Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/379

Rh that which is left is this great store. Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the ; and they prepared them. And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the, and the most holy things. And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to

and that which is left is this great store] The Heb. requires some correction. Read as the LXX.,, "we leave ('have left') this great store and more."

11—13. The offerings mentioned in vv. 5—10 were placed in charge of Conaniah, Shimei and their subordinates for storage in the Temple treasuries.

11. chambers] Cp. 1 Chr. ix. 26, note.

12. the dedicated things] Cp. xxix. 33 (note on the consecrated things).

13. the ruler of the house of God] Cp. 1 Chr. ix. 11, note.

14—19. Distribution of the stores referred to in vv. 11—13 was the duty of Kore and his subordinates. The exact meaning and sequence of these verses is hard to follow, and probably the obscurity is due to faults in the Heb. text. The simplest view is as follows: ver. 15 states that the distribution was to be made to priestly and levitical persons resident in the priestly cities but (ver. 16) not to those who were for the time being on duty at the Temple, since these no doubt would receive their share at the Temple itself. Then vv. 17—19 seem to refer to the manner of the registration of priests and Levites respectively for the purpose of the distribution; but it must be confessed that the precise sense and connection are uncertain, particularly as regards ver. 19.

14. the most holy things] To this class belonged the shewbread (Lev. xxiv. 9), the meal offering (Lev. ii. 2, 3, vi. 14—18 [7—11, Heb.]), the sin offering (Lev. vi. 25—30), and the trespass offering (Lev. vii. 1—7). These could be eaten by the priests only and in the holy place only.

15. in the cities] The priestly cities are given 1 Chr. vi. 54—60.