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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Chronicles 6:31 - 6:31
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(6:16-34). The genealogies of the Levite musicians - Heman, Asaph, and Ethan. - These registers are introduced by an account of the service of the Levites about the sanctuary (1Ch 6:31, 1Ch 6:32), and conclude with remarks on the service of the remaining Levites (1Ch 6:48, 1Ch 6:49).
1Ch 6:31-32
(6:16-17). “These are they whom David set for the leading of the song in the house of Jahve, after the resting of the ark,” cf. 1Ch 6:20, 1Ch 6:22. יְדֵי עַל “upon the hands,” “to the hands;” that is, both for leading, and, according to arrangement. To the hands of the song, i.e., to manage the singing, to carry it on, to conduct it. הָעָרֹון מִמְּנֹוחַ, “from the resting of the ark,” i.e., from the time that the ark of the covenant, which in the prae-Davidic time had been carried about from one place to another, had received a permanent resting-place on Zion, and had become the centre of the worship instituted by David, 2Sa 6:17. “And they served before the dwelling of the tabernacle with song.” מִשְׁכָּן לִפְנֵי, “before the dwelling,” for the sacrificial worship, with which the singing of psalms was connected, was performed in the court before the dwelling. The genitive מֹועֵד אֹהֶל is to be taken as explanatory: “The dwelling (of Jahve), which was the tent of the meeting (of God with His people).” מֹועֵד אֹהֶל was the usual designation of the tabernacle built by Moses, which was at first set up in Shiloh, then in the time of Saul at Nob, and after the destruction of that city by Saul (1 Sam 22) in Gibeon (1Ch 21:29). It denotes here the tent which David had erected upon Mount Zion for the ark of the covenant, because from its containing the ark, and by the institution of a settled worship in it (cf. 1Ch 16:1-4.), it thenceforth took the place of the Mosaic tabernacle, although the Mosaic sanctuary at Gibeon continued to be a place of worship till the completion of the temple (1Ki 3:4; 2Ch 1:3), - “till Solomon built the house of Jahve in Jerusalem,” into which the ark was removed, and to which the whole of the religious services were transferred. In their services they stood כְּמִשְׁפָּטָם, according to their right, i.e., according to the order prescribed for them by David; cf. 1 Chron 16:52ff.
1Ch 6:33-38
(6:18-23). “These (following three men, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan) are they who stood (in service) with their sons.” The three were the heads of the three Levitic families, to whom the execution of the liturgic singing was entrusted. The names of their sons, vide 1Ch 25:1-6. The object of the following genealogies is to show their descent from Levi. “Of the sons of the Kohathite family (is) Heman the singer.” הַֽמְשֹׁורֵר, ὁ ψαλτῳδός lxx. Heman is named first as being the head of the choir of singers who stood in the centre, while Asaph and his choir stood on his right hand, and on the left Ethan and his choir, so that when they sang in concert the conducting of the whole fell to Heman. His family is traced back in 1Ch 6:33-38 through twenty members to “Kohath the son of Levi, then son of Israel” (Jacob).
1Ch 6:39-43
(6:24-28). “His brother Asaph,” who is Heman's brother only in the more general sense of being closely connected with him, partly by their common descent from Levi, partly by their common calling, was a descendant of Gershon from his younger son Shimei. His genealogy contains only fifteen names to Gershon, five less than that of his contemporary Heman, probably because here and there intermediate names are omitted.
1Ch 6:44-47
(6:29-32). “And the sons of Merari their brethren (i.e., the brethren of the choirs of Heman and Asaph) on the left (i.e., forming the choir which stood on the left hand) were Ethan and his sons.” As in the case of Asaph, so also in that of Ethan, וּבְנֵיהֶם (1Ch 6:18) is omitted, but is to be supplied; when the introductory clause “and the sons of Merari” is at once explained. Ethan is a Merarite of the younger line of Mushi (see above). The name of his father is here קִישִׁי, and in 1Ch 15:17 it is קוּשָׁיָהוּ, which latter is clearly the original form, which has been shortened into Kishi. Instead of the name Ethan (אֵיתָן) as here and in 1Ch 15:19, we find in other passage a Jeduthun mentioned as third chief-musician, along with Heman and Asaph (cf. 1Ch 25:1; 2Ch 35:15; Neh 11:17, cf. 1Ch 6:41); from which we see that Jeduthun was another name for Ethan, probably a by-name - יְדוּתוּן, “praiseman” - which he had received from his calling, although nothing is said in the Old Testament as to the origin of this name. His genealogy contains only twelve names to Merari, being thus still more abridged than that of Asaph.
1Ch 6:48-49
(6:33-34). “And their brethren the Levites,” i.e., the other Levites besides the singers just mentioned, “were נְתוּנִים given for every service of the dwelling of the house of God,” i.e., given to Aaron and his sons (the priests) for the performance of service in the carrying on of the worship; cf. Num 3:9; Num 8:16-19; Num 18:6. But Aaron and his sons had three duties to perform: (1) they burnt the offerings on the altar of burnt-offering and on the altar of incense, cf. Num 18:1-7; (2) they looked after all the service of the holy place; (3) they had to atone for Israel by offering the atoning-sacrifices, and performing the cleansings according to all that Moses commanded. This last clause refers to all the three above-mentioned duties of the priests. Moses is called the servant of God, as in Deu 34:5; Jos 1:1, Jos 1:13.