Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.

1 CHRONICLES 9:2KJV
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1 Chronicles 9:2 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 9:2 mean?

1 Chronicles 9:2 introduces the people who settled in their towns and inherited lands. The verse identifies ordinary Israelites alongside groups with duties connected to worship: priests, Levites, and the Nethinims, who served as temple workers.

After the mention of exile in verse 1, the verse turns to people living in their own places again. “Their possessions” refers to the lands or property associated with their families, while “their cities” places them in established communities.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 9:2

  • “possessions” — אֲחֻזָּה (achuzzah): This word can mean a holding or inherited property. Here, the land is pictured as belonging to the people who occupied it.
  • “Nethinims” — נְתִינִים (netinim): This name means “those given” or “those assigned.” The name identifies a group of workers assigned to assist with service at the temple.

Why 1 Chronicles 9:2 matters

  • The list includes both worship workers and other Israelites. “The Israelites” appear alongside the priests, Levites, and Nethinims, so the settlement involved more than people who served at the temple.
  • The verse prepares the reader for a more detailed account of the people in Jerusalem. Verse 3 begins naming people from several tribes who lived there, while verse 2 first identifies the broad groups.

Where else these words appear

“Nethinims” Hebrew H5411 · used in 15 verses

  • Ezra 2:43 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,
  • Ezra 8:17 And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
  • Nehemiah 7:60 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.

“possessions” Hebrew H272 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
  • Leviticus 25:41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
  • Joshua 21:41 All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.