And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.
The brethren living in the villages were Levites, specifically gatekeepers, who were to come in rotating groups to Jerusalem to the temple every seven days to serve together with those stationed there. This rotation belonged to the order of service recorded after the return from Babylon, an order originally established by David and Samuel. After seven days denotes a weekly interval, exactly one full week later, coming from Sabbath to Sabbath to minister before God in the temple. Its use proves that after eight days cannot mean only one week but means one day more than a week, so counted from Sunday evening the meeting in John 20:26 fell later in the week on Monday evening and cannot be proved to have occurred on Sunday to prove a first-day meeting. On another reading the Hebrew wording means they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed, and therefore does not support reading after seven days elsewhere as meaning the seventh day.
Temple Service Rotation
1 Chronicles 9:25 belongs to the account of how the priests' temple service was organized and divided among those responsible for it. It stands in the section describing the division of work among the priests and those charged with temple service. In that division their relatives living in the villages came in rotation every seven days to serve with them.
Those brethren in the villages were Levites, and specifically gatekeepers, who lived outside the center and took turns joining those stationed at Jerusalem in the temple. They came in rotating groups every seven days to serve alongside and together with those on duty there. Brethren serving in their villages thus came in turn to join those serving at the temple, and this use of after seven days is the Bible's way of denoting a weekly interval. Temple servants from nearby villages joined their brethren in service at the temple on this recurring seven-day schedule, coming after each seven-day period. On one reading the Hebrew wording means they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed.
This rotation belonged to the order of service recorded after the return from Babylon. That order had originally been established by David and Samuel.
Meaning of After Seven Days
After seven days denotes a weekly interval, exactly one full week later, after a full week. That phrasing is the Bible's chosen and inspired way of denoting a week, the term for just one week. It means coming from Sabbath to Sabbath to minister before God in the temple.
Its use proves that after eight days cannot mean only one week, but means one day more than a week. Counted from Sunday evening or night, the meeting after eight days in John 20:26 fell later in the week on Monday evening, not on Sunday, distinguishing after eight days from the eighth day. Therefore the meeting after eight days cannot be proved to have occurred on Sunday and cannot prove a first-day meeting, since it was not one week later.
On a different reading, the Hebrew wording describes a recurring seven-day schedule on which temple servants from nearby villages came to join their brethren in service, meaning they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed. On that reading it therefore does not support reading after seven days elsewhere as meaning the seventh day.
The brethren living in the villages were Levites, specifically gatekeepers, who were to come in rotating groups to Jerusalem to the temple every seven days to serve together with those stationed there. This rotation belonged to the order of service recorded after the return from Babylon, an order originally established by David and Samuel. After seven days denotes a weekly interval, exactly one full week later, coming from Sabbath to Sabbath to minister before God in the temple. Its use proves that after eight days cannot mean only one week but means one day more than a week, so counted from Sunday evening the meeting in John 20:26 fell later in the week on Monday evening and cannot be proved to have occurred on Sunday to prove a first-day meeting. On another reading the Hebrew wording means they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed, and therefore does not support reading after seven days elsewhere as meaning the seventh day.
Temple Service Rotation
1 Chronicles 9:25 belongs to the account of how the priests' temple service was organized and divided among those responsible for it. It stands in the section describing the division of work among the priests and those charged with temple service. In that division their relatives living in the villages came in rotation every seven days to serve with them.
Those brethren in the villages were Levites, and specifically gatekeepers, who lived outside the center and took turns joining those stationed at Jerusalem in the temple. They came in rotating groups every seven days to serve alongside and together with those on duty there. Brethren serving in their villages thus came in turn to join those serving at the temple, and this use of after seven days is the Bible's way of denoting a weekly interval. Temple servants from nearby villages joined their brethren in service at the temple on this recurring seven-day schedule, coming after each seven-day period. On one reading the Hebrew wording means they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed.
This rotation belonged to the order of service recorded after the return from Babylon. That order had originally been established by David and Samuel.
Meaning of After Seven Days
After seven days denotes a weekly interval, exactly one full week later, after a full week.
That phrasing is the Bible's chosen and inspired way of denoting a week, the term for just one week.
It means coming from Sabbath to Sabbath to minister before God in the temple.
Its use proves that after eight days cannot mean only one week, but means one day more than a week.
Counted from Sunday evening or night, the meeting after eight days in John 20:26 fell later in the week on Monday evening, not on Sunday, distinguishing after eight days from the eighth day.
Therefore the meeting after eight days cannot be proved to have occurred on Sunday and cannot prove a first-day meeting, since it was not one week later.
On a different reading, the Hebrew wording describes a recurring seven-day schedule on which temple servants from nearby villages came to join their brethren in service, meaning they came on the seventh day, not after seven days had passed.
On that reading it therefore does not support reading after seven days elsewhere as meaning the seventh day.