The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 23:21 Explained

1 Chronicles 23:21

KJV: The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.

YLT: Sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

Darby: The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

ASV: The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The sons  of Merari;  Mahli,  and Mushi.  The sons  of Mahli;  Eleazar,  and Kish. 

What does 1 Chronicles 23:21 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 23:21 mean?

The sons of Merari [were] Mahli and Mushi of Mahli [were] Eleazar and Kish
בְּנֵ֤י מְרָרִי֙ מַחְלִ֣י וּמוּשִׁ֔י מַחְלִ֖י אֶלְעָזָ֥ר וְקִֽישׁ

בְּנֵ֤י  The  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מְרָרִי֙  of  Merari 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְרָרִי  
Sense: the 3rd son of Levi and head of a Levitical family.
מַחְלִ֣י  [were]  Mahli 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַחְלִי  
Sense: son of Merari and grandson of Levi; progenitor of the family of the Mahlites.
וּמוּשִׁ֔י  and  Mushi 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מוּשִׁי  
Sense: son of Merari, grandson of Kohath, and great grandson of Levi.
מַחְלִ֖י  of  Mahli 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַחְלִי  
Sense: son of Merari and grandson of Levi; progenitor of the family of the Mahlites.
אֶלְעָזָ֥ר  [were]  Eleazar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶלְעָזָר  
Sense: Additional Information: Eleazar = “God has helped”.
וְקִֽישׁ  and  Kish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: קִישׁ  
Sense: a Benjamite of the family of Matri, father of king Saul.