Chapter XVI

¹And they brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of
the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings before God.

=1.= _the tent_] Compare xv. 1, note.

_they offered_] In 2 Samuel vi. 17, _David offered_. The Chronicler associates the elders with David as in xv. 26.

_burnt offerings_] Compare Leviticus i. 1‒9.

_peace offerings_] The “peace offering” (Hebrew _shelem_) was a thank-offering or an offering made in expiation of a vow; compare Proverbs vii. 14.

²And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offering
and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of
the LORD.

=2.= _blessed the people_] Compare 2 Chronicles vi. 3.

³And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to
every one a loaf of bread, and a portion _of flesh_¹, and a cake
of raisins.

¹ Or, _of wine_.

=3.= _a loaf of bread_] A flat round cake such as is still made in Egypt is meant.

_a portion_ of flesh] margin “of wine.” The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown. _Of flesh_ is rightly in italics here as in 2 Samuel vi. 19.

_a cake of raisins_] Compare Isaiah xvi. 7 (Revised Version) where the same Hebrew word is used.

=4‒6= (compare verses 37, 38).
DAVID’S ARRANGEMENTS FOR MINISTRATION BEFORE THE ARK.

⁴And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before
the ark of the LORD, and to celebrate and to thank and praise
the LORD, the God of Israel:

=4.= _to celebrate_] The literal meaning is _to call to mind_; compare verse 12 (_remember_). Compare Psalms xxxviii., lxx. (titles).

⁵Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel¹, and
Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah,
and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and
Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud;

¹ In chapter xv. 18, _Jaaziel_.

=5.= _Asaph_] Compare xv. 17, note.

_and Obed-edom_] It is possible that the names Obed-edom, and Jeiel and Asaph (in the latter part of the verse) have been inserted by the interpolator who wrote xv. 19‒21 and wished to accommodate these verses to the altered text in chapter xv.

⁶and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually,
before the ark of the covenant of God.

=6.= _Benaiah and Jahaziel_] Two priests for the two trumpets.

_Benaiah_] In xxvii. 5, 6 a _Benaiah_ son of Jehoiada the priest (Revised Version) is mentioned who may possibly be identified with the Benaiah who was one of the thirty heroes (xi. 24, 25). Compare also xii. 27.

=7‒36.=
THE PSALM OF PRAISE.

⁷Then on that day did David first ordain¹ to give thanks unto
the LORD, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

¹ Or, _make it the chief work_.

The psalm which follows consists of Psalms cv. 1‒15, Psalms xcvi. 1b‒13a, Psalms cvi. 1, 47, 48. It has been compiled from the Psalms just mentioned and placed here as an utterance such as would be appropriate to the situation. For detailed criticism as to the original form and present text of these Psalms, the reader must be referred to the commentaries on the Psalter. Only such comment is here given as seems called for in their present setting.

=8‒22= (= Psalms cv. 1‒15).

⁸O give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name;
Make known his doings among the peoples.

=8, 9.= These verses are perhaps based upon Isaiah xii. 4, 5.

⁹Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;
Talk¹ ye of all his marvellous works.
¹⁰Glory ye in his holy name:
Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

¹ Or, _Meditate_.

=9.= _Talk ye_] margin _Meditate_. Meditation leads to fresh proclamation.

_marvellous works_] (compare verse 12). i.e. works beyond man’s expectation; compare Genesis xviii. 14, _Is anything too hard_ (_wonderful_, Revised Version margin) _for the LORD?_

¹¹Seek ye the LORD and his strength;
Seek his face evermore.

=11.= _and his strength_] Perhaps (altering only the points of the Hebrew word) =and be ye strong=. So LXX. καὶ ἰσχύσατε (in Psalms cv. 4 καὶ κραταιώθητε). A promise is sometimes expressed in Hebrew by the imperative.

¹²Remember his marvellous works that he hath done;
His wonders, and the judgements of his mouth;

=12.= _His wonders_] in particular, the marvels of the deliverance from Egypt; Psalms cv. 27‒36.

¹³O ye seed of Israel his servant,
Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

=13.= _of Israel_] Psalms cv. 6, _of Abraham_.

¹⁴He is the LORD our God:
His judgements are in all the earth.

=14.= _His judgements are in all the earth_] Compare verses 20‒22.

