Jeshebeab
Jeshebeab was the head of the fourteenth division of priests during the time of David.
Biography
Jeshebeab is listed in 1 Chronicles 24:13 as the head of the fourteenth of twenty-four priestly divisions established by King David to rotate service at the sanctuary. David, with the assistance of Zadok and Ahimelech, organized the descendants of Aaron into these divisions by casting lots, ensuring an orderly and equitable distribution of priestly duties throughout the year. Each division would serve for a set period at the tabernacle and later the temple. Although Jeshebeab himself is mentioned only by name in this administrative list, his family carried the responsibility of representing all Israel before God during their appointed week of ministry, a role of profound religious consequence.
Significance
Jeshebeab's inclusion among the twenty-four priestly divisions reflects the elaborate care David and the religious establishment took to order Israel's worship life. The casting of lots ensured divine impartiality in the assignment of sacred duties (1 Chronicles 24:5), signaling that each division, and therefore each priestly family, stood equally before God. This system of rotating priestly service became foundational to Second Temple Judaism and is the very framework that placed Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, at the altar on the day of his angelic encounter (Luke 1:8–11), connecting these ancient divisions to the dawn of the New Testament era.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]