Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 9

Verses 1-44

1 Chronicles 9:1 So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.

1 Chronicles 9:1 “and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah” - Comments - Scholars generally agree that the reference to “the book of the kings of Israel and Judah” in 1 Chronicles 9:1 is not to the canonical book of 1 and 2 Kings, since these genealogies of Israel are not found there. [25] These ancient genealogies were recorded in “civil records” kept by the Jews since the beginning of their history.

[25] Roddy L. Braun, 1 Chronicles, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol. 14, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 138.

1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.

1 Chronicles 9:2 “the Nethinims” - Comments - The Scriptures teach us that these were those who ministered to the Levites (Ez 8:20). Gesenius says that the Hebrew word “Nethinims” means “given, or bestower.”

Ezra 8:20, “Also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites , two hundred and twenty Nethinims: all of them were expressed by name.”