1 Chronicles 6:1

Study note

Setting — The Chronicler opens a genealogical record by listing Levi’s three primary clan founders. This introduction establishes the ancestral framework for the subsequent Levitical lineages.

The words — The Hebrew phrase בְּנֵי לֵוִי (beney Levi) literally reads "sons of Levi," immediately introducing the three clan names. These proper nouns, גֵּרְשׁוֹן (Gershon), קְהָת (Kohath), and מְרָרִי (Merari), function as the foundational identifiers for the tribe’s divisions.

The thread — This exact triad of names appears in Genesis 46:11, Exodus 6:16, and Numbers 26:57 as the standard genealogical formula for Levi’s descendants. The Chronicler repeats this established pattern to anchor his historical account in earlier biblical records.

Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of Levi’s lineage as the structural basis for Israel’s priestly and temple service. It requires the reader to track how these three clans organize the subsequent biblical narrative of worship and leadership.

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.