Chapter XXV

=1‒7.=
THE FAMILIES OF THE SINGERS.

The Chronicler displays so much interest in the liturgical worship of the Temple that it is very probable that he was himself a member of the musical guilds. There is no reason to question the importance of the musicians in the Temple worship of the late post-exilic period. But the development of their organisation and duties was certainly a gradual process, and did not, as the Chronicler here represents, spring into being, full-grown, in the days of David. Three classes――the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (= Ethan) had come to be clearly recognised. They are here regarded as divided into twenty-four courses (like the Levites and Priests), but that this even in the Chronicler’s time represents not an actuality but an ideal is suggested by the artificial character of the names which conclude the list――see verse 4, note on _Hananiah_.

¹Moreover David and the captains of the host separated for
the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of
Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and
with cymbals: and the number of them that did the work according
to their service was:

=1.= _Moreover David_] Render, =And David=.

_separated_] compare xxiii. 13, note.

_who should prophesy_] i.e. sing and praise in the manner of the prophets, compare 1 Samuel x. 5. There is no reference to the predictive power or the higher spiritual activities of the great prophets. Nevertheless the term serves, and is intended, to invest the office of the musicians with a greater honour than that of the ministrant Levites.

_psalteries_] See xiii. 8, note.

²of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and
Asharelah¹, the sons of Asaph; under the hand of Asaph, who
prophesied after the order² of the king.

¹ In verse 14, _Jesharelah_.

² Hebrew _by the hands of the king_.

=2.= _Asaph_] See xv. 17, note.

_Asharelah_] In verse 14, “Jesharelah.”

_after the order_] All was done according to the order established by king David.

³Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri¹, and
Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six²; under the hands of
their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving
thanks and praising the LORD.

¹ In verse 11, _Izri_.

² With Shimei, mentioned in verse 17.

=3.= _Jeduthun_] See xvi. 41, note.

_Zeri_] read as in verse 11, =Izri=.

_Jeshaiah_] After Jeshaiah LXX. B inserts the name “Shimei” (Σεμεεὶ), no doubt rightly for (1) six sons are reckoned in this verse, (2) the “Shimei” of verse 17 is otherwise unmentioned in verses 2‒4, though his twenty-three companions are named.

⁴Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel¹,
Shebuel², and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti,
and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth:

¹ In verse 18, _Azarel_.

² In verse 20, _Shubael_.

=4.= _Heman_] See xv. 17, note.

_Uzziel_] In verse 18, “Azarel.” The variation between the two words when written with Hebrew consonants is small. Compare note on 2 Chronicles xxvi. 1 (“Uzziah” and “Azariah”).

_Shebuel_] In verse 20, “Shubael.”

_Jerimoth_] In verse 22, “Jeremoth.”

_Hananiah_, _Hanani_] _Hananiah_, which signifies “Jehovah (Jah) is gracious,” and _Hanani_ (probably a contraction of _Hananiah_) are names found not infrequently in the Old Testament; but the following seven words are practically impossible as proper names, and the nine words together, with some easy alterations, actually form a poetical petition, which may be rendered thus:

“Be gracious unto me, O God; be gracious unto me!
Thou art my God.
Thou hast magnified and exalted help for him that sat in distress.
Thou hast given visions abundantly.”

What explanation can be offered of this startling fact? It may be that the names are wholly artificial, invented by the Chronicler to fill out the desired twenty-four courses (see the head-note above), but the device is clumsy and the Chronicler was not likely to be bankrupt for names. Perhaps by a curious chance the original names bore some _slight_ resemblance to a sentence such as the above, and the resemblance has at some time been perfected by a fanciful scribe.

⁵all these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words
of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen
sons and three daughters. ⁶All these were under the hands of
their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals,
psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God;
Asaph¹, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.

¹ Or, _after the order of the king_, even _Asaph_ &c.

=5.= _the king’s seer_] This title is given to Gad in xxi. 9, and to Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, all three in 2 Chronicles xxxv. 15 (LXX. not Hebrew).

_in the words of God_] The exact meaning of this is uncertain; it may either mean “in Divine things” (i.e. arrangements for worship), or “by Divine appointment” (compare 2 Chronicles xxix. 15 “by the words of the LORD”).

_to lift up the horn_] i.e. to make loud blasts upon the horn; but a slightly different division of the Hebrew consonants should probably be made and the phrase connected with the following verse. Render therefore, =To lift up the horn= (i.e. to increase his power) =God gave to Heman=, etc.

_fourteen sons_] Corresponding with the fourteen names given in verse 4.

⁷And the number of them, with their brethren that were
instructed in singing unto the LORD, even all that were skilful,
was two hundred fourscore and eight.

=7.= _two hundred fourscore and eight_] The number corresponds with the twenty-four courses of twelve members each about to be enumerated.

=8‒31.=
THE ALLOTMENT OF THE COURSES.

⁸And they cast lots for their charges¹, all alike, as well the
small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.

¹ Or, _ward against_ ward, _as well_ &c.

=8.= _for their charges, all alike_] _charges_, i.e. duties. The Hebrew text is faulty, but the Revised Version rendering probably represents the right reading.

_the teacher as the scholar_] LXX. τελείων καὶ μανθανόντων (i.e. _the initiated and the learners_). For a similar inclusive phrase compare the Arabic “he that giveth to hear and he that heareth,” and see further references in Driver, Deuteronomy (International _Crititcal Commentary_), p. 376. Instead of “the teacher” we may render “the skilful” as in verse 7; the Hebrew word is the same. It is to be noted that we have here twenty-four courses of singers corresponding with the twenty-four courses of the priests.

⁹Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to
Gedaliah; he and his brethren and sons were twelve: ¹⁰the third
to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

=9.= _for Asaph_] A comparison of verses 9‒31 with verses 2‒4 shows that the first, third, fifth and seventh lots fell to Asaph, the second, fourth, eighth, tenth, twelfth and fourteenth to Jeduthun, and the rest (fourteen in number) to Heman.

¹¹the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹²the
fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ¹³the
sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

=11.= _Izri_] See note on _Zeri_, verse 3.

¹⁴the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
¹⁵the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
¹⁶the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

=14.= _Jesharelah_] Compare verse 2.

¹⁷the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

=17.= _Shimei_] Not mentioned in the present text of verses 2‒4; see note on _Jeshaiah_, verse 3.

¹⁸the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
¹⁹the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:

=18.= _Azarel_] Called _Uzziel_, verse 4.

²⁰for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
²¹for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren,
twelve:

=20.= _Shubael_] Called _Shebuel_, verse 4.

²²for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren,
twelve: ²³for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his
brethren, twelve: ²⁴for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his
sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁵for the eighteenth to Hanani,
his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁶for the nineteenth to
Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁷for the twentieth
to Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve: ²⁸for the one
and twentieth to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
²⁹for the two and twentieth to Giddalti, his sons and his
brethren, twelve: ³⁰for the three and twentieth to Mahazioth,
his sons and his brethren, twelve: ³¹for the four and twentieth
to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.

=22.= _Jeremoth_] Called _Jerimoth_, verse 4.