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Joel Kell

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1 Chronicles 15

Introduction

David, having prepared a place for the ark of God, gathered the Israelites, Levites, and priests, to assist in the bringing of it up thereunto, 1 Chron. 15:1, 1 Chron. 15:13 and which was done in a very honourable and joyful manner, 1 Chron.

Verse 1

And David made him houses in the city of David With the help of the masons and carpenters Hiram sent him, , the royal palace is meant, with all the apartments in it, which were many and large, as so great a family he had required, and with all the out houses to it necessary for his servants, and…

Verse 2

Then David said Either within himself, or to his ministers and courtiers about him: none ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites; he saw his former mistake in employing those that were not Levites in bringing up the ark from Kirjathjearim, and bringing it in a cart, and not on the shoulders…

Verse 3

And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem The chief and heads of the people: to bring up the ark of the Lord; from the house of Obededom, where it had been three months, and for the sake of which his house was blessed, and which David heard of; and this encouraged him to take this step to…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verses 4–10

And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites. ] Whose business it was to bear the ark when there was any occasion for it: and from hence to the end of an account is given of the Levites, and their number employed in this affair: of the sons of Kohath; a son of Levi, that is, of his…

Verse 11

And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests See (2 Sam. 15:27, 2 Sam. 15:29) and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab; the six chiefs before mentioned.

Verse 12

And he said unto them, ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites Of the families of the Levites, heads of their fathers’ houses: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren; respectively under each, whose numbers are before given, by washing their bodies and clothes, and abstaining from…

Verse 13

For because ye did it not at the first Did not sanctify themselves, as the supplement in our version directs; but rather the sense is, ye were not there at first, when the ark was brought from Kirjathjearim as far as the house of Obededom, as they should have been; they were not then employed, as…

Verse 14

So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves As they were ordered, and in the manner they should: to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel; for though it was chiefly the work of the Levites, yet the priests might do it, and sometimes did, see (Josh. 3:13, Josh. 3:14) .

Verse 15

And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders, with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord.

Verse 16

And David spake to the chief of the Levites The six before mentioned, to appoint their brethren to be the singers; before the ark, as they brought it up: with instruments of music, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals; which were used in those times, see sounding by lifting up the voice with joy; the…

Verse 17

So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel The grandson of Samuel the prophet, and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; a famous singer, often mentioned in the Psalms, and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; the same with the son of Kishi, , these were the…

Verse 18

And with them their brethren of the second degree Who were next unto them, both in office and skill in singing: the fourteen following, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom,…

Verse 19

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan The three principal of them: these were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass; for as there were three sorts of musical instruments, these three chief singers had one of those instruments appropriated to them, one of which were the cymbals of brass, to…

Verse 20

And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah Who were eight of the second degree; Aziel is the same with Jaaziel, and Ben is left out, in whose room Azaziah, in the next verse, seems to be put; Ben is thought to be sick or dead before they…

Verse 21

And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah These six were appointed to sound: with harps on the Sheminith to excel; which Sheminith some take to be an harp with eight strings, or the beginning of a song, or a musical tone, the bass; see the title of .

Verse 22

And Chenaniah chief of the Levites was for song But the chief for the song were Heman, Asaph, and Ethan; rather for the burden, as the Targum; for the lifting up and bearing the ark: he instructed about the song; or about the taking up and bearing the burden, the ark; directing when to take it up,…

Verse 23

And Berechiah, and Elkanah, were doorkeepers for the ark Either while it was at Kirjathjearim, and at Obededom’s house; or rather after it was put in the tabernacle David had prepared for it; though it may be best of all to understand it, that those, as it was carrying, went before it, to keep the…

Verse 24

And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God With the silver trumpets; one use of which was to blow with when the camps and ark of the Lord moved, (Num. 10:5, Num. 10:6) .

Verse 25

So David and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands He and the principal men of the nation, and the officers of the army or militia: went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy; with all demonstrations of it; for which purpose such a…

Verse 26

And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord Not merely granted them bodily strength to carry it, which did not require a great deal; but helped them to carry it with cheerfulness, and without fear, and so as to commit no error, nor in any respect…

Verse 27

And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen For though a king, he, being among the singers, was clothed as they; for so it follows: and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song; or of those that bore the burden, the ark, as the Targum: with the…

Verse 28

Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting See .

Verse 29

And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window Of the palace, to see the procession, see (2 Sam. 6:16, 2 Sam.