have already shown, in our remarks on 1Ch 16:38, that the number there mentioned cannot be held with certainty to refer to the doorkeepers.
Verse 12
The division of the doorkeepers according to their posts of service. 1Ch 26:12. “To these classes of doorkeepers, viz., to the heads of the men, (were committed) the watches, in common with their brethren, to serve in the house of Jahve.” By מחלקות לאלּה it is placed beyond doubt that the above-mentioned names and numbers give us the classes of the doorkeepers. By the apposition הגּברים לראשׁי, the meaning of which is discussed in the commentary on 1Ch 24:4, השׁ מחלקות is so defined as to show that properly the heads of the households are meant, only these having been enumerated in the preceding section, and not the classes.
Verse 13
The distribution of the stations by lot followed (cf. 1Ch 25:8), the small as the great; i.e., the younger as the older cast lots, according to their fathers'-houses, “for door and door,” i.e., for each door of the four sides of the temple, which was built so that its sides corresponded to the points of the compass.
Verse 14
The lot towards the east, i.e., for the guarding of the east side, fell to Shelemiah (cf. 1Ch 26:1, 1Ch 26:2); while that towards the north fell to his first-born Zechariah. Before זכריהוּ, ל is to be repeated. To him the title בּשׂכל יויץ is given, for reasons unknown to us. גו הפּילוּ, (for him) they threw lots.
Verse 15
To Obed-edom (fell the lot) towards the south, and to his sons it fell (to guard) the house Asuppim. As to בּית־האספּים, called for brevity עספּים in 1Ch 26:17, i.e., house of collections or provisions (cf. Neh 12:25), we can say nothing further than that it was a building used for the storing of the temple goods, situated in the neighbourhood of the southern door of the temple in the external court, and that it probably had two entrances, since in 1Ch 26:19 it is stated that two guard-stations were assigned to it.
Verse 16
The word לשׁפּים is unintelligible, and probably has come into the text merely by a repetition of the two last syllables of the preceding word, since the name שׁפּים (1Ch 7:12) has no connection with this passage. To Hosah fell the lot towards the west, by the door Shallecheth on the ascending highway. העולה המסלּה is the way which led from the lower city up to the more lofty temple site. Instead of the door on this highway, in 1Ch 26:18, in the statement as to the distribution of the guard-stations, Parbar is named, and the highway distinguished from it, four doorkeepers being appointed for the מסלּה, and two for פּרבּר. פּרבּר .פּר, probably identical with פּרורים, [[Bible_(King_James)/2_Kings|2Ki 23:
