Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses.
Parallel translations
- WEB They set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.
- KJV And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
- BSB They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
- NKJV They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
- NASB Then they appointed the priests to their divisions and the Levites in their sections for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
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 priests and Levites were organized for temple service according to the Law of Moses. Renewed worship is governed by God's written word, not human invention.
Overview
With the temple finished, the community establishes orderly priestly divisions and Levitical courses 'as it is written in the book of Moses.' Their care to follow Scripture shows that true worship is shaped by God's revealed instructions. This commitment to ordered, word-governed worship continues to instruct the church in honoring God 'decently and in order' (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Num 3:6“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
- 1 Chr 24:1These were the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
- 2 Chr 35:4–5Prepare yourselves after your fathers’ houses by your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
- Num 8:9–26You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel.
- 1 Chr 23:1–26Now David was old and full of days; and he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
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Christ at the center
The return from exile and the rebuilt altar keep alive the hope of a greater restoration — the true return from our deeper exile of sin accomplished by Christ.
How Ezra 6:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.