1Ch 25:1 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service 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 the workmen according to their service was:
David and the captains of the host - The chiefs of those who formed the several orders: not military captains. Another scholar says this is the leaders of Israel, the princes of Israel.
the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun - the three chiefs of the singers:
who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals - sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God; which contained in them prophecies concerning things to come, particularly relating to the Messiah, of which there are many in the book of Psalms; and to the tunes of these they played on the above instruments of music: The word prophesy, here, seems to mean no more than praising God by singing inspired prophetical hymns.
who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals - To prophesy, in this place, means praising God with great earnestness and devout affections, under the influences of the Holy Spirit.
who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals - Praise God by singing the psalms of David, and other sacred songs made by themselves, who were prophets, or by other prophets or holy men of God.
1Ch 25:2 Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king.
Under the hands of Asaph - under the instruction and authority of Asaph - who himself prophesied, or performed the sacred services, under the direction of the king.
Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah - called Jesharelah, 1Ch_25:14, these had the third fourth, fifth, and seventh lots, 1Ch_25:9,
which prophesied according to the order of the king - which Asaph composed psalms under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and was ordered by King David to sing them, and by whose command they were inserted in the book of Psalms, where they now stand with his name to them.
which prophesied —in this connection, played with instruments. This metaphorical application of the term “prophecy” most probably originated in the practice of the prophets, who endeavored to rouse their prophetic spirit by the animating influence of music. It is said that Asaph did this “according to David’s order,” because by royal appointment he officiated in the tabernacle on Zion (1Ch_16:37-41), while other leaders of the sacred music were stationed at Gibeon.
1Ch 25:3 Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.
The sons of Jeduthun six - That is, six with their father, otherwise, there are but five.
The sons of Jeduthun six - whereas five only are mentioned; it may be thought that Shimei, 1Ch_25:17 is the sixth, Shimei is not only mentioned in the parallel passage. It is a tradition of the Jews, that his mother was now with child of him, and it being foreseen by the Holy Spirit that he would be the chief of a course, the number six is given.
1Ch 25:4 Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth:
Heman - Heman is called in 1Ch_25:5 the seer of the king in the words of God, because he, along with his gift of song, was endowed also with the prophetic gift, and as seer made known to the king revelations of God. In 2Ch_35:15 the same thing is predicated also of Jeduthun, and in the same sense the prophet Gad is called in 1Ch_21:9 David's seer.
1Ch 25:5 All 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.
To lift up the horn - Some take this literally, and consider that Heman and his sons played on the born in the musical services; but there is no other evidence that the horn was so employed. Perhaps the most probable explanation is that it has been transferred from the next clause, where (as here) it followed the word “God,” with the sense that “God, to exalt Heman’s horn (or, increase his dignity), gave him fourteen sons and three daughters.”
1Ch 25:6 All 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, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
All these were under the hands of their father - Instructed and directed by him in the performance of the service in the temple:
cymbals, psalteries, and harps - which were the three principal instruments of music used in the temple service:
1Ch 25:7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
With their brethren - with others of the tribe of Levi. Each son of Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, was at the head of a band of twelve skilled musicians, consisting partly of his own sons, partly of Levites belonging to other families 1 Chr. 25:9-31. The 24 band-leaders, together with their bands, formed a body of 288 persons (24 x 12 =288) Besides these, we hear of there being above 3,700 singers, who were probably divided, like the trained musicians, into 24 courses, which must have contained about 155 each
even all that were cunning - expert and well skilled in the science of singing:
1Ch 25:8 And they cast lots, ward against ward, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
as well the small as the great - no regard was had to the age of a person, his being the firstborn or a younger brother, or to his office and station, whether as a teacher or a learner in the science of singing; he was made the head of a course, as the lot came up;
they cast lots, ward against ward — “Ward” is an old English word for “division” or “company.” The lot was cast to determine the precedence of the classes or divisions over which the musical leaders presided; and, in order to secure an impartial arrangement of their order, the master and his assistants, the teacher and his scholars, in each class or company took part in this solemn casting of lots. In the first catalogue given in this chapter the courses are classed according to their employment as musicians. In the second, they are arranged in the order of their service.
1Ch 25:9 Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons were twelve:
The order of succession was so determined by lot, that the four sons of Asaph (1Ch_25:3) received the first, third, fifth, and seventh places; the six sons of Jeduthun, the second, fourth, eighth, twelfth, and fourteenth; and finally, the four sons of Heman (first mentioned in 1Ch_25:4), the sixth, ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth places; while the remaining places, 1Ch_25:15-24, fell to the other sons of Heman. From this we learn that the lots of the sons of the three chief musicians were not placed in separate urns, and one lot drawn from each alternately; but that, on the contrary, all the lots were placed in one urn, and in drawing the lots of Asaph and Jeduthun came out so, that after the fourteenth drawing only sons of Heman remained.
he, his sons, and his brethren were twelve - is to be understood, as it is expressed in all the following verses, otherwise they do not make up that number of two hundred and eighty - eight mentioned 1Ch_25:7.
1Ch 25:10 The third to Zaccur, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:11 The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:12 The fifth to Nethaniah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:13 The sixth to Bukkiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:14 The seventh to Jesharelah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:15 The eighth to Jeshaiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:16 The ninth to Mattaniah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:17 The tenth to Shimei, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:18 The eleventh to Azareel, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
Azareel - Probably this person was called by both names; this and Uzziel. In the Syriac and Arabic manuscripts, the name is nearly the same in both places.
1Ch 25:19 The twelfth to Hashabiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:20 The thirteenth to Shubael, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:21 The fourteenth to Mattithiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:22 The fifteenth to Jeremoth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:23 The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:24 The seventeenth to Joshbekashah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:25 The eighteenth to Hanani, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:26 The nineteenth to Mallothi, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:27 The twentieth to Eliathah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:28 The one and twentieth to Hothir, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:29 The two and twentieth to Giddalti, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:30 The three and twentieth to Mahazioth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
1Ch 25:31 The four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve.
