The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 23:24 Explained

1 Chronicles 23:24

KJV: These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward.

YLT: These are sons of Levi, by the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, by their appointments, in the number of names, by their polls, doing the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from a son of twenty years and upward,

Darby: These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers' houses, the chief fathers, as they were reckoned, by number of names by their polls, who did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward.

ASV: These were the sons of Levi after their fathers houses, even the heads of the fathers houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

These [were] the sons  of Levi  after the house  of their fathers;  [even] the chief  of the fathers,  as they were counted  by number  of names  by their polls,  that did  the work  for the service  of the house  of the LORD,  from the age  of twenty  years  and upward. 

What does 1 Chronicles 23:24 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 1 Chronicles 23

1  David in his old age makes Solomon king
2  The number and distribution of the Levites
7  The families of the Gershonites
12  The sons of Kohath
21  The sons of Merari
24  The office of the Levites

What do the individual words in 1 Chronicles 23:24 mean?

These [were] the sons of Levi by houses their fathers' the heads of the fathers' [houses] as they were counted by the number of their names individually who did the work for the service of the house of Yahweh from old twenty years and above
אֵ֣לֶּה בְנֵֽי־ לֵוִי֩ לְבֵ֨ית אֲבֹתֵיהֶ֜ם רָאשֵׁ֧י הָאָב֣וֹת לִפְקוּדֵיהֶ֗ם בְּמִסְפַּ֤ר שֵׁמוֹת֙ לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔ם עֹשֵׂה֙ הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה לַעֲבֹדַ֖ת בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה מִבֶּ֛ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וָמָֽעְלָה

אֵ֣לֶּה  These  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לֵוִי֩  of  Levi 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵוִי 
Sense: the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah and progenitor of tribe of Levites.
לְבֵ֨ית  by  houses 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אֲבֹתֵיהֶ֜ם  their  fathers' 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
רָאשֵׁ֧י  the  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הָאָב֣וֹת  of  the  fathers'  [houses] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
לִפְקוּדֵיהֶ֗ם  as  they  were  counted 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
בְּמִסְפַּ֤ר  by  the  number 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִסְפָּר  
Sense: number, tale.
שֵׁמוֹת֙  of  their  names 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔ם  individually 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: גֻּלְגֹּלֶת  
Sense: head, poll, skull.
עֹשֵׂה֙  who  did 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה  the  work 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְלָאכָה  
Sense: occupation, work, business.
לַעֲבֹדַ֖ת  for  the  service 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֲבֹדָה  
Sense: labour, service.
בֵּ֣ית  of  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִבֶּ֛ן  from  old 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עֶשְׂרִ֥ים  twenty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: עֶשְׂרִים  
Sense: twenty, twentieth.
שָׁנָ֖ה  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
וָמָֽעְלָה  and  above 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, third person feminine singular
Root: מַעַל 
Sense: higher part, upper part adv.