Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/204

140 them to wife. The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three. These were the sons of Levi after their fathers' houses, even the heads of the fathers' houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of the, from twenty years old and upward. For David said, The, the God of Israel, hath given rest unto his people; and he dwelleth in Jerusalem for ever: and also the Levites shall no more have need to carry the tabernacle and all the vessels of it for the service thereof. For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and upward. For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of

23. The sons of Mushi] Cp. xxiv. 30.

24—27.&emsp; (second account).

24. from twenty years old and upward] The striking divergence between this verse and ver. 3, where thirty is given as the minimum age for service as a Levite, has given rise to much discussion—see the note to ver. 3. No doubt the concluding remarks of that note are true historically: a change in the inferior age limit of the Levites did take place at some time on account of the need for larger numbers in office. But neither that fact, nor the theory (which is hardly borne out by other considerations) that the Chronicler has used varying traditions from two different sources, suffices to explain why he left the evident contradiction in his narrative. The desirability of explaining this circumstance strongly favours the view urged by Curtis, that in vv. 3 ff. the Chronicler meant to describe the Levitical organisation during and for the purpose of the preparation and erection of the Temple, whilst vv. 24 ff. relate to the period when the Temple was completed and the duties of the Levites, being both more numerous and at the same time of a more mechanical nature, might well seem to call for an increase in the number of those officiating. When the reduction of the age limit to twenty actually took place is of course immaterial; but it is quite in keeping with the manner of the Chronicler that he should thus carry both arrangements back to the time of David.

28—32.&emsp;

28. their office was to wait on] Literally, as mg., their station was at the hand of. For the phrase at the hand of cp. Ps. cxxiii. 2, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their master.