¹⁵Remember his covenant for ever,
The word which he commanded to a thousand generations;
¹⁶_The covenant_ which he made with Abraham,
And his oath unto Isaac;
¹⁷And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant:

=15.= _Remember_] Read (with Psalms cv. 8) =He hath remembered=. Compare Exodus xxiv. 3‒8, xxxiv. 10‒27.

¹⁸Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,
The lot¹ of your inheritance:

¹ Hebrew _cord_, or, _line_.

=18.= _The lot_] The Hebrew word (“_ḥebel_”) means _a portion_ not _assigned by lot_ but _measured by line_; compare margin Canaan is co-extensive with Israel’s inheritance.

_inheritance_] All nations receive an inheritance from God; Deuteronomy xxxii. 8.

¹⁹When ye were but a few men in number;
Yea, very few, and sojourners in it;

=19.= _When ye were_] Psalms cv. 12, _When they were_.

_sojourners_] The patriarchs were not simply _strangers_, but strangers who made a long _sojourn_ in Canaan.

²⁰And they went about from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people.

=20.= _kingdom ... people_] The “kingdom” is Egypt (Genesis xii.); the “people” the Canaanite and Perizzite (Genesis xiii.).

²¹He suffered no man to do them wrong;
Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;

=21.= _he reproved kings_] Genesis xx. 3‒7.

²²_Saying_, Touch not mine anointed ones,
And do my prophets no harm.

=22.= _my prophets_] Genesis xx. 7.

=23‒33= (= Psalms xcvi. 1‒13).

²³Sing unto the LORD, all the earth;
Shew forth his salvation from day to day.
²⁴Declare his glory among the nations,
His marvellous works among all the peoples.

=23.= _Sing unto the LORD_] In Psalms xcvi. 1, 2 this exhortation is thrice repeated; in Chronicles it is once given. Note that verse 2a of the Psalm is also omitted here.

²⁵For great is the LORD, and highly to be praised:
He also is to be feared above all gods.

=25.= _to be feared above all gods_] i.e. to be feared as being above all “that are called gods,” these being “things of nought” (verse 26, Revised Version margin). The real existence of false gods is not assumed.

²⁶For all the gods of the peoples are idols¹:
But the LORD made the heavens.

¹ Or, _things of nought_.

=26.= _made the heavens_] A fine epithet. Compare Jeremiah x. 11, _The gods that have not made the heavens ... shall perish from the earth_.

²⁷Honour and majesty are before him:
Strength and gladness are in his place.

=27.= _are before him_] i.e. are His, belong to Him as His attributes. Perhaps also _before him_ refers to God’s abode in heaven, while the parallel expression _in his place_ (Psalms xcvi. 6, _in his sanctuary_) refers to His temple on earth.

_Strength and gladness_] Psalms xcvi. 6, _Strength and beauty_. The reference seems to be to the _strength and gladness_ (or _beauty_) which God bestows on Israel (Psalms lxviii. 35; Isaiah lxi. 3).

_in his place_] Read with Psalms xcvi. 6, =in his sanctuary=. Compare the two preceding notes.

²⁸Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the peoples,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.

=28.= _of the peoples_] An expectation that the Gentiles will turn to the worship of the true God is expressed not rarely in the Psalms; compare Psalms xxii. 27, Psalms lxviii. 31, 32; and is, of course, one of the greatest contributions of Old Testament faith to the religious aspirations of humanity.

²⁹Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come before him:
Worship the LORD in the beauty¹ of holiness.

¹ Or, _in holy array_.

=29.= _before him_] Psalms xcvi. 8, _into his courts_.

_Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness_] Render as margin, =worship the Lord in holy attire= (see Kirkpatrick on Psalms xxix. 2, Psalms xcvi. 9; and compare Exodus xxviii. 2). Compare 2 Chronicles xx. 21.

³⁰Tremble before him, all the earth:
The world also is stablished that it cannot be moved.

=30.= _The world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved_] In Psalms xcvi. 10 this clause is preceded by the words, _Say among the nations, The LORD reigneth_, and is followed by the words, _He shall judge the peoples with equity_.

³¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
³²Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
Let the field exult, and all that is therein;

=31.= _And let them say_] Psalms xcvi. 10, _Say_ [ye]. The clause is displaced in Chronicles; compare note on verse 30.

