Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 23:5
a third shall be at the royal palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others are to be in the courtyards of the house of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A commander issues operational orders to priests and Levites during the night of a royal succession crisis. The instructions divide Sabbath duty personnel into specific geographic zones within the temple complex and royal precincts.
The words — שְׁלִשִׁית (she.lishit) denotes a literal third portion or division of the available force. יְסוֹד (ye.sod) refers to the foundation or base, here naming a specific structural gate.
The thread — The Sabbath duty division appears in 2 Kings 11:5, which parallels the threefold guard arrangement. Ezekiel 44:2 and Ezekiel 46:2 later establish permanent restrictions on specific temple gates, extending the spatial boundary theme.
Why it lands — The text assigns precise locations to worshippers and guards to maintain order and separation between sacred and restricted areas. It requires readers to recognize that temple access and duty are governed by explicit spatial regulations rather than open access.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And a third part shall be at the king’s house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 11:5 and commanded them, “This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath shall guard the royal palace,
- Ezekiel 44:2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. Therefore it will remain shut.
- Ezekiel 46:2 The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening.
- Acts 3:2 And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts.