And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.
There were more family leaders among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's descendants, so they were divided accordingly. Among Eleazar's sons there were sixteen family heads, and among Ithamar's sons there were eight family heads.
The writer is explaining how the priestly families were organized, with Eleazar's family having sixteen leaders and Ithamar's family having eight leaders.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes the organization of the priesthood during King David's reign, around 1000 BC. Eleazar and Ithamar were sons of Aaron, the first high priest, and their descendants formed the two main priestly lines in Israel. David was systematically organizing the temple service and dividing the priests into courses or groups to serve in rotation.
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