¹¹Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them.
11. chambers] compare 1 Chronicles ix. 26, note.
¹²And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second.
12. the dedicated things] Compare xxix. 33 (note on the consecrated things).
¹³And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
13. the ruler of the house of God] Compare 1 Chronicles ix. 11, note.
14–19. Distribution of the stores referred to in verses 11–13 was the duty of Kore and his subordinates. The exact meaning and sequence of these verses is hard to follow, and probably the obscurity is due to faults in the Hebrew text. The simplest view is as follows: verse 15 states that the distribution was to be made to priestly and levitical persons resident in the priestly cities but (verse 16) not to those who were for the time being on duty at the Temple, since these no doubt would receive their share at the Temple itself. Then verses 17–19 seem to refer to the manner of the registration of priests and Levites respectively for the purpose of the distribution; but it must be confessed that the precise sense and connection are uncertain, particularly as regards verse 19.
¹⁴And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things.
14. the most holy things] To this class belonged the shewbread (Leviticus xxiv. 9), the meal offering (Leviticus ii. 2, 3, vi. 14–18 [7–11, Hebrew]), the sin offering (Leviticus vi. 25–30), and the trespass offering (Leviticus vii. 1–7). These could be eaten by the priests only and in the holy place only.
¹⁵And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office[¹], to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small: