Hosah

Biblical Record

Hosah appears only in 1 Chronicles.

• Gatekeeper of the Ark: After David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and appointed Levites to minister before it, Hosah was appointed a gatekeeper along with Obed-edom (1 Chronicles 16:37–38). Gatekeeping was a Levitical duty that involved guarding the doors of the sanctuary and controlling access to it.
• Family: 1 Chronicles 26 identifies Hosah as a descendant of Merari. His sons were Shimri, Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. Although Shimri was not the firstborn, his father Hosah made him the chief (1 Chronicles 26:10–11). The text records that Hosah's sons and brethren numbered thirteen in all.
• Charge of the West Gate: The gatekeepers cast lots for their gates, "as well the small as the great, according to the house of their fathers" (1 Chronicles 26:13). Hosah, together with Shuppim, drew the west, keeping watch "with the gate Shallecheth, by the causeway of the going up" (1 Chronicles 26:16).

Significance in Scripture

Hosah is one of the Levites whose names are preserved in the Chronicler's detailed account of the organization of worship in David's time. Chronicles presents the gatekeepers, along with the singers and the priests, as an office that upheld worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. Within that system, Hosah's name represents the Merarites' portion of the service. The New Testament does not mention Hosah.

Interpretation and Issues

• Place of the same name: The "Hosah" in Joshua 19:29 is a place name on the border of the tribe of Asher and is unrelated to this individual.
• Designation of Shimri as chief: The text does not explain why Shimri, who was not the firstborn, was made chief. Explanations that the firstborn died young or was unqualified are often offered, but these are conjecture.
• The gate Shallecheth: The precise location of this gate and the meaning of its name are uncertain.
• Views on historicity: Traditionally, this list has been read as reflecting the actual organization of David's time. Some scholars, however, hold that it reflects the temple institutions of the postexilic period in which Chronicles was written.
• Meaning of the name: The Hebrew name is sometimes interpreted as "refuge."

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school materials focusing on Hosah himself are rare. He is usually mentioned only as one name in the list of gatekeepers during through-the-Bible reading programs or Bible studies on 1 Chronicles.