(20) And the rest of the sons of Levi were these.--Rather, And for the sons of Levi that were left over; i.e., after the priests had been separately dealt with. The list begins with the Kohathite heads, omitting the Gershonites (1Chronicles 23:7-11), perhaps owing to a lacuna in the chronicler's MS. authority.

Of the sons of Amram; Shubael.--For the sons. Shubael is a variant of "Shebuel" (1Chronicles 23:16). The same variation recurs in 1Chronicles 25:4; 1Chronicles 25:20. Shebuel was grandson to Moses (1Chronicles 23:16). Here the name represents a Levitical house or class, of which, in David's time Jehdeiah (Jah gladdens) was the head. The name "Jehdeiah" occurs again in 1Chronicles 26:30, and nowhere else in the Old Testament. (Comp. "Jahdiel," God gladdens, 1Chronicles 5:24.)

Verses 20-31. - The distribution of the other Levites. Verse 20. - The rest of the sons of Levi designated here are explained sufficiently clearly by ver. 30. They were those who were not of the sons of Aaron, not priests, but whose "office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 23:28), for certain specified work, some of which was of the more menial character. These, of course, do not exhaust the whole of the non-priestly Levites; for we read distinctly in the following two chapters of other detachments of the non-priestly Levites, whose office was as singers, doorkeepers, and treasure-keepers. And this consideration may of itself possibly be a sufficient account of the absence of any of the family of Gershonites in the list of the present chapter, though they do appear to view for other work in 1 Chronicles 26:21, etc. Amram... Shubael. The latter of these two names marks the line of Moses, in his eider son, Gershon, whose son was Shebuel (1 Chronicles 23:15, 16), as the former is the name of the father of Moses, and eldest son of Kohath.

24:1-31 The divisions of the priests and Levites. - When every one has, knows, and keeps his place and work, the more there are the better. In the mystical body of Christ, every member has its use, for the good of the whole. Christ is High Priest over the house of God, to whom all believers, being made priests, are to be in subjection. In Christ, no difference is made between bond and free, elder and younger. The younger brethren, if faithful and sincere, shall be no less acceptable to Christ than the fathers. May we all be children of the Lord, fitted to sing his praises for ever in his temple above.And the rest of the sons of Levi were these,.... Who were not priests, only Levites; and from hence, to 1 Chronicles 24:30 their names are given; of the sons of Amram, Shubael, and his son Jehdeiah; Rehabiah the son of Eleazar, and Isshiah the son of Rehabiah; of the Izharites, so called from Izhar, the brother of Amram, Shelomoth, and his son Jahath; and of the sons of Hebron, another brother of Amram, Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam; of the sons of Uzziel, another brother of Amram, Michah, and his son Shamir; Isshiah the brother of Michah, and his son Zechariah: the sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi, his immediate sons; from whom sprung by Jaaziah, Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri; of Mahli sprung Eleazar, who had no sons; and Kish, whose son was Jerahmeel; the sons of Mushi, another son of Merari, Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth; most of these names are the same with those in 1 Chronicles 23:16,

these were the sons of the Levites, after the house of their fathers; some of the principal of them.