1 Chronicles 26:18

At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) At (the) Parbar westward.—See 2Kings 23:11, where a plural Parwārîm occurs. The meaning of the word is unknown. According to Gesenius (Thesaur. p. 1123), “Parwār” is the right spelling; and the term answers to a Persian word denoting “summer-house,” i.e., a building open to light and air. He makes “the Parbar” a cloister running round the court of the Temple, from which the cells were entered. (See Note on 1Chronicles 23:28.) Both spellings occur in Persian. Richardson’s Persian Dictionary gives as many as fifteen variant forms of the word, besides Parwâr and Parbâr. His definition of the meaning is, “an open gallery or balcony on the top of a house, au upper room open on all sides to the air; a summer department or habitation; the roof of a house; a private door or entrance to a house.”

At the causeway.—That is, the highway of 1Chronicles 26:16. These four warders, therefore, stood by the gate Shalleketh. Adding together the numbers given in 1Chronicles 26:17-18, we find that there were twenty-four warders on duty every day. The recurrence of the number is curious; but its relation to the twenty-four classes of the porters can hardly be determined. It is likely, however, that the twenty-four warders represent chiefs with their companies rather than individuals (comp. 1Chronicles 26:12). Twenty-four would be an insignificant fraction of 4,000 (1Chronicles 23:6).

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 26:18. At Parbar westward — Or, As concerning Parbar, which was another gate, or some building on the western quarter of the temple. Four at the causeway — Which led to Parbar. And two at Parbar — At the gate or house itself; by which it may seem that this was a place of some importance, either the vessels of the temple, or some part of the treasures of God’s house, being kept there.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:1-32 The offices of the Levites. - The porters and treasurers of the temple, had occasion for strength and valour to oppose those who wrongly attempted to enter the sanctuary, and to guard the sacred treasures. Much was expended daily upon the altar; flour, wine, oil, salt, fuel, beside the lamps; quantities of these were kept beforehand, besides the sacred vestments and utensils. These were the treasures of the house of God. These treasures typified the plenty there is in our heavenly Father's house, enough and to spare. From those sacred treasuries, the unsearchable riches of Christ, all our wants are supplied; and receiving from his fulness, we must give him the glory, and endeavour to dispose of our abilities and substance according to his will. We have an account of those employed as officers and judges. The magistracy is an ordinance of God for the good of the church, as truly as the ministry, and must not be neglected. None of the Levites who were employed in the service of the sanctuary, none of the singers or porters, were concerned in this outward business; one duty was enough to engage the whole man. Wisdom, courage, strength of faith, holy affections, and constancy of mind in doing our duty, are requisite or useful for every station.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

"Parbar" must designate here the space between the western wall of the temple building and the wall of the court, which would be a sort of "precinct" or "purlieu" of the temple (2 Kings 23:11 note). Here were two gates, at one of which two guards were stationed; while at the Shallecheth, which gave upon the causeway, there were four. In this whole account, the temple is spoken of as if it were existing, when it was not as yet built. We must suppose that David formed the whole plan of the temple, and fixed the stations and numbers of the porters, though it was left for Solomon to carry out his instructions.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. Parbar—is, perhaps, the same as Parvar ("suburbs," 2Ki 23:11), and if so, this gate might be so called as leading to the suburbs [Calmet].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

At Parbar, or, as concerning Parbar, which was another gate, or some building on the western quarter of the temple.

At the causeway, which led to Parbar. At Parbar; at the gate or house itself; by which it may seem that this was a place of some importance, either the vessels of the temple, or some part of the treasures of God’s house, being kept here.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

At Parbar westward,.... A gate at the western wall; the Jewish writers generally interpret it an outward place, but Dr. Lightfoot (c) thinks it is the same with Parvar, which signifies suburbs, 2 Kings 23:11, and which agrees with the description Josephus (d) gives of one of the western gates, that it led to the suburbs:

four at the causeway; by which was the gate Shallecheth, 1 Chronicles 26:16.

and two at Parbar; the gate before mentioned.

(c) Ib. (Prospect of the Temple, ch. 5.) sect. 2.((d) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 5.)

Geneva Study Bible

At {k} Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar.

(k) Which was a house in which they kept the instruments of the temple.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18. Parbar] This word, apparently the same as parvarim, 2 Kings 23:11 (R.V. “precincts”; cp. R.V. mg. here), seems to denote some building built on the Temple area on the west side. It may have been a colonnade. The word is Persian and means “lighted [by the sun]”.

1 Chronicles 26:18

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Settlement of the number of guard-stations at the various sides and places. Towards morning (on the east side) were six of the Levites (six kept guard); towards the north by day (i.e., daily, on each day), four; towards the south daily, four; and at the storehouse two and two, consequently four also; at Parbar towards the west, four on the highway and two at Parbar, i.e., six. In all, therefore, there were twenty-four guard-stations to be occupied daily; but more than twenty-four persons were required, because, even supposing that one man at a time was sufficient for each post, one man could not stand the whole day at it: he must have been relieved from time to time. Probably, however, there were always more than one person on guard at each post. It further suggests itself that the number twenty-four may be in some way connected with the divisions or classes of doorkeepers; but there is only a deceptive appearance of a connection. The division of the priests and musicians each into twenty-four classes respectively is no sufficient analogy in the case, for these classes had to perform the service in succession each for a week at a time, while the twenty-four doorkeepers' stations had to be all occupied simultaneously every day. - In 1 Chronicles 26:2-11, then, twenty-eight heads in all are enumerated by name (Meshelemiah with seven sons, Obed-edom with eight sons and six grandsons, and Hosah with four sons); but the total number in all the three families of doorkeepers is stated at ninety-three, and neither the one nor the other of these numbers bears any relation to twenty-four. Finally, the posts are so distributed that Meshelemiah with his eighteen sons and brothers kept guard on the east and north sides with six posts; Obed-edom with his sixty-two sons and brothers on the south side with four and 2 x 2, that is, eight posts; and Hosah with his thirteen sons and brothers on the western side with four and two, that is, six; so that even here no symmetrical distribution of the service can be discovered.