The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;

The families of the house of Nathan apart, and their women apart: the families of the house of Levi apart, and their women apart: the families of Semei apart, and their women apart.

The family of the house of Levi apart, And their women apart; The family of Shimei apart, And their women apart,

The family of Levi by themselves, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by themselves, and their wives by themselves;

the families of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately; the families of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately; the families of Shimei separately, and their women separately;

Familia domus Levi seorsum, et uxores eorum seorsum; familia Simei seorsum, et uxores eorum seorsum;

The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of (n) Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
(n) Also called Simeon.

The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart,.... Because of the contempt of the priestly office of Christ, which theirs prefigured, and was abolished by him; because of their trampling upon his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice:
the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; not of Shimea the son of David, 1-Chronicles 3:5 as Jarchi thinks, for his family is comprehended in the family of David; nor of Shimei the son of Merari, and grandson of Levi, 1-Chronicles 6:16, for the same reason: some think that, by way of prophecy, the family of Semei, mentioned among the progenitors of Christ, Luke 3:26, is intended; and others have thought of Shammai, a famous Misnic doctor in the times of Christ, whose disciples were called the house or family of Shammai, of which frequent mention is made in the Misna and Talmud: but the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read "the family of Simeon"; mentioned together with Levi, as brethren in iniquity, and now mourn for the common concern they had in the crucifixion of Christ, and their refusal of him.

Levi . . . Shimei--the highest and lowest of the priestly order (Numbers 3:18, Numbers 3:21). Their example and that of the royal order would of course influence the rest.

The house of Levi - The sacerdotal tribe were the most bitter persecutors of Christ, they hired the traitor, they sought witness; the high priest, (head of that family) condemned him to die, for all which they shall one day reckon with God, and therefore above other tribes they are particularly named as chief mourners for their cruelty to Christ.