of you, that come in on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the [1]doors; 5and a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. 6But let none come into the house of the LORD, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but
2nd and 3rd battalions off duty, but brought into the house of the Lord (the Temple) by Jehoiada (ver. 7).
(ii) 2 Chron. xxiii. 4, 5.
(Levites in three bands.)
Band I (= 1st battalion C company of 2 Kin.) in the house of God, the Chronicler supposing that "the house" (2 Kin. xi. 6) means the house of the Lord. More probably it means "the house of the king" (ibid. ver. 5).
Band II (= 1st battalion A company of 2 Kin.) at the king's house (so 2 Kin.).
Band III (= 1st battalion B company of 2 Kin.) at the gate of "the foundation."
(The Chronicler passes over the 2nd and 3rd battalions, because he has already assigned their duty to 1st battalion C company.).
of the priests and of the Levites] Not in Kings. The words are a mistaken but intentional gloss of the Chronicler, for it is clear that in Kings lay guards are meant.
porters of the doors] mg., of the thresholds, i.e. of the Temple according to the Chronicler, for the word for "doors" (or "thresholds," sippim in Heb.) is always used for the thresholds of some sanctuary, e.g. of the Tabernacle (1 Chr. ix. 19, 22), of the Temple of Solomon (2 Chr. iii. 7), of (apparently) some Israelite shrine (Amos ix. 1). In the parallel passage (2 Kin. xi. 6) however "the watch of the house" clearly means "the watch of the king's house" (ibid. ver. 5).
5. a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation] These two-thirds according to the scheme given above were both stationed about the palace, but they are not to be reckoned as two-thirds of the whole guard.
the gate of the foundation] "Gate of JSVD" (Heb.). This is certainly the "Gate of Sur" (SVR in Heb.) of 2 Kin. xi. 6. Possibly however we should read "Gate of SVS (or SVSIM)" i.e. "Horse Gate" (ver. 15; cp. 2 Kin. xi. 16) both here and in Kings.
6. let none come into the house of the LORD] It is clear on the contrary from Kings (ver. 11) that the royal guards (who were laymen) were brought into the Temple itself under Jehoiada's directions. The Chronicler is evidently at pains to guard against the notion that such a breach of ritual took place.
- ↑ Heb. thresholds.
