4 He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Yahweh, the God of Israel:
For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and upward. For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of Yahweh, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God; for the show bread also, and for the fine flour for a meal-offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all manner of measure and size; and to stand every morning to thank and praise Yahweh, and likewise in the evening; and to offer all burnt offerings to Yahweh, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, in number according to the ordinance concerning them, continually before Yahweh; and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brothers, for the service of the house of Yahweh.
I have set watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: you who call on Yahweh, take no rest, and give him no rest, until he establish, and until he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Remember his marvelous works that he has done; His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,
Praise Yahweh, my soul, And don't forget all his benefits;
> Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me, Yahweh.
> Don't fret because of evil-doers, Neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.
He gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand. Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Yahweh; and six thousand were officers and judges; and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Yahweh with the instruments which I made, [said David], for giving praise. David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required; and Obed-edom with their brothers, sixty-eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers; and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, before the tent of Yahweh in the high place that was at Gibeon, to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of Yahweh, which he commanded to Israel; and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Yahweh, because his loving kindness endures forever; and with them Heman and Jeduthun [with] trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and [with] instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate.
Oh give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name; Make known his doings among the peoples.
David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
Yahweh said to Aaron, You and your sons and your fathers' house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring you near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep your charge, and the charge of all the Tent: only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you. They shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you. You shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Israel. I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given to Yahweh, to do the service of the tent of meeting.
He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel.{El Elohe Israel means "God, the God of Israel" or "The God of Israel is mighty."}
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 1 Chronicles 16
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 16 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 16
This chapter relates that David offered sacrifices when the ark was brought into his city, 1 Chronicles 16:1 who were the singers he appointed to sing before it continually, 1 Chronicles 16:4 and the song he that day composed and delivered to them to sing, 1 Chronicles 16:7 and that he appointed not only proper persons to minister before the ark, but also before the tabernacle at Gibeon, 1 Chronicles 16:37.
So they brought the ark of God,.... What is contained in these three verses is the same with 2 Samuel 6:17, see the notes there. See Gill on 2 Samuel 6:17. See Gill on 2 Samuel 6:18. See Gill on 2 Samuel 6:19.
And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord,.... By singing the praises of God:
and to record; or bring to remembrance; to commemorate in a song the great and good things God had done for Israel as a people:
and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel; for all his benefits, and the blessings of his goodness bestowed on them.
Asaph the chief,.... Of those that were now appointed: otherwise, of the three principal singers, Heman was the chief, and Asaph next, 1 Chronicles 6:33.
and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, with psalteries, and with harps; to play upon them before the ark at the same time the psalms and songs were vocally sung; the above persons are such as are named before, 1 Chronicles 15:18,
but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; he struck and played upon them, see 1 Chronicles 15:19.
Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests,.... These were appointed to blow
with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; morning and evening.
Then on that day,.... The ark was brought to Zion, and the above persons appointed to minister before it:
David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren to be sung by them now, and on every proper occasion; and this seems to be the first that was delivered to them; afterwards there were many more, as the titles of the psalms show; the following is composed of part of two others, as they now stand in the book of Psalms. From hence, to the end of 1 Chronicles 16:22 is the same with Psalm 105:1, with a little variation, see the notes there; and from thence to the end of 1 Chronicles 16:33 is Psalm 96:1 which see; and 1 Chronicles 16:34 is the same with Psalm 106:1, see the notes there. See Gill on Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 105:1, Psalm 105:2, Psalm 105:3, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 105:5, Psalm 105:6, Psalm 105:7, Psalm 105:8, Psalm 105:9, Psalm 105:10, Psalm 105:11,on Psalm 105:12, Psalm 105:13, Psalm 105:14,on Psalm 105:15
And say ye, save us, O God of our salvation,.... The author of temporal, spiritual, and eternal salvation; the words are a direction to the singers, and those that sung with them, to express the prayer and doxology in the next verse, which both are the same with Psalm 106:47. See Gill on Psalm 106:47, Psalm 106:48; which David directed by a spirit of prophecy, foreseeing the people of Israel would be in captivity among the Heathens; though some think these were added by Ezra; for though there was in his time a return from the captivity, yet many still remained in it.
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.
The Levites, the brethren of Asaph and Obededom, these were left before the ark to minister there:
Obededom also the son of Jeduthun; or Ethan, which some take to be another Obededom; but the ו, "vau" may be explanative, "even Obededom":
and Hosah to be porters; these he left to be doorkeepers of the ark.
And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests,.... These he left, having appointed them
to be before the tabernacle of the Lord, in the high place that was at Gibeon; namely, the tabernacle of Moses, which was removed from Nob thither in the days of Saul, and continued there to the times of Solomon, 1 Chronicles 21:28.
To offer burnt offerings unto the Lord,.... Which was the work of the priests only to do:
upon the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening; the lambs of the daily sacrifice, which were a burnt offering, and only to be offered on the brasen altar at the tabernacle:
and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel; with regard to them, and all other sacrifices, see Exodus 29:38.
And with them,.... That is, with Zadok, and the priests with him at Gibeon:
he left Heman and Jeduthun: or Ethan, two principal singers:
and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name; see 1 Chronicles 16:18.
to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever; to praise him for his benefits, flowing from his grace and mercy continually.
And with them Heman and Jeduthun, with trumpets and cymbals,.... Or with them were the trumpets and cymbals, as Kimchi; or, as Piscator supplies it, with them he "left" the trumpets and cymbals:
for those that should make a sound; by striking upon them:
and with musical instruments of God; sacred ones, such as were devoted to his service, as psalteries and harps; the Syriac and Arabic versions carry the sense of the words quite differently, that these men did not sing with those musical instruments, but with a pleasant voice, and with pure and acceptable prayers, in humility and uprightness, glorified God:
and the sons of Jeduthun were porters; at the tabernacle in Gibeon.
And all the people departed, every man to his house,.... Having accompanied the ark to its place, and having praised the Lord for it, and been refreshed with food, see 2 Samuel 6:19.
and David returned to bless his house; his family; the Targum is,"to bless the people;'see 2 Samuel 6:20.