4 Eleazar begot Phinehas; Phinehas begot Abishua, 5 and Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi, 6 and Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth; 7 Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 8 and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz, 9 and Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan, 10 and Johanan begot Azariah (he is it that exercised the priesthood in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem); 11 and Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 12 and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum, 13 and Shallum begot Hilkijah, and Hilkijah begot Azariah, 14 and Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak, 15 and Jehozadak went away, when Jehovah carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. 16 The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18 And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Jizhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. And these are the families of Levi according to their fathers. 20 Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeathrai his son. 22 The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Saul his son. 25 And the sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. 26 Elkanah,—the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28 And the sons of Samuel: the firstborn Vashni and Abijah. 29 The sons of Merari: Mahli; Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggijah his son, Asaiah his son.
31 And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Jehovah after that the ark was in rest. 32 And they ministered before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting with singing, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem; and they attended to their office according to their order. 33 And these are they that attended, and their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Jizhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. 39 And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand: Asaph, the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 40 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41 the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43 the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. 44 And their brethren the sons of Merari were on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45 the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkijah, 46 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 47 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 6:4-47
Chapter Contents
Genealogies.
We have an account of Levi in this chapter. The priests and Levites were more concerned than any other Israelites, to preserve their descent clear, and to be able to prove it; because all the honours and privileges of their office depended upon their descent. Now, the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, without any limit as to the families they came from; and then, as now, though believers and ministers may be very useful to the church, none but our great High Priest can make atonement for sin, nor can any be accepted but through his atonement.