Special Issue IOSOT 2013 - Books and Journals

S. Japhet / Vetus Testamentum IOSOT (2013) 36-76 51
a) The division of the people: 1.1 Chr. xxvii 1-1585—“This is the list of the
people of Israel . . . and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning
the divisions that came and went . . . each division numbering twenty-four
thousand. Jashobeam . . . was in charge of the first division in the first month.
In his division were twenty-four thousand . . .” and so on to the end of the list.
2.1 Chr. xxviii 1—“David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel . . . the
officers of the divisions that served the king . . .”.
b) The division of the cult personnel: This division is much more emphasized
in Chr. and is mentioned in the various parts of the book: 1 Chr. xxiii 6;
xxiv 1; xxvi 1, 12, 19; xxviii 13, 21; 2 Chr. v. 11; viii 14; xxiii 8; xxxi 2, 15, 17; xxxv 4, 10.
The abundance of material and the frequent repetition demonstrate the
Chr.’s interest in these matters as one aspect of his vital concern with the cult
in general. The second outstanding point is the use of a fixed term, מחלקת to
designate these units, which as a technical term does not occur elsewhere.
In Ezr.-Neh. the division of the people does not exist. The evidence relating
to the division of the cult personnel is much more complicated. First of all,
we can notice the lack of interest in these matters: In the descriptions of the
ceremonies, and in particular those which are designated as “chronistic”, the
organization of the cult personnel into units is overlooked.86
As to the word מחלקת itself—it does occur once in Ezr.-Neh., similar in
meaning to Chr., but in the Aramaic part of the book.87 It is confined here to
the units of Levites alone.
85) As the present study proves it is very difficult to accept Noth’s opinion, followed also by
Rudolph, which regards 1 Chr. xxiii-xxvii as non-chronistic. (Noth, op. cit., p. 112ff., Rudolph,
Chronikbücher, p. 152ff.). Noth, in a more general way, and Rudolph in greater detail have shown
that these chapters are not homogeneous and contain many inconsistencies. Nevertheless, we
can only conclude that the various materials used by the Chr. were not thoroughly reworked and
harmonized, and in particular, where the material comprises lists of various sorts. Both linguistically
and ideologically these chapters form a part of the characteristic world of the Chr. and cannot
be separated from it.
86) In the erection of the altar and its dedication (Ezr. iii), in the celebration of the Passover
(Ezr. vi 19 and 22), etc.
87) Ezr. vi 18 כהניא בפלוגתהון ולויא במחלקתהון“‏ ‏”והקימו translated as “and they set the priests
in their divisions and the Levites in their courses”. The translation is not consistent in rendering
here ‏”מחלקת“‏ as “course”. The word מחלקת is found once more in Neh. xi 36, in an eliptic and
ומן הלויים“‏ obscure verse. After enumerating the dwelling places of Judah and Benjamin it reads
The RSV translation is “And certain divisions of the Levites in Judah were ‏.”מחלקות יהודה לבנימין
joined to Benjamin” and lately J. Myers reads it more freely as “Some of the Levitical groups of
Judah were assigned to Benjamin”. The meaning of the verse is most unclear, speaking about
“Levitical groups of Judah” or the like. But from the general context it is assumed that: a) the
description is confined to the Levites, b) it deals with the question of their dwelling places and