_The LORD reigneth_] i.e. the Lord is claiming His kingdom over the earth by coming to judge the earth; compare verse 33. Contrast Habakkuk i. 14, where the prophet complains that Jehovah is not asserting Himself as the ruler of men.

³³Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before the LORD,
For he cometh to judge the earth.

=33.= _to judge the earth_] The joy with which the coming judgement is greeted arises from the fact that the Hebrews regarded a judge as a champion of the oppressed and not as a precise interpreter of statutes.

=34‒36= (= Psalms cvi. 1, 47, 48).

³⁴O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
For his mercy _endureth_ for ever.

=34.= _his mercy_ endureth _for ever_] Compare Exodus xx. 6, “shewing mercy unto a thousand generations of them that love me” (Revised Version margin).

³⁵And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation,
And gather us together and deliver us from the nations,
To give thanks unto thy holy name,
And to triumph in thy praise.

=35.= _gather us together_] A phrase which shows very clearly that the standpoint of the Psalmist is post-exilic.

³⁶Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD.

=36.= _said, Amen, and praised the LORD_] In the Psalms (cvi. 48) “say, Amen! Hallelujah! (i.e. Praise ye the Lord!).” This verse belongs not properly to the Psalm, but is the doxology marking the conclusion of the fourth “book” of the Psalms. Apparently then the Psalms had already been arranged in the five collections or “books,” into which they were finally divided, by the time of the Chronicler; but the argument is not conclusive since (1) the doxology _may_ be really part of the Psalm, and (2) there is the possibility that verses 7‒36 are a later insertion in Chronicles.

=37‒43.=
THE SERVICE BEFORE THE ARK AND THE SERVICE AT GIBEON.

The description of the disposition of the Priests and Levites for the worship in Jerusalem and in Gibeon which was begun in verses 4‒6 is here resumed. verses 37, 38 summarise verses 4‒6.

³⁷So 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: ³⁸and Obed-edom with their
brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom also the son of
Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers:

=38.= _Obed-edom with their brethren_] A name or names seems to be missing after Obed-edom. The LXX. cuts the knot by reading simply “and _his_ brethren.” Probably we should insert after Obed-edom the words “and Hosah” from the last part of the verse: see the following note.

_Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun_] If the view of xv. 19‒21 and xvi. 5 taken above be correct, these words also may be deleted as a harmonising gloss, added by someone who wished to insist on Obed-edom as a _singer_, and hence gave him a place in the line of Jeduthun, one of the three great choral guilds.

³⁹and Zadok. the priest, and his brethren the priests, before
the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,

=39.= _Zadok the priest_] As Zadok alone is here mentioned as “before the tabernacle,” the Chronicler perhaps implies that Abiathar (Ahimelech) the other high-priest was in charge of the Ark in Jerusalem. On Zadok and Abiathar, see xv. 11, note.

_the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon_] See prefatory note to chapter xiii.; and 2 Chronicles i. 3.

⁴⁰to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of burnt
offering continually morning and evening, even according to all
that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded unto
Israel;

=40.= _the altar of burnt offering_] 2 Chronicles i. 5, 6.

_morning and evening_] Exodus xxix. 38, 39 (= Numbers xxviii. 3, 4).

⁴¹and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were
chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD,
because his mercy _endureth_ for ever;

=41.= _Jeduthun_] Psalms xxxix., lxii., lxxvii. (titles). In vi. 33‒47, xv. 17, 19 the names of the leading singers are given as _Heman_, _Asaph_, and _Ethan_. Here and in xxv. 1 ff. however _Jeduthun_ seems to take the place of _Ethan_. Probably there was a variation in the tradition as to the third name, two families competing each for the honour of its own ancestor.

⁴²and 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.
⁴³And all the people departed every man to his house: and David
returned to bless his house.

=42.= _and with them_, etc.] The words _with them_ are possibly repeated in error from verse 41. Render perhaps, =And Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals=. For _trumpets_ compare xv. 24 (note).

_sons of Jeduthun_] Perhaps a gloss connected with the statement in verse 38, where see note on _Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun_.

_to be at the gate_] David’s organisation of the doorkeepers is given in xxvi. 1‒19.