Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
Parallel translations
- WEB Thus were they divided impartially by drawing lots; for there were princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, both of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
- NASB So they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the descendants of Eleazar and the descendants of Ithamar.
- NLT All tasks were assigned to the various groups by means of sacred lots so that no preference would be shown, for there were many qualified officials serving God in the sanctuary from among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The divisions were assigned impartially by lot, since both lines included princes of the sanctuary and of God. Casting lots ensured fairness and acknowledged God's direction.
Overview
To avoid favoritism, the priestly assignments were settled by lot, a practice that entrusted the outcome to God's providence. Both Eleazar's and Ithamar's lines held honored officials, so impartiality was essential. The use of lots reflects the conviction that the LORD oversees even the ordering of His servants, ensuring His worship is arranged according to His will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Chr 24:31As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.
- 2 Chr 35:8His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.
- Neh 11:11Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of the house of God;
- Prov 16:33The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
- Acts 4:6along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family.
- Matt 26:3At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
- 1 Chr 9:11Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple;
- Matt 27:1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Acts 4:1While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
- Jonah 1:7“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
- Acts 5:24When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening.
- Josh 18:10And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
- Acts 1:26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
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