2 Chronicles 23:4

2 Chronicles 23:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors;
• New International Version (NIV)Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors,
• English Standard Version (ESV)This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers,
• New King James Version (NKJV)This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be keeping watch over the doors;

Context of 2 Chronicles 23:4

2They travelled around all the land of Judah. They brought together the Levites from the different cities and the leaders of Israel's clans. They all came to Jerusalem. 3They met together in God's temple to make a promise to the new king. Jehoiada said to them, ‘Here is the king's son. He must become king, as the Lord promised that David's descendants would be. This is what you must do: The priests and Levites who come to work on the Sabbath day must make three groups. One group must be guards who watch at the doors of the temple. 5Another group will watch at the king's palace. The third group will stand at the Foundation Gate. All the other men will stand in the yards around the Lord's temple. 6Only the priests and the Levites who have work there on that day may go into the Lord's temple. They may go in because they have made themselves clean to serve God. All the other people must do the jobs that the Lord has given to them.

2 Chronicles 23:4 word by word

זֶ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֨ית מִכֶּ֜ם בָּאֵ֣י הַשַּׁבָּ֗ת לַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ וְלַלְוִיִּ֔ם לְשֹֽׁעֲרֵ֖י הַסִּפִּֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the thingדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• that ye shall doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• A third partשְׁלִישִׁיshelîyshîy · thirdH7992
• of you enteringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• on the sabbathשַׁבָּתshabbâth · SabbathH7676
• of the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• and of the Levitesלֵוִיlêvîyîy lêvîy · LeviH3881
• portersשֹׁעֵרshô‛êr shô‛êr · gatekeeperH7778
• of the doorsסַףsaph · thresholdH5592

Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 23:4

• 1 Chronicles 23:3His officers counted all the Levites who were 30 years old or older. There were 38,000 men.
• 1 Chronicles 24:3Zadok and Ahimelech helped David to put Aaron's descendants into groups. Zadok was a descendant of Eleazar. Ahimelech was a descendant of Ithamar. They told each group what their work would be to serve God.
• Luke 1:8One day, Zechariah's group of priests was working at the temple. He had a special job to do there.
• 1 Chronicles 26:13They used lots to decide which family group would be the guards for each gate of the temple. They chose the jobs for everyone in the same way, important people and ordinary people.

Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 23:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The writer of Chronicles relates the orders that were given to the Levites, the author of Kings those received by the royal body-guard (2 Kings 11:5 note).Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6The best time for the coup was during the temple guard change. This was when many people moved around. One-third of the guards started their shifts. They were stationed in three places to do their usual tasks and to watch for any palace activity. The rest of the armed force stayed in the Lord’s temple courtyards, forming a human wall to protect the king.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-94-9. This is the thing that ye shall do--The arrangements made for defense are here described. The people were divided into three bodies; one attended as guards to the king, while the other two were posted at all the doors and gates, and the captains and military officers who entered the temple unarmed to lull suspicion, were furnished with weapons out of the sacred armory, where David had deposited his trophies of victory and which was reopened on this…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Chronicles 23:4

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Porters
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Covenant
• Athaliah
• Criticism
• Doorkeeper
• Genealogy
• Jehoash; Joash
• Jehoiada
• Priests and Levites

Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings