Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
David brings the ark in solemn procession to Zion, and leaps for joy dancing before it. For this his wife Michal despises him, but she is punished by God with barrenness.
Vulgate Text: 1 Paralipomenon 15:1-29
1. He also built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 2. Then David said: It is unlawful for anyone to carry the ark of God except the Levites, whom the Lord chose to carry it and to minister to Him forever. 3. And he gathered all Israel together in Jerusalem, that the ark of God might be brought to its place, which he had prepared for it; 4. and also the sons of Aaron and the Levites. 5. Of the sons of Kohath, Uriel was the chief, and his brethren were one hundred and twenty. 6. Of the sons of Merari, Asaiah was the chief; and his brethren were two hundred and twenty. 7. Of the sons of Gershom, Joel was the chief; and his brethren were one hundred and thirty. 8. Of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah was the chief; and his brethren were two hundred. 9. Of the sons of Hebron, Eliel was the chief; and his brethren were eighty. 10. Of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab was the chief; and his brethren were one hundred and twelve. 11. And David called Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab; 12. and said to them: You who are the heads of the Levitical families, sanctify yourselves with your brethren; and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that has been prepared for it: 13. lest, as at the beginning, because you were not present, the Lord struck us, so also now the same may happen while we do something unlawful. 14. So the priests and Levites sanctified themselves to carry the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15. And the sons of Levi carried the ark of God, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord, on their shoulders, with the carrying poles. 16. And David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint from among their brethren singers with musical instruments, namely harps, lyres, and cymbals, so that the sound of joy might resound on high. 17. And they appointed the Levites: Heman the son of Joel, and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah. 18. And with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, and Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19. And the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, sounding with bronze cymbals. 20. And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, sang psalms of mystery on harps. 21. And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, sang a song of triumph on lyres tuned to the octave. 22. And Chenaniah, the chief of the Levites, presided over the prophetic song, to lead the melody; for he was very wise. 23. And Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers of the ark. 24. And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, priests, sounded the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers of the ark. 25. So David, and all the elders of Israel, and the captains, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom with joy. 26. And when God had helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27. And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites who carried the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the song among the singers: and David was also wearing a linen ephod. 28. And all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding with harps and lyres. 29. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul, looking out through a window, saw King David leaping and dancing, and she despised him in her heart.
Verse 13: Because You Were Not Present
13. BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT PRESENT. — From this, some conclude that Uzzah was struck by God because he, not being a priest, touched the ark. For it was the priests' role to touch it and carry it on their shoulders. See what was said at 2 Kings 6. Others, from the words "sanctify yourselves," conclude that Uzzah was struck because he had contracted some stain and had not purified and sanctified himself from it before touching the ark. But "sanctify yourselves" pertains to the priests, who could not touch the ark unless they had first purged and sanctified themselves from all legal impurity; otherwise they would be struck by God just like Uzzah, and this is all that David intends here.
Verse 20: Psalms of Mystery on Harps
20. ON HARPS THEY SANG PSALMS OF MYSTERY — namely psalms which in Hebrew are inscribed Alamoth, that is, mysterious and hidden things, such as Psalm 9 and 14. These two psalms are so fitting for this passage that they seem to have been composed by David on the occasion of this translation of the ark. Now the Nablum was a musical instrument which received air in a belly like a bag (for nebel in Hebrew means a bag), and emitted it through a pipe with harmony, without anyone blowing into it. Hence the person who used it was called an Utricularius (bag-player) and Ascaules; for askos in Greek means a bag.
Verse 21: Song of Triumph on Lyres
21. ON LYRES TUNED TO THE OCTAVE THEY SANG A SONG OF TRIUMPH. That is, they sang psalms which in Hebrew are inscribed al sheminith, that is, "on the eighth" or "for the eighth," either because they were to be sung with eight voices, or on an octachord, for example a lyre strung with eight strings (for some were tetrachords, others heptachords, others decachords), since sheminah means eight; see what was said at 2 Kings 6:13.
For "epinicion" (song of triumph), the Hebrew is netsach, which Vatablus translates as "to prevail," that is, to elevate the voice so as to surpass the other singers, as is now the case with the Alto or Upper part; for the Alto, by raising the voice, surpasses the Tenor, Counter-tenor, and Bass. Better does our translator render it: "Epinicion," that is, a triumphal song, or a song of victory. See what was said at 2 Kings 6:13.
Verse 22: Chenaniah Presided Over the Melody
22. AND CHENANIAH, THE CHIEF OF THE LEVITES, PRESIDED OVER THE PROPHETIC SONG, TO LEAD THE MELODY. — For "prophecy" the Hebrew is massa, that is, an elevation, an assumption, and thence a burden lifted up and taken on the shoulders, and thence by metaphor a sad and burdensome prophecy; whence first, some here translate: Chenaniah presided over the burden and the burden-bearers; because it was his duty to instruct the bearers of the ark as to how they should proceed, rest, change shifts, etc.
Secondly, others translate: "He presided over the prophecy," that is, he prescribed to the singers the prophetic songs they were to sing. For singers are sometimes called prophets, and to prophesy means the same as to sing and to praise God. So Saul "prophesied," that is, he sang the praises of God, 1 Kings 10:5.
Thirdly, the Hebrews as cited by St. Jerome in the Traditions say: "he presided over the prophecy," that is, they say, he recalled to the memory of the singers the melodies and words of the prophetic songs.
Fourthly, the Septuagint translates best: He was the chief in the elevation; Vatablus: in the raising of the voice; that is, Chenaniah was the precentor, and intoned with a louder voice and led the melody of the psalm to be sung, which the other singers then followed, as the Cantors and Directors of music do in a choir. That this is so is clear from the fact that our translator, explaining further, adds: "to lead the melody," where the Hebrew has the same word massa that a little before our translator rendered as "prophecy" — therefore this was nothing other than melody.
FOR HE WAS VERY WISE. — In Hebrew mebin, that is, intelligent, meaning most skilled in music and singing. For such ought precentors to be.
Verse 26: God Had Helped the Levites
26. AND WHEN GOD HAD HELPED THE LEVITES — so that they felt no burden in carrying the ark, say the Rabbis. But this is a fable. Hear Lyra, drawing aptly from the Hebrews for the present matter: "The Hebrews say," he says, "that this help is understood in the sense that the ark carried itself, that is, that by divine power it was so carried that the Levite bearers felt no weight; and for that miracle the sacrifice was offered." But I say truly: God helped them by encouraging them, supplying strength and especially love, so that they willingly bore the ark and therefore scarcely felt the burden. Therefore that miracle was not so much one of power as of charity. For this is what made that burden, otherwise very heavy, seem very light to those who loved. Josephus adds that those who went before the ark singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, although they spent the whole day in that labor, nevertheless felt no fatigue from their work. For the love with which they served the divine oracle did not allow their strength to diminish, but rather made them more vigorous with each passing hour.
Verse 27: David Clothed in Fine Linen
27. AND DAVID WAS CLOTHED WITH A ROBE OF FINE LINEN — namely a linen ephod, which elsewhere is called byssine; for byssus is a finer and more delicate linen.