1 Chronicles 16:37

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(37-42) Resumption and conclusion of the narrative suspended at 1Chronicles 16:7.

(37) So (and) he left there.—Were the above ode interposed by the chronicler himself, he might better have written, “And David left.”

As every day’s work required.—Literally, for a day’s business in its own day—i.e., to perform the services appointed for each day. (Comp. Exodus 5:13.)

(38) And Obed-edom with (and) their brethren.—The pronoun their shows that a word or words have fallen out. It is simplest to supply “Hosah,” and render: And (he left there) Obed-edom and Hosah and their brethren, sixty-eight persons. The construction, however, is altered from that of 1Chronicles 16:37 : “Asaph and his brethren.” (Comp. 1Chronicles 16:39.)

Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun.—This repetition is tautologous, but hardly obscure. 1Chronicles 26:8 assigns sixty-two members to the house of Obed-edom.

Jeduthun.—Not the Merarite minstrel (1Chronicles 6:44, Ethan). Obed-edom was a Korhite, i.e., a Kohathite (1Chronicles 26:1-4).

(39) The narrative now passes from the tent on Zion to the Mosaic tabernacle at Gibeon. The establishment of the Ark in its new abode was the inauguration of a new national sanctuary. But the old one at Gibeon was not therefore abandoned. On the contrary, David either instituted or formally recognised the priesthood of Zadok therein.

And Zadok.—The name is preceded in the Hebrew by the sign of the accusative case, and therefore depends on the verb he left (1Chronicles 16:37).

The priest.—Par excellence—i.e., the High Priest (1Samuel 1:9; 1Samuel 2:11; 2Kings 11:9; 2Kings 11:15).

In the high place.—See 1Kings 3:3-4.

(40) Continually morning and evening.—The Tamid, or regular burnt offering of a lamb at dawn and sunset, with its food offering and drink offering, as prescribed in Exodus 29:38, sqq., and Numbers 28:3, sqq.

And to do.—Literally, and for everything that is written, viz., all the other prescribed sacrifices and duties of the priests. Nothing is here said of similar duties of the priests before the Ark on Zion. But it ought not to be argued from this omission that in the chronicler’s opinion only choral services took place there. If, as we have supposed, Abiathar was attached to David’s sacred tent, sacrifice must have been offered there as well as at Gibeon. (Comp. 1Chronicles 18:16. ) The present account says nothing of this, because the writer is mainly interested in the service of song. (See 1Kings 8:1-4.)

(41) The narrative returns to its principal topic—the Levitical minstrels.

And with them (Zadok and his brethren) Heman and Jeduthun.—These two masters of song ministered in the tabernacle at Gibeon, as their colleague Asaph did in the tent on Zion.

Who were expressed (enrolled) by name.—1Chronicles 12:31. Their names are not given here, but they may be partially included in the list of 1Chronicles 15:19-24. Asaph’s corps has been individually specified at 1Chronicles 16:5, perhaps as the more important body.

To give thanks to the Lord.—In describing the chief function of the choirs stationed at Gibeon, the chronicler repeats the liturgical formula of 1Chronicles 16:34; probably with an allusion to odes like Psalms 136, in which these words constitute a continual refrain.

(42) And with them Heman and Jeduthun.—The last verse began with the same words, a fact which renders them suspicious here. The LXX., Syriac, and Arabic omit the proper names.

With trumpets . . . with musical instruments.—The prepositions are wanting in the Hebrew text, which might be rendered thus: “And with them [viz., Heman and Jeduthun] were clarions and cymbals for persons playing aloud [comp. 1Chronicles 16:5], and instruments of sacred music.” From 1Chronicles 15:9, compared with 1Chronicles 16:5, it appears that the three conductors (Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun) played cymbals only, to accent the time: and from 1Chronicles 15:24 and 1Chronicles 16:6, we know that the clarions were blown by priests. Omitting as spurious the names of the two leaders, who are not likely to have had the custody of the various instruments of their choirs, the meaning of the verse is simply that the Levitical minstrels were provided with proper instruments to accompany their singing.

Musical instruments of God.—Literally, instruments of song of God—i.e., of sacred music. Harps and lutes are meant.

Sons of Jeduthun.—See 1Chronicles 16:38. Obed-edom, son of Jeduthun, was a warder before the Ark. Thus the warders of both sanctuaries belonged to the same clan.

