And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi,.... Into three classes, according to the number of them, which follow: namely:

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; see Exodus 6:16.

The fathers'-houses of the Levites. - 1 Chronicles 23:6. "And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari;" see on 1 Chronicles 6:1. The form ויּחלקם which recurs in 1 Chronicles 24:3 with the same pointing, is in more accurate MSS in that place pointed ויּחלקם. There are also found in MSS and editions ויחלּקם, and the rare form of the Kal ויּחלקם (for ויּחלקם); cf. J. H. Mich. Notae crit. This last pronunciation is attested for, 1 Chronicles 24:3, by D. Kimchi, who expressly remarks that the regular form ויּחלקם corresponds to it; cf. Norzi on this passage. Gesen. (in Thes. p. 483) and Ew. (83, c) regard ויּחלקם as a variety of the Piel (ויחלּקם), to which, however, Berth. rightly remarks that it would be worth a thought only if the punctuation ויחלקם were confirmed by good MSS, which is not the case, though we find the Piel in the Chronicle in 1 Chronicles 15:3, and then with the signification to distribute. Berth. therefore holds - and certainly this is the more correct opinion - that the form ויּחלקם, attested by Kimchi for 1 Chronicles 24:3, was the original reading in our verse also, and considers it a rare form of the impf. Kal derived from ויּחלקם (cf. 1 Chronicles 24:4-5), by Kamets coming into the pretonic syllable, after the analogy of יּשׁחטוּם for ישׁחטוּם, 2 Kings 10:14, and by the passing of an ă (Pathach) into ĕ (Seghol) before the Kamets, according to well-known euphonic rules. מחלקות is a second accusative: "in divisions." The tribe of Levi had been divided from ancient times into the three great families of Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites, corresponding to the three sons of Levi; cf. 1 Chronicles 6:1-53; 1 Chronicles 28:32. - From 1 Chronicles 23:7 onwards we have an enumeration of the fathers'-houses into which these three families were divided: 1 Chronicles 23:7-11, the fathers'-houses of the Gershonites; 1 Chronicles 23:12-20, those of the Kohathites; and 1 Chronicles 23:21-23, those of the Merarites. Berth., on the other hand, thinks that in these verses only the fathers'-houses of those Levites who performed the service of the house of Jahve, i.e., the 24,000 in 1 Chronicles 23:4, and not the divisions of all the Levites, are enumerated. But this opinion is incorrect, and certainly is not proved to be true by the circumstance that the singers, porters, and the scribes and judges, are only spoken of afterwards; nor by the remark that, in great part, the names here enumerated appear again in the sections 1 Chronicles 24:20-31 and 1 Chronicles 26:20-28, while in the enumeration of the twenty-four classes of musicians (1 Chronicles 25), of the doorkeepers (26:1-19), and of the scribes and judges (1 Chronicles 26:29-32), quite other names are met with. The recurrence of many of the names here enumerated in the sections 1 Chronicles 24:20-31 and 1 Chronicles 26:20-28 is easily explained by the fact that these sections treat of the divisions of the Levites, according to the service they performed, and of course many heads of fathers'-houses must again be named. The occurrence of quite other names in the lists of musicians and doorkeepers, again, is simply the result of the fact that only single branches of fathers'-houses, not whole fathers'-houses, were appointed musicians and doorkeepers. Finally, Bertheau's statement, that in the catalogue of the scribes and judges quite other names occur than those in our verses, is based upon an oversight; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:31 with 1 Chronicles 23:19.

And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

courses: Heb. divisions

6. David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi-These are enumerated according to their fathers' houses, but no more of these are mentioned here than the twenty-four thousand who were engaged in the work connected with the Lord's house. The fathers' houses of those Levites corresponded with the classes into which they [Josephus, Antiquities] as well as the priests were divided (see on [399]1Ch 24:20-31; [400]1Ch 26:20-28).

23:1-23 David, having given charge concerning the building of the temple, settles the method of the temple service, and orders the officers of it. When those of the same family were employed together, it would engage them to love and assist one another.