And of the Levites; Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;
Chronicles forms one book in the third part of the Jewish arrangement called Words or Acts of Days, meaning minutes of events, lists of names and the like, called in the Septuagint Things omitted or passed over, with its common name from the Latin Chronica, and it gives much more attention to the house of Judah and the priesthood than Kings does. The verse belongs to the lists and genealogies of the various tribes that fill the first nine chapters. More particularly it belongs to the list in 1 Chronicles 9:1-32 describing the Levites and their service, and the chapter records the division of duties among the priests and those responsible for temple service.
Shemaiah is identified by his ancestry through Hasshub, Azrikam, and Hashabiah as a Levite descended from Merari, as part of the carefully preserved genealogical record of Israel. Those genealogies kept track of hereditary descent, which was needed after the exile to establish land inheritance and the hereditary duties of temple service. The order of Levitical service described there is given as it stood after the return from Babylon, but it was originally ordained by David and Samuel, so its connection with the Sabbath belongs to the events of David's life.
Chronicles forms one book in the third part of the Jewish arrangement called Words or Acts of Days, meaning minutes of events, lists of names and the like, called in the Septuagint Things omitted or passed over, with its common name from the Latin Chronica, and it gives much more attention to the house of Judah and the priesthood than Kings does. The verse belongs to the lists and genealogies of the various tribes that fill the first nine chapters. More particularly it belongs to the list in 1 Chronicles 9:1-32 describing the Levites and their service, and the chapter records the division of duties among the priests and those responsible for temple service.
Shemaiah is identified by his ancestry through Hasshub, Azrikam, and Hashabiah as a Levite descended from Merari, as part of the carefully preserved genealogical record of Israel. Those genealogies kept track of hereditary descent, which was needed after the exile to establish land inheritance and the hereditary duties of temple service. The order of Levitical service described there is given as it stood after the return from Babylon, but it was originally ordained by David and Samuel, so its connection with the Sabbath belongs to the events of David's life.