1 Chronicles 26:14

Study note

Setting — The Chronicler records the allocation of temple gatekeeping duties to specific Levitical families during the organization of David’s temple service.

The words — The Hebrew גּוֹרָל (goral) means “lot,” describing the method used to assign the East Gate to Shelemiah and the North Gate to his son Zechariah. The phrase בְּשֶׂכֶל (vesekhel) translates to “with insight,” characterizing Zechariah’s role as a counselor.

The thread — This verse continues the narrative of distributing sacred responsibilities by lot among Levitical clans, mirroring the parallel distribution for the South Gate and storehouses in 1 Chronicles 26:15. The practice of assigning ministerial duties through casting lots recurs in temple administrative records to determine specific service assignments.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to recognize that sacred duties were allocated by a divinely guided process rather than human appointment. It asks the reader to observe how specific individuals and families were formally designated for precise locations within the worship structure.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.