## Radak on I Chronicles Chapter 23

###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:7:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:7:1)

**לגרשני לעדן ושמעי.** לעדן הוא לבני הנזכר בתורה (שמ' ו,יז); ונזכר בזה הספר למעלה "לבני" (ו,ה):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.** Ladan is the same as Livni mentioned in the Torah (Exod 6:17). He is mentioned as Livni earlier in this book (6:5).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:8:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:8:1)

**בני לעדן הראש יחיאל.** "יחיאל הראש" ר"ל, ואין לו הכרע, ונמשך לפניו או לאחריו; כי לבני היה הבכור לגרשון, ויחיאל היה הבכור ללבני שהוא לעדן. ויחיאל הוא יחת הנזכר למעלה (שם). ו**זתם ויואל** ג"כ בני לעדן – והֵנה הם **שלשה**; ולמטה הוא אומר זתם ויואל בני יחיאל, שאמר "בני יחיאל זיתם ויואל אחיו" (הש' דה"א כו,כב)! א"כ הנה כתב בני בנים עם הבנים, וכמוהו בספר רבים. או נפרש: מה שאמר למטה "בני יחיאל זיתם ויואל" – היו בניו נקראים על שם אחיו. או חסר ו"ו, ופי': בני יחיאל וזתם אחיו היו על אוצרות בית יי':

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**The sons of Ladan the chief Jehiel.** “Jehiel the chief” is [one] intended meaning, but there is in no single, exclusive reading: [the word “chief”] refers both to what appears before it and to what appears after it. For Livni—who is the same as Ladan—was Gershon’s first-born [and thus a “chief”], and Jehiel was the first-born of Livni. Jehiel is the same as Jahath mentioned above (ibid.). **Zetham and Joel** are also sons of Ladan; so here they total three. But below, the text says that Zetham and Joel are sons of Jehiel, for it says, “The sons of Jehiel: Zetham and his brother Joel” (cf. 1 Chr 26:22)! We may infer that here it includes grandsons with sons: there are many cases like this in the book. Alternatively, we might explain that it says below “The sons of Jehiel: Zetham and Joel” because his sons were named for his brothers. Or it elides a *vav*, and it means: The sons of Jehiel *and* Zetham (*ve-Zetam*) his brother were over the treasuries of the House of the Lord.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:9:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:9:1)

**בני שמעי.** אין זה שמעי מבני גרשון; אלא אחד מבני לעדן הנזכרים היה שמו שמעי, ובניו **שלמית וחזיאל והרן** – **שלשה**:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**The sons of Shimei.** This Shimei is not a son of Gershon. Rather, one of the sons of Ladan that are mentioned had a name “Shimei,” and his sons were **Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran—three.**


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:10:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:10:1)

**ובני שמעי.** זהו שמעי בן גרשון,

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And the sons of Shimei.** This is Shimei son of Gershon.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:26:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:26:1)

**וגם ללוים אין לשאת את המשכן וגו'.** כלומ': אחר ששכן האהל בירושלם, עוד אין ללוים עבודת משא:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Also, the Levites need not carry the Tabernacle etc.** This means: After the Tent was put in place in Jerusalem, the Levites were to have no more carrying duties.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:27:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:27:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:27:1)

**כי בדברי דויד האחרונים.** כלומר: במעשיו האחרונים היה זה, שספר הלוים מבן עשרים שנה, והעמידם על משמרותם והכין כל צרכי המקדש. כי מתחלה ספר אותם מבן שלשים (לעיל כג,ג) כמו שכת' בתורה (במ' ד,ג), ועתה אמר: כיון שאין ללוים לשאת בכתף, נעמיד גם מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**Among the last matters of David.** This means: These were among the last of David’s acts: counting the Levites **who were twenty years old** and above, appointing them to their shifts, and making all the necessary preparations for the Sanctuary. For he had originally counted the ones who were thirty and above (1 Chr 23:3) consistent with what it says in the Torah (Num 4:3); but at this point, he figured that because the Levites do not have to carry anything by shoulder, he would appoint the ones who were twenty years old and above also.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:28:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:28:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:28:1)

**ועל טהרת לכל קדש.** שיהיו מזומנים הלוים לטהרת כל קדש, כמו שאמ' בחזקיהו "ויבאו הכהנים לפנימה בית יי' לטהר" וגו' "ויקבלו הלוים להוציא לנחל קדרון חוצה" (דה"ב כט,טז):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And over *tohorat le-kol qodesh*.** The Levites had to be prepared for *tohorat kol qodesh* (=the purification of all the holy things), as the text says in connection with Hezekiah: “The priests went into the House of the Lord to purify it … The Levites received [the unclean things] to take them outside to Wadi Kidron” (2 Chr 29:16).


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:28:2
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:28:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:28:2)

**ומעשה עבדת בית האלהים.** "ומעשה" אינו סמוך, כי הוא נקוד סגו"ל. ופי': ולמעשה ולעבודת בית האלהים, לכל יהיו מזומנים:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
***U-ma‘aseh ‘avodat* the House of God. ***U-ma‘aseh* is not in the construct state, for it is vocalized with a *segol*. What this means is: *u-lema‘aseh ve-la-‘avodat* (=for activites and for the service of) the House of God—they had to be prepared for it all.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:29:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:29:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:29:1)

**ולכל משורה ומדה.** גם כן יהיו מזומנים לתקן המדות שהן צריכין למקדש – ההין והאיפה: שלישיתם ורביעיתם ועשיריתם. ו"משורה" הוא כלל המדות הקטנות, ו"מדה" כלל המדות הגדולות:

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**For *mesurah* and *middah*.** They also had to be prepared to fix the quantities (*middot*) needed for the Sanctuary: one-third, one-quarter, or one-tenth of either a hin or an ephah. *Mesurah* is a general term for smaller measurements, and *middah* is a general term for larger measurements.


###### Radak on I Chronicles 23:31:1
[Radak on I Chronicles 23:31:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Radak%20on%20I%20Chronicles/r/23:31:1)

**ולכל העלות עלות ליי'.** שיהיו מזומנים גם כן להלל בכל זמן שיעלו עולות **לשבתות** ו**לחדשים ולמועדים**, ולעזור את הכהנים גם באלה הימים, שהקרבנות מרובים. ויעזרו להביא הבהמות, ולהכינם, ולשחוט ולעשות כל מעשה עד קבלת הדם; כי מקבלת הדם ואילך מצות כהונה (ב' בר' לא,ב):

**The Commentary of Radak to Chronicles: A Translation with Introduction and Supercommentary, by Yitzhak Berger, Brown University, 2007:**
**And whenever offerings were made to the Lord.** [The Levites] also had to be prepared to sing praises any time offerings were brought on **sabbaths, new moons, and holidays**, and to help the priests on those days, because there were so many offerings. They would help bring the animals, prepare them, slaughter them, and perform any other task up until the catching of the blood; for the priests were commanded to do everything from that point on (b. Berakhot 31b).