=13.= _a thousand and seven hundred and threescore_] Only the five “courses” of priests mentioned above (viz. Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin, verse 10, and Malchijah and Immer, verse 12) seem to be included in this reckoning. Some commentators, however, regard Azariah (= Seraiah) in verse 11 as the name of a new course, which took the place of one of the courses reckoned in xxiv. 7‒18. If this be right we have here the sum of _six_ courses. In Nehemiah xi. 12‒14 the number of the priests is given on a different plan; _eight hundred and twenty-two_ “did the work of the house”; _two hundred and forty-two_ were “chiefs of fathers’ houses”; _an hundred and twenty-eight_ were “mighty men of valour.” The total falls far short of the _thousand and seven hundred and threescore_ of Chronicles We have not sufficient data on which to base any explanation of the different totals. _very able men_] The Hebrew is the same as in Nehemiah xi. 14 and is usually rendered _mighty men of valour_. The sense, however, is no doubt correctly given by Revised Version _very able_, or _efficient_. Compare 2 Chronicles xxvi. 17. =14‒16= (compare Nehemiah xi. 15‒18). THE LEVITES. ¹⁴And of the Levites; Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; =14.= _of the sons of Merari_] In Nehemiah _the sons of Bunni_, which is probably a corruption of the reading of Chronicles Otherwise of the three great Levitical families, Merari, Asaph, and Jeduthun, mentioned here, only the last two appear in Nehemiah. ¹⁵and Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zichri¹, the son of Asaph; ¹ In Nehemiah xi. 17, _Zabdi_. =15.= _Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal_] The reading appears to be corrupt, for the analogy of the latter half of the verse as well as of verses 14, 16 leads us to expect something more than bare names. Neither the LXX. nor the Vulgate gives any real help for emending the clause. The corresponding words in Nehemiah (xi. 17) are _Bakbukiah the second among his brethren_. ¹⁶and Obadiah² the son of Shemaiah³, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites. ² In Nehemiah xi. 17, _Abda_. ³ In Nehemiah xi. 17, _Shammua_. =16.= _Obadiah the son of Shemaiah_] In Nehemiah _Abda the son of Shammua_. Which was the reading of the original document cannot be determined. _Jeduthun_] See note on xvi. 41. _Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah_] Not mentioned in Nehemiah He probably represented the Kohathite division of the singers; compare vi. 33‒38 (18‒23 _Hebrew_), where the name _Elkanah_ occurs several times in the genealogy of the Kohathites. _the villages of the Netophathites_] Compare Nehemiah xii. 28, 29 (Revised Version), whence it appears that these villages were close to Jerusalem. The exact site is uncertain.