1 Chronicles · chapter 6 of 29
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1 Chronicles 6 is about the tribe of Levi: the priestly line of Aaron down to the exile, the families of Gershon, Kohath and Merari, the singers David set over the music before the Lord, and the cities Israel gave to the Levites. The chapter shows that Israel's worship rested on an order given by God, and that every service, from the altar to the song, had its place.
Chapters 2 through 5 surveyed the tribes of Israel; this chapter pauses at Levi, the tribe set apart to serve in the sanctuary. For readers returning from exile and rebuilding the temple, this list answered an urgent question: who could serve before God and under what order. The author presents it with great care, because without priests and Levites there was no worship.
The chapter begins with the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. It follows the line of Kohath to Aaron, Moses and Miriam, and from Aaron to Eleazar, Phinehas and the successive priests, down to Jehozadak, who went into exile when the Lord deported Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The families of Gershon, Kohath and Merari are then listed.
The author then tells how David put certain Levites in charge of the singing in the house of the Lord, once the ark had found rest. They ministered with song before the tabernacle until Solomon built the temple, and they served in turns. The three great singers are named: Heman, a descendant of Samuel, of the family of Kohath; Asaph, at his right hand, of Gershon; and Ethan, at his left, of Merari. The other Levites were set apart for the work of the tabernacle.
The chapter goes on to the descendants of Aaron, who offered the sacrifices and the incense and made atonement for Israel as Moses had commanded, and to the line of Zadok. It closes with the cities the people of Israel gave to the Levites, with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge, went to the priests, though its fields and villages went to Caleb.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The priestly list ends with Jehozadak, who went into exile when the Lord deported Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The author does not hide the wound of the exile: the priesthood itself went into captivity, but the line was preserved.
David put a group of Levites in charge of the singing in the house of the Lord after the ark found its resting place. Until Solomon built the temple, they served before the tabernacle with music, each according to his order.
The other Levites were set apart for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. The text shows that Israel's worship had many tasks, not only those of the priests, and that all of them were part of serving the Lord.
Aaron and his sons offered the sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and of incense and made atonement for Israel, as Moses commanded. For Christians, this verse underlines that atonement was always God's work, and it points ahead to Christ, the final priest.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. — 1 Chronicles 6:1
Answer: Jehozadak, when the Lord deported Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. — 1 Chronicles 6:15
Answer: David, after the ark had found rest. — 1 Chronicles 6:31
Answer: Heman of Kohath, Asaph of Gershon and Ethan of Merari. — 1 Chronicles 6:33-44
Answer: They offered the burnt offerings and the incense and made atonement for Israel. — 1 Chronicles 6:49
Answer: Hebron, in the land of Judah. — 1 Chronicles 6:55-57
This chapter reminds us that the worship of God is not improvised. God ordered the service of priests, singers and helpers, and gave each one a place. In a church or small group, this invites us to value the one who preaches as much as the one who prepares the room, the one who plays an instrument and the one who teaches the children. No service is small when it is done for the Lord.
It also reminds us that worship includes singing. David did not see music as decoration but as a service that deserved to be organized and sustained. Ask the group how they can better care for the moments of praise in their community, and how they can thank those who serve there.
1 Chronicles 6 shows Levi as the tribe set apart for worship, with its own priests, singers and cities. With it the survey of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh and Levi is complete; the following chapters will continue with Issachar, Benjamin and the other northern tribes.
In the Hebrew Bible, the list of Levi's descendants begins at the end of chapter 5, and chapter 6 starts later. Spanish and English translations use the numbering in which chapter 5 ends with the exile of the eastern tribes and the list of Levi opens chapter 6.
They were the three main Levites David put in charge of the singing in the house of the Lord. Heman was a descendant of Samuel, Asaph belonged to the family of Gershon and Ethan to that of Merari. Several psalms carry the names of Asaph, Heman and Ethan, which shows their weight in Israel's worship.
They were cities the other tribes gave to the Levites, along with pasturelands, because the Levites did not receive a territory of their own. This way the Levites were spread throughout the land to teach and serve the people, and among those cities were cities of refuge, such as Hebron.