3 The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.
3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.
3 The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men.
3 The Levites thirty years and older were counted; the total was 38,000.
3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand.
3 All the Levites who were thirty years old or older were counted, and the total came to 38,000.
24 These were the descendants of Levi by their families-the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the Lord.
24 These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.
24 These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
24 These are the sons of Levi twenty years and older, divided up according to families and heads of families and listed in the work groups that took care of the worship in the sanctuary of God.
24 These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses--the heads of the fathers' houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names, who did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and above.
24 These were the descendants of Levi by clans, the leaders of their family groups, registered carefully by name. Each had to be twenty years old or older to qualify for service in the house of the Lord .
(Read 1 Chronicles 23:24-32)
Now the people of Israel were so many, there should be more employed in the temple service, that every Israelite who brought an offering might find a Levite ready to help him. When more work is to be done, it is pity but there should be more workmen. A new heart, a spiritual mind, which delights greatly in God's commandments, and can find a refreshing feast in his ordinances, forms the great distinction between the true Christian and all other men in the world. To the spiritual man every service will yield satisfaction. He will be ever abounding in the work of the Lord; being never so happy as when employed for such a good Master, in so pleasant a service. He will not regard whether he is called to take the lead, or to keep the charge of others who are placed over him. May we seek and serve the Lord uprightly, and leave all the rest to his disposal, by faith in his word.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 23:3
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 23:1-23
(Read 1 Chronicles 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.