And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.
The verse stands within the genealogical sections of Chronicles, which presuppose acquaintance with the earlier books of Scripture rather than repeating their narratives. Its function there is supplementary, furnishing additional particulars that Samuel and Kings had passed over. In that setting it belongs to a chain of family records that trace Levitical descent with precision.
It secures the continuity of the line by noting that Eleazar left no male heirs but only daughters. Those daughters were taken in marriage by their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, so that the inheritance remained within the family. Such careful registration of descent was of practical necessity after the exile, when the land had to be restored to its rightful hereditary possessors. It was equally necessary for the temple, whose service had to be resumed by those to whom it belonged by hereditary obligation.
The verse stands within the genealogical sections of Chronicles, which presuppose acquaintance with the earlier books of Scripture rather than repeating their narratives. Its function there is supplementary, furnishing additional particulars that Samuel and Kings had passed over. In that setting it belongs to a chain of family records that trace Levitical descent with precision.
It secures the continuity of the line by noting that Eleazar left no male heirs but only daughters. Those daughters were taken in marriage by their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, so that the inheritance remained within the family. Such careful registration of descent was of practical necessity after the exile, when the land had to be restored to its rightful hereditary possessors. It was equally necessary for the temple, whose service had to be resumed by those to whom it belonged by hereditary obligation.