Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.
They divided the duties by drawing lots, treating both groups fairly. The leaders of the sanctuary and the leaders of God's house came from both Eleazar's descendants and Ithamar's descendants.
The writer is explaining that the priestly duties were divided fairly by chance between two family lines, with leaders coming from both groups.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes how King David organized the priests into 24 divisions for temple service around 1000 BC. Eleazar and Ithamar were the two surviving sons of Aaron, Israel's first high priest, and their descendants formed the two main priestly family lines. Drawing lots was a common biblical method for making decisions, believed to reveal God's will.
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