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 16:37. He left there before the ark — Asaph and his brethren — He appointed them their work and station there. Indeed, no incense was burned there, nor sacrifices offered, because the altars were not there; but David’s prayers were directed as incense, and the lifting up of his hands as an evening sacrifice. So early did spiritual worship take the place of ceremonial.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

16:37-43 The worship of God ought to be the work of every day. David put it into order. At Jerusalem, where the ark was, Asaph and his brethren were to minister before the ark continually, with songs of praise. No sacrifices were offered there, nor incense burnt, because the altars were not there; but David's prayers were directed as incense, and the lifting up of his hands as the evening sacrifice. So early did spiritual worship take place of ceremonial. Yet the ceremonial worship, being of Divine institution, must by no means be omitted; therefore at Gibeon, at the altars, the priests attended; for their work was to sacrifice and burn incense; and that they did continually, morning and evening, according to the law of Moses. As the ceremonies were types of the mediation of Christ, the observance of them was of great consequence. The attendance of his appointed ministers is right in itself, and encourages the people.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Psalm here put before us by the Chronicler, as sung liturgically by Asaph and his brethren on the day of the ark's entrance into Jerusalem, accords closely with the passages in the present Book of Psalms noted in the marg reff.

It is, apparently, a thanksgiving service composed for the occasion out of Psalms previously existing.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

37-42. So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, &c.—The sequel of the chapter describes the appointment of the sacred musicians and their respective duties.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

i.e. He appointed them their work and station there.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, Asaph and his brethren,.... Whom he, that is, David, had appointed for the service of it:

to minister before the ark continually; in singing the praises of God:

as every day's work required; at the time of the morning and evening sacrifice, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it.

Geneva Study Bible

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

37–43. The Service before the Ark and the Service at Gibeon

As Zadok alone is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 16:39 as “before the tabernacle,” Abiathar (Ahimelech) the other highpriest may have been in charge of the ark. Cp. 1 Chronicles 15:11, note.

The Deuteronomic law that there should be one sanctuary only was not yet recognised even by kings of a religious reputation. In 1 Kings 3. Solomon is said to have sacrificed at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:4) and before the ark at Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:15).

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 37-43. - These verses give the now new-ordained distribution of priests and Levites, to minister and to attend to the service of praise before the ark. And the first of them may be considered to mark an important step in advance in the crystallizing of the world's ecclesiastical institutions. Asaph and his brethren of song are left there before the ark of the covenant... to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required. A permanent local ministry and choir are thus established, with a fixity of place on Zion, and regularity of time that had been hitherto unattainable. 1 Chronicles 16:37

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Division of the Levites for the management of the public worship. - At the same time as he set up the ark in the tent erected for it on Mount Zion, David had prepared a new locality for the public worship. The Mosaic tabernacle had continued, with its altar of burnt-offering, to be the general place of worship for the congregation of Israel even during the long period when the ark was separated from it, and it was even yet to be so; and it became necessary, in order to carry on the religious service in both of these sanctuaries, to divide the staff of religious officials: and this David now undertook.

1 Chronicles 16:37-38

Before the ark he left Asaph with his brethren (ל( nerht before the accus. obj., according to the later usage), to serve, to minister there continually. בּיומו לדבר־יום, "according to the matter of the day on its day," i.e., according to the service necessary for each day; cf. for this expression, Exodus 5:13, Exodus 5:19; Exodus 16:4, etc. "And Obed-edom and their brethren." In these words there is a textual error: the plural suffix in אחיהם shows that after אדום עבד at least one name has been dropped out. But besides that, the relation in which the words, "and Obed-edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be porters," stand to the preceding clause, "and Obed-edom and their brethren," is obscure. Against the somewhat general idea, that the words are to be taken in an explicative sense, "and Obed-edom indeed," etc., the objection suggests itself, that Obed-edom is here defined to be the son of Jeduthun, and would seem to be thereby distinguished from the preceding Obed-edom. In addition to that, in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Obed-edom is mentioned among the singers, and in 1 Chronicles 16:24 one of the doorkeepers bears that name, and they are clearly distinguished as being different persons. On the other hand, however, the identity of the two Obed-edoms in our verse is supported by the fact that in 1 Chronicles 26:4-8 the doorkeepers Obed-edom with his sons and brethren number sixty-two, which comes pretty nearly up to the number mentioned in our verse, viz., sixty-eight. Yet we cannot regard this circumstance as sufficient to identify the two, and must leave the question undecided, because the text of our verse is defective. Jeduthun the father of Obed-edom is different from the chief musician Jeduthun ( equals Ethan); for the chief musician is a descendant of Merari, while the doorkeeper Jeduthun belongs to the Korahites (i.e., Kohathites): see on 1 Chronicles 26:4.