The number of selected gatekeepers appointed by David and the seer Samuel at the temple thresholds (1 Chron 9:22).
The number 212 appears in 1 Chronicles 9:22, where it is given as the count of chosen gatekeepers at the temple thresholds. These were recorded in the genealogies of their villages and appointed to their trusted positions by King David and the seer Samuel. The gatekeepers had an important liturgical function: they guarded the entrances to the sanctuary and ensured that the holiness of the temple area was maintained. Beyond this specific reference, the number 212 has no well-established independent symbolic meaning in biblical or Jewish tradition, and it is not comparable to numbers such as 7, 12, 40, or 613, which have deep and recognized symbolic roles. The gatekeepers (Hebrew: שׁוֹעֲרִים, sho'arim) were responsible for guarding the temple gates and thresholds. Their role was both practical and ritual—they controlled access to the holy area and protected against impurity. The position was hereditary and linked to Levitical families. The fact that David and the seer Samuel appointed the gatekeepers "in their trusted office" (be'emunatam) emphasizes that this was a role of trust with divine sanction. The word 'emunah (faithfulness/loyalty) suggests that the gatekeeper role required reliability and devotion.*