Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The 24 classes of Levites appointed for singing, chanting psalms, and playing the lyre are enumerated.
Vulgate Text: 1 Paralipomenon 25:1-31
1. So David and the officers of the army set apart for the ministry the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun; who were to prophesy with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, each serving in the office assigned to him according to their number. 2. Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph: under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied at the king's direction. 3. And of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, and Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp in giving thanks and praising the Lord. 4. And of Heman: the sons of Heman were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, and Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth; 5. all these were sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to exalt the horn: and God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6. All these were distributed under the direction of their father for singing in the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the ministry of the house of the Lord, at the king's direction: namely Asaph, and Jeduthun, and Heman. 7. And the number of them, together with their brethren who taught the song of the Lord, all who were masters, was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8. And they cast lots for their turns equally, the greater as well as the lesser, the skilled as well as the unskilled. 9. And the first lot fell to Joseph, who was of the family of Asaph. The second to Gedaliah, to him and his sons and his brethren, twelve. 10. The third to Zaccur, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 11. The fourth to Izri, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 12. The fifth to Nethaniah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 13. The sixth to Bukkiah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 14. The seventh to Jesharelah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 15. The eighth to Jeshaiah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 16. The ninth to Mattaniah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 17. The tenth to Shimei, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 18. The eleventh to Azarel, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 19. The twelfth to Hashabiah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 20. The thirteenth to Shebuel, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 21. The fourteenth to Mattithiah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 22. The fifteenth to Jerimoth, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 23. The sixteenth to Hananiah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 24. The seventeenth to Joshbekashah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 25. The eighteenth to Hanani, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 26. The nineteenth to Mallothi, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 27. The twentieth to Eliathah, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 28. The twenty-first to Hothir, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 29. The twenty-second to Giddalti, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 30. The twenty-third to Mahazioth, with his sons and brethren, twelve. 31. The twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, with his sons and brethren, twelve.
Verse 1: The Officers of the Army
1. THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY — that is, the leaders both political and ecclesiastical; for the whole people, both laity and Levites, is called an "army" because of their multitude; for they were many and packed together, and arranged by ranks like battle lines, as soldiers are in an army. The officers of the Levites, in chapter 24:6, are called "leaders of the sanctuary."
WHO WERE TO PROPHESY (that is, who were to sing and praise God) WITH HARPS, EACH SERVING IN THE OFFICE ASSIGNED TO HIM ACCORDING TO THEIR NUMBER — that is, each in his turn sang with as many as had been assigned to sing; for a more numerous family constituting one order of singers had more singers than one which contained fewer members in its household. In Hebrew it reads: men of the work in their ministry, that is, diligent men, skillfully performing their duty; that is, all these were most expert musicians, says Vatablus.
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ASAPH, WHO PROPHESIED (sang the praises of God) AT THE KING'S DIRECTION — namely in the citadel of Zion before the ark, near the seat of David, where he himself was accustomed to sit and attend the divine praises. For it is likely that other singers were assigned to sing in the Tabernacle of Moses, which was at Gibeon; hence some, to include both groups, explain "at the king's direction" as meaning: according to the king's prescription and distribution, so that these would sing in Zion and those in Gibeon.
Verse 3: The Sons of Jeduthun
3. THE SONS OF JEDUTHUN: GEDALIAH, ZERI, JESHAIAH, AND HASHABIAH, AND MATTITHIAH, SIX. — Only five are listed here, as is evident to anyone counting them. Therefore the sixth is missing, and it is likely to be "Shimei," who is named in verse 17 in the tenth lot; for Shimei is not named among the sons of Asaph nor among the sons of Heman. He was therefore a son of Jeduthun; for the sons of these three are described here, as is clear from verse 1.
Verse 5: Heman the King's Seer
5. ALL THESE WERE SONS OF HEMAN THE KING'S SEER IN THE WORDS OF GOD. — Heman is called "Seer," that is, prophet, meaning the singer of divine praises at David's court. "In the words of God" — that is, when the words, that is, the deeds and praises of God, were being sung; meaning that David had his musicians at court and at table, who sang secular music for the king's honest recreation; but here Heman saw to it that only sacred songs were sung in the Tabernacle, when David devoted himself to the divine offices. "The words of God" therefore were psalms, hymns, and canticles of divine praise.
TO EXALT THE HORN — that is, by singing to exalt the greatness, magnificence, and immense majesty, wisdom, mercy, power, clemency, and beneficence of God. So Abulensis. Secondly, and more precisely, