The Twenty-Four Priestly Divisions

"Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron." Zadok of Eleazar's line and Ahimelech of Ithamar's assist David. "And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar": sixteen and eight.

"Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah…" down to "the four and twentieth to Maaziah."

"These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD." The rest of the Levites cast lots "over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king."

In the Gospels

Luke 1:5 introduces Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, "of the course of Abia," the eighth division; Luke 1:8–9 describes him serving when his course's turn came and he was chosen by lot to burn incense.

In stone

Fragments of inscriptions listing the twenty-four courses with the Galilean towns where they settled after AD 70 were found at Caesarea (a 3rd–4th-century AD synagogue inscription), and others are known from Yemen, Ashkelon and Kissufim. They show that the courses were remembered for centuries; they are far later than David.

Dating the system

Many scholars think the 24-course system developed in the Persian or Hellenistic period and was attributed to David; Qumran's calendar texts (Mishmarot) also use it.