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Hezir

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMalePriest

Hezir was a priest who was assigned the 17th division of priestly service in the time of King David.

Hezir illustration
Hezir

Biography

This Hezir was a priest assigned leadership of the seventeenth division of the priestly courses established by King David in preparation for the temple's eventual construction. As recorded in 1 Chronicles 24:15, David and his officials organized the priests descended from Aaron into twenty-four rotating divisions, each responsible for temple service in turn. Hezir's division would have served approximately two weeks per year in the sanctuary, maintaining the rhythm of regular worship. The meticulous organization of priestly divisions under David reflects the king's deep concern for ordered, continual worship before God, a vision ultimately realized in Solomon's temple. Hezir stands as one of many faithful priests who embodied that institutional legacy.

Significance

The priestly division system to which Hezir belonged endured as a foundational structure of Israelite worship for centuries. Its theological significance lies in the conviction that worship of God must be regular, ordered, and maintained by dedicated servants. David's organization of these courses ensured that no period would pass without priestly ministry before the Lord. Notably, this same system was still operative in New Testament times: Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to the division of Abijah (Luke 1:5), demonstrating an unbroken thread of institutional faithfulness reaching from David's era into the dawn of the gospel age.

Verse Appearances (1)

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  4. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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