Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things. – 1 Chronicles 26:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 4, 2016): 1 Chronicles 26

On the grounds of the West Point Academy (West Point, New York) there are plaques that bear the name of all of the generals that served the United States during the American Revolutionary War of Independence. But one of the plaques is missing a name. All the information that the plaque contains is a rank, Major General, and the words ‘Born 1740.” It is not that the name of the person is not known, but maybe the reverse. The name is too well known, but for all the wrong reasons. The plaque recognizes that the person served the United States during the war, but refuses to name him. Of course, we recognize the missing name because it is maybe one of the most famous American Generals of the Revolutionary War – Benedict Arnold.

Sometimes a name says it all. In the United States, the name lives on in infamy. He is the traitor. The one who switched sides in the middle of the Revolutionary War. What is sometimes forgotten is that he was also a war hero before his defection. But he was dissatisfied with his own career advancement, which seems to have been the reason for Arnold’s defection. It is interesting to note how different the name of Benedict Arnold is received on the two sides of the United States’ northern border. To the south, the name echoes with infamy. But on the northern side of the border, the name is inconsequential. He was just a petulant man, not really satisfied with either side of the war.  

The translators of the NIV have made a decision to readjust this verse. The purest reading of the verse is “And of the Levites, Ahijah [is] over the treasures of the house of God, even for the treasures of the holy things” (Young’s Literal Translation). The NIV has chosen to drop the name Ahijah. The reason is really three-fold. First, the name Ahijah in this verse stands alone while in the rest of the passage the names are connected with their families and descendants. Second, and the path that the NIV has chosen, with the addition of one letter to the name the meaning become “their brothers.” The NIV then translates the passage as being “their fellow Levites.” The last reason for the problem is that Ahijah would seem to be a total unknown.

But there might be a reason to leave the name of Ahijah in the text. Rather than being some unknown and unknowable person, it might be that the name of Ahijah was, to the Chronicler, a name of infamy – or an ancient Benedict Arnold. And there is a possible suspect. His name was Ahijah the Shilonite. He was a Levite prophet who lived during the days of Solomon and encouraged a revolt against Solomon and the House of David. Rabbinic literature suggests that he lived an extremely long life. So it might not be a stretch to believe that this was the Ahijah of this passage. And if so, then, at least to the Chronicler, the name says it all.

However, we will probably never know. For now, it remains for us to choose between a mysterious man named Ahijah, a famous revolutionary, or a scribe’s error has he tries to write “the brothers.”

And happy 240^th Birthday to the U.S.A of the infamous Benedict Arnold.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 27