharites, Chenaniah, &c. Izhar was the second, as Hebron (1Chronicles 26:30) was the third of the Kohathite stocks (1Chronicles 23:12).

The outward business is defined as that of “officers” (shoterîm, scribes) and judges. Six thousand Levites were set apart for these duties (1Chronicles 23:4). As Nehemiah 11:16 mentions “the outward business of the house of God,” the outward business here spoken of may have been in part connected with the Temple, and included such work as the collection of tithes and taxes.

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 26:29. Chenaniah, &c., were for the outward business — That is, the business without the city of Jerusalem; which neither belonged to the singers nor the porters, whose business was within the city. For officers and judges — To be assessors with the ordinary judges in the several cities and towns, to determine questions and controversies which might arise among them. And the reason why the Levites were intrusted with these matters was, because the common law of Israel, by which they had and held all their rights, was no other than the law of God, whereof the priests and Levites, being the established interpreters, must needs be the most proper judges of things depending thereon.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:1-32 The offices of the Levites. - The porters and treasurers of the temple, had occasion for strength and valour to oppose those who wrongly attempted to enter the sanctuary, and to guard the sacred treasures. Much was expended daily upon the altar; flour, wine, oil, salt, fuel, beside the lamps; quantities of these were kept beforehand, besides the sacred vestments and utensils. These were the treasures of the house of God. These treasures typified the plenty there is in our heavenly Father's house, enough and to spare. From those sacred treasuries, the unsearchable riches of Christ, all our wants are supplied; and receiving from his fulness, we must give him the glory, and endeavour to dispose of our abilities and substance according to his will. We have an account of those employed as officers and judges. The magistracy is an ordinance of God for the good of the church, as truly as the ministry, and must not be neglected. None of the Levites who were employed in the service of the sanctuary, none of the singers or porters, were concerned in this outward business; one duty was enough to engage the whole man. Wisdom, courage, strength of faith, holy affections, and constancy of mind in doing our duty, are requisite or useful for every station.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The foundations of a sacred treasury had therefore been laid as far back as the time of Samuel, when the Israelites began to recover from their last servitude. Such a treasury had been once before established, namely, under Joshua Jos 6:24; but it appears to have been soon exhausted, and we hear nothing of it under any of the later judges until Samuel.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

1Ch 26:29-32. Officers and Judges.

29. officers and judges—The word rendered "officers" is the term which signifies scribes or secretaries, so that the Levitical class here described were magistrates, who, attended by their clerks, exercised judicial functions; there were six thousand of them (1Ch 23:4), who probably acted like their brethren on the principle of rotation, and these were divided into three classes—one (1Ch 26:29) for the outward business over Israel; one (1Ch 26:30), consisting of seventeen hundred, for the west of Jordan "in all business of the Lord, and in the service of the king"; and the third (1Ch 26:31, 32), consisting of twenty-seven hundred, "rulers for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the king."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Chenaniah and his sons, who are probably thought to have been one thousand six hundred, for that sum added to the one thousand seven hundred, 1 Chronicles 26:30, and the two thousand seven hundred, 1 Chronicles 26:32, make up those six thousand Levites which were

officers and judges, 1 Chronicles 23:4.

For the outward business; for that business of the Lord and of the king (as it is explained here, 1 Chronicles 26:30,32) which was to be done without the temple, and without Jerusalem; for what was to be done within them was committed to other hands, as we have seen.

Over Israel, synecdochically; i.e. over part of Israel, even over the midland part, and that which lay upon the sea-coast; for the other parts of the land on both sides of Jordan are here committed to others, 1 Chronicles 26:30-32.

For officers and judges; who shall be officers and judges over the people in the several cities and towns or parts of the land, to determine questions and controversies which might arise among them. And the reason why the Levites were intrusted with these matters was, because the common or municipal law of Israel, by which they had and held all their rights, was no other than the law of God, whereof the priests and Levites being the best and established interpreters, must needs therefore be the most proper judges of things depending thereupon.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were

for the outward business over Israel,.... Which was done out of the temple, and out of Jerusalem, in the several parts of the country:

for officers and judges; to administer justice and judgment, and to take care that the laws of God were observed, both with respect to things civil and religious, and delinquents punished; which is a better sense than what Jarchi and Kimchi put upon this:

outward business, as if it lay in taking care to have timber cut down in the forest, and stones dug and hewed in the mountains, for the building of the temple; and that the lands were ploughed, and the vineyards, gardens, and orchards, dressed, which were devoted to sacred uses.

Geneva Study Bible

Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were for the outward business {n} over Israel, for officers and judges.

(n) Meaning of things that were out of the city.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

29. Izharites] Cp. 1 Chronicles 23:12.

the outward business] This business as here defined “for officers and for judges” (cp. 2 Chronicles 19:11) is perhaps different from that mentioned in Nehemiah 11:16 (“the outward business of the house of the Lord”).

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 29-32. - The chapter closes with some enumeration of those who were appointed to the outward business (הַחִיעונָה לַמְּלָאכָה) over Israel i.e. the secular or civic rather than temple business. Verse 29. - Though the Authorized Version of 1 Chronicles 15:22 would make it appear very unlikely that the Chenaniah, a "chief of the Levites," here spoken of was identical with the present Chenaniah, yet the other translation of that passage, and the view that some take of it as describing one who had the special ordering of the carrying of the ark, would leave it more likely. For the officers and judges, see 1 Chronicles 23:4; 2 Chronicles 19:5-11. The too generic term "officers" (Exodus 5:6-19: Numbers 11:16, etc.) may be advantageously superseded by the word "scribes." These scribes and judges, it appears, were taken from the families of Izhar and Hebron alone, without any Amramite or Uzzielite of the other Kohathites, and without any Gershonite or Merarite of the other Levites. 1 Chronicles 26:29

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The officials for the external business. - 1 Chronicles 26:29. "As to the Izharites, Chenaniah (see on 1 Chronicles 15:22) with his sons was for the outward business over Israel for scribes and judges." According to this, the external business of the Levites consisted of service as scribes and judges, for which David had set apart 6000 Levites (1 Chronicles 23:4). Without sufficient reason, Bertheau would refer the external business to the exaction of the dues for the temple, because in Nehemiah 11:16 ההיצנה המּלאכה for the temple is spoken of. But it does not at all follow that in our verse the external work had any reference to the temple, and that the scribes and judges had only this narrow sphere of action, since here, instead of the house of God, ישׂראל על is mentioned as the object with which the external service was connected.