This page gives you ready-made study questions for 1 Chronicles 26, the chapter that lists the gatekeepers and treasury officers who served in the temple under King David. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each question comes with a leader’s note so you can guide the discussion without preparing a separate summary.
1 Chronicles 26 at a Glance
The chapter opens with the divisions of the gatekeepers, drawn from the Korahite and Merarite families of the Levites, and lists the sons of Meshelemiah and Obed-Edom who guarded the gates on the four sides of the temple. Lots decide each man’s post, from the east and north gates to the storehouse and the western causeway.
The second half moves from the gates to the treasures. Ahijah, Shebuel and Shelomoth oversee the sacred storehouses, and the chapter explains that the dedicated spoils of David’s wars, along with gifts from earlier leaders, were kept under their care. It closes with Hashabiah and Jerijah, who handled civil and religious business across Israel and beyond the Jordan.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers interpretation. Ask the group to point to the actual words in the chapter, and invite them to read the relevant verses aloud before answering. This keeps the discussion close to the text.
1 Chronicles 26:1
For the divisions of the doorkeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.
(WEB)
This opening verse introduces the gatekeeper divisions and names the Korahite and Asaphite families. Reading it first gives the group the frame for everything that follows in the chapter.
1 Chronicles 26:5
Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him.
(WEB)
Read this verse to highlight the chapter’s explicit statement that God blessed Obed-Edom. It opens a discussion about how the text connects blessing with household and service.
1 Chronicles 26:13-14
13 They cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to their fathers’ houses, for every gate. 14 The lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
(WEB)
This short range describes the casting of lots for each gate and the assignment of Zechariah’s post. Reading it aloud helps the group picture the process and consider fairness in how roles were distributed.
1 Chronicles 26:20
Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasures of God’s house and over the treasures of the dedicated things.
(WEB)
Ahijah’s oversight of the temple treasures is introduced in this verse. Reading it draws attention to the trust placed in the men who kept God’s house and its gifts.
1 Chronicles 26:27
They dedicated some of the plunder won in battles to repair the LORD’s house.
(WEB)
This verse explains that plunder from battles was dedicated to repairing the Lord’s house. It gives the group a clear picture of how victories were offered back to God in worship.
Memory Verse for 1 Chronicles 26
1 Chronicles 26:32
His brothers, men of valor, were two thousand seven hundred, heads of fathers’ households, whom king David made overseers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites, for every matter pertaining to God, and for the affairs of the king.
(WEB)
This closing verse ties together service to God and service to the king, and it makes a good memory verse for remembering that faithful work in every area of life belongs to the Lord. Repeat it aloud at the end of the session.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the people who keep your house in order and for those whose names are never spoken from the pulpit. Teach us to value faithful, quiet service as much as visible leadership. Help us to offer what we have, our time, our gifts and our daily work, back to you, and to treat every person in our community with fairness and respect. Guide our conversations today so that we listen well and speak with care. Lead us in the work you have given us this week, and let our service honor you in every place we are sent. Amen.
