The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad, whose brothers were able men, Elihu and Semachiah.
Observe, I. There were porters appointed to attend the temple, who guarded all the avenues that let to it, opened and shut all the outer gates and attended at them, not only for the state, but for service, to direct and instruct those who were going to worship in the courts of the sanctuary in the decorum they were to observe, to encourage those that...
Commenting on 1 Chronicles 26:1-19
The sons of Shemaiah,.... The same before mentioned, the firstborn of Obededom: Othni, and Rephael, and Obed, and Elzabad, whose brethren were strong men; Elihu and Semachiah; which may rather denote their valour and courage, as before, though strength of body was needful, particularly to open and shut the doors of the temple, which, Josephus (r) says, required the assistance of twenty men. (r) Contr. Apion. l. 2. sect. 9.
1Ch 26:4-7 Obed-edom’s family. Obed-edom has been already mentioned in 1Ch 16:38 and 1Ch 15:24 as doorkeeper; see the commentary on the passage. From our passage we learn that Obed-edom belonged to the Kohathite family of the Korahites. According to 1Ch 26:19, the doorkeepers were Korahites and Merarites. The Merarites, however, are only treated of from 1Ch 26:10 and onwards.
Commenting on 1 Chronicles 26:4-7