1 Chronicles 24 · Verse 6

1 Chronicles 24:6

And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:6, King James Version

1 Chronicles 24:6 in other translations

BSBThe scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.
WEBShemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers’ house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.
ASVAnd Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers’ house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.
YLTAnd Shemaiah son of Nethaneel the scribe, of the Levites, writeth them before the king and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and heads of the fathers, for priests and for Levites: one house of a father being taken possession of for Eleazar, and one being taken possession of for Ithamar.
DARBYAnd Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, inscribed them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the chief fathers of the priests and Levites: one father's house was drawn for Eleazar, and one drawn for Ithamar.
BBEAnd Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was a Levite, put down their names in writing, the king being present with the rulers, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites; one family being taken for Eleazar and then one for Ithamar, and so on.
WebsterAnd Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

What does 1 Chronicles 24:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. one principal household--The marginal reading is preferable, "one house of the father." The lot was cast in a deliberate and solemn manner in presence of the king, the princes, the two high priests, and the chiefs of the priestly and Levitical families. The heads of families belonging to Eleazar and Ithamar were alternately brought forward to draw, and the name of each individual, as called, registered by an attendant secretary. To accommodate the casting of the lots to the inequality of the number, there being sixteen fathers' houses of Eleazar, and only eight of Ithamar, it was arranged that every house of Ithamar should be followed by two of Eleazar, or, what is the same thing, that every two houses of Eleazar should be followed by one of Ithamar. If, then, we suppose a commencement to have been made by Eleazar, the order would be as follows: one and two, Eleazar; three, Ithamar; four and five, Eleazar; six, Ithamar; seven and eight, Eleazar; nine, Ithamar; and so forth [Bertheau]. The lot determined also the order of the priests' service. That of the Levites was afterwards distributed by the same arrangement (1Ch 24:31).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 And Shemaiah - "Moses the great scribe, who is called Shemaiah, the son of Nethaneel, of the tribe of Levi, wrote them down." - T. One principal household - for Eleazar - The family of Eleazar was the most illustrious of the sacerdotal families, because Eleazar was the first-born of Aaron, Ithamar's family was the second in order and dignity; therefore one of the principal families of Eleazar was first taken, and then one of Ithamar's, and thus alternately till the whole was finished.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

1 Chronicles 24:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַֽיִּכְתְּבֵ֡םvai.yikh.te.Vemand he recorded themH3789
שְֽׁמַֽעְיָה֩she.ma'.YahShemaiahH8098
בֶן\־ven-[the] son ofH1121
נְתַנְאֵ֨לne.tan.'ElNethanelH5417
הַסּוֹפֵ֜רha.so.Ferthe scribeH5608
מִן\־min-one ofH4480
הַלֵּוִ֗יha.le.Vithe Levite[s]H3881
לִפְנֵ֨יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וְהַשָּׂרִים֙ve.ha.sa.Rimand the officialsH8269
וְצָד֣וֹקve.tza.Dokand ZadokH6659
הַכֹּהֵ֗ןha.ko.Henthe priestH3548
וַאֲחִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙va.'a.chi.Me.lekhand AhimelechH288
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
אֶבְיָתָ֔ר'ev.ya.TarAbiatharH54
וְרָאשֵׁי֙ve.ra.Sheiand [the] heads ofH7218
הָֽאָב֔וֹתha.'a.Votthe fathersH1
לַכֹּהֲנִ֖יםla.ko.ha.Nimof the priestsH3548
וְלַלְוִיִּ֑םve.lal.vi.Yimand of the LevitesH3881
בֵּֽית\־beit-a house ofH1004
אָ֣ב'ava fatherH1
אֶחָ֗ד'e.ChadoneH259
אָחֻז֙'a.ChuzdrawnH270
לְאֶלְעָזָ֔רle.'el.'a.Zarfor EleazarH499
וְאָחֻ֥ז\׀ve.'a.Chuzand drawnH270
אָחֻ֖ז'a.ChuzdrawnH270
לְאִיתָמָֽר\׃\ \פle.'i.ta.Marfor IthamarH385

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Chronicles 24:6

  • 1 Chronicles 18:16

    And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Shavsha was scribe;

  • 1 Chronicles 23:24

    These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.

  • Ezra 7:6

    This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

  • Matthew 8:19

    And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

  • Matthew 23:1-2

    Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

  • Nehemiah 8:1

    And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

  • 1 Kings 4:3

    Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder.

  • Matthew 13:52

    Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

  • 2 Chronicles 34:13

    Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the scribe.
1Ki 4:3; 2Ch 34:13; Ezr 7:6; Ne 8:1; Mt 8:19; 13:52; 23:1,2
principal household. Heb. house of the father.
23:24

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Chronicles 24:5

    Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

  • 1 Chronicles 24:6

    And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.

  • 1 Chronicles 24:7

    Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

Read all of 1 Chronicles 24

1 Chronicles 24:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Semeías escriba, hijo de Nathanael, de los Levitas, escribiólos delante del rey y de los príncipes, y delante de Sadoc el sacerdote, y de Ahimelech hijo de Abiathar, y de los príncipes de las familias de los sacerdotes y Levitas: y adscribían una familia á Eleazar, y á Ithamar otra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Shemahia, fils de Nethaneël, le scribe, d’entre les Lévites, les inscrivit en la présence du roi, et des chefs, et de Tsadok, le sacrificateur, et d’Akhimélec, fils d’Abiathar, et des chefs des pères des sacrificateurs et des Lévites: une maison de père était tirée pour Éléazar, et une était tirée pour Ithamar.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Schemaja, der Sohn Nethaneels, der Schreiber aus Levi, schrieb sie auf in Gegenwart des Königs und der Obersten und Zadoks, des Priesters, und Ahimelechs, des Sohnes Abjathars, und der Häupter der Väter der Priester und der Leviten. Je ein Vaterhaus wurde ausgelost für Eleasar, und je eines wurde ausgelost für Ithamar.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Descripsitque eos Semeias filius Nathanaël scriba Levites, coram rege et principibus, et Sadoc sacerdote, et Ahimelech filio Abiathar, principibus quoque familiarum sacerdotalium, et Leviticarum: unam domum, quæ ceteris præerat, Eleazar: et alteram domum, quæ sub se habebat ceteros, Ithamar.