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. read more
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... read more
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. read more
Asaph - See the preceding chapter, 1 Chronicles 15:17 ; (note), etc. read more
To minister ; i.e. to officiate, as we should say, in the service before the ark. The verse seems to describe what should be the essence of that service. It was threefold— to record, to thank , and to praise the Lord God of Israel. The word here used for "record" is the Hiph. of זָכַר (to remember), and is remarked upon by Gesenius as a title strictly appropriate to the character of the two psalms 38. and 70; on the head of which it stands, as meaning, "to make others remember" (see... read more
These verses contain a statement of the arrangement David made of a more permanent nature, but to date from this commencement, for the service of thanksgiving by the Levites. read more
Obed-edom . No colon should follow this name. And the first time of the occurrence of the name Jeiel in this verse should probably have shown the Jaaziel of 1 Chronicles 15:18 . The contents of this verse put us, then, into possession of this much, that Asaph presided ( 1 Chronicles 6:39 ) at this musical service, and that his instrument was the cymbals ( 1 Chronicles 15:19 ), with which time was kept; that Zechariah was next to him, and, with eight others formed a band, who played... read more
Jahaziel . Probably the Eliezer, who in 1 Chronicles 15:24 is coupled as priest with Benaiah, should stand in the place of this name or else vice versa. read more
This passage is interposed by the writer of Chronicles between two sentences of the parallel passage in Samuel. It contains a detailed account of the service which David instituted at this time, a service out of which grew the more elaborate service of the temple. The language of much of the passage is remarkably archaic, and there can be no reasonable doubt that it is in the main an extract from a record of the time of David.1 Chronicles 16:5The occurrence of the name “Jeiel” twice in this... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Chronicles 16:1-6
It was a glorious day when the ark of God was safely lodged in the tent David had pitched for it. That good man had his heart much upon it, could not sleep contentedly till it was done, Ps. 132:4, 5. I. The circumstances of the ark were now, 1. Better than what they had been. It had been obscure in a country town, in the fields of the wood; now it was removed to a public place, to the royal city, where all might resort to it. It had been neglected, as a despised broken vessel; now it was... read more