33 And these who sing, heads of fathers of the Levites, in the chambers, `are' free, for by day and by night `they are' over them in the work.
And these `are' they whom David stationed over the parts of the song of the house of Jehovah, from the resting of the ark, and they are ministering before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, in song, till the building by Solomon of the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem; and they stand according to their ordinance over their service. And these `are' those standing, and their sons: of the sons of the Kohathite: Heman the singer, son of Joel, son of Shemuel,
And David and the heads of the host separate for service, of the sons of Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, who are prophesying with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen is according to their service. Of sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, `are' by the side of Asaph, who is prophesying by the side of the king. Of Jeduthun: sons of Jeduthun, Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, Shisshah, `are' by the side of their father Jeduthun; with a harp he is prophesying, for giving of thanks and of praise to Jehovah. Of Heman: sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth; all these `are' sons of Heman -- seer of the king in the things of God -- to lift up a horn; and God giveth to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these `are' by the side of their father in the song of the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; by the side of the king `are' Asaph, and Jeduthun, and Heman. And their number, with their brethren -- taught in the song of Jehovah, all who are intelligent -- is two hundred, eighty and eight. And they cause to fall lots -- charge over-against `charge', as well the small as the great, the intelligent with the learner. And the first lot goeth out for Asaph to Joseph; `to' Gedaliah the second; he, and his brethren and his sons, twelve; the third `to' Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the fifth `to' Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the sixth `to' Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the seventh `to' Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the eighth `to' Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the ninth `to' Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the tenth `to' Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve: eleventh `to' Azareel, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the twelfth `to' Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the thirteenth `to' Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the fourteenth `to' Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the fifteenth `to' Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the sixteenth `to' Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the seventeenth `to' Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the eighteenth `to' Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the nineteenth `to' Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the twentieth `to' Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the one and twentieth `to' Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the two and twentieth `to' Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the three and twentieth `to' Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the four and twentieth `to' Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.
And David saith to the heads of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of song, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, to lift up with the voice for joy. And the Levites appoint Heman son of Joel, and of his brethren, Asaph son of Berechiah, and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan son of Kushaiah; and with them their brethren, the seconds `in rank', Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah; and Obed-Edom and Jeiel the gatekeepers; and the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, with cymbals of brass to sound, and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jeheil, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries besides virgins, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps, on the octave, to oversee. And Chenaniah, head of the Levites, `is' over the burden; he instructeth about the burden, for he `is' intelligent.
And he putteth before the ark of Jehovah, of the Levites, ministers, even to make mention of, and to thank, and to give praise to Jehovah, God of Israel, Asaph the head, and his second Zechariah; Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, with instruments of psalteries, and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals is sounding; and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests `are' with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
And the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem `is' Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micha: of the sons of Asaph, the singers `are' over-against the work of the house of God, for the command of the king `is' upon them, and support `is' for the singers, a matter of a day in its day.
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Commentary on 1 Chronicles 9 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 9
1Ch 9:1-26. Original Registers of Israel and Judah's Genealogies.
1. all Israel were reckoned by genealogies—From the beginning of the Hebrew nation, public records were kept, containing a registration of the name of every individual, as well as the tribe and family to which he belonged. "The book of the kings of Israel and Judah" does not refer to the two canonical books that are known in Scripture by that name, but to authenticated copies of those registers, placed under the official care of the sovereigns; and as a great number of the Israelites (1Ch 9:3) took refuge in Judah during the invasion of Shalmaneser, they carried the public records along with them. The genealogies given in the preceding chapters were drawn from the public records in the archives both of Israel and Judah; and those given in this chapter relate to the period subsequent to the restoration; whence it appears (compare 1Ch 3:17-24) that the genealogical registers were kept during the captivity in Babylon. These genealogical tables, then, are of the highest authority for truth and correctness, the earlier portion being extracted from the authenticated records of the nation; and as to those which belong to the time of the captivity, they were drawn up by a contemporary writer, who, besides enjoying the best sources of information, and being of the strictest integrity, was guided and preserved from all error by divine inspiration.
2. the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions—This chapter relates wholly to the first returned exiles. Almost all the names recur in Nehemiah (Ne 11:1-36), although there are differences which will be explained there. The same division of the people into four classes was continued after, as before the captivity; namely, the priests, Levites, natives, who now were called by the common name of Israelites, and the Nethinims (Jos 9:27; Ezr 2:43; 8:20). When the historian speaks of "the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions," he implies that there were others who afterwards returned and settled in possessions not occupied by the first. Accordingly, we read of a great number returning successively under Ezra, Nehemiah, and at a later period. And some of those who returned to the ancient inheritance of their fathers, had lived before the time of the captivity (Ezr 3:12; Hag 2:4, 10).
18. the king's gate—The king had a gate from his palace into the temple (2Ki 16:18), which doubtless was kept constantly closed except for the monarch's use; and although there was no king in Israel on the return from the captivity, yet the old ceremonial was kept up, probably in the hope that the scepter would, ere long, be restored to the house of David. It is an honor by which Eastern kings are distinguished, to have a gate exclusively devoted to their own special use, and which is kept constantly closed, except when he goes out or returns (Eze 44:2). There being no king then in Israel, this gate would be always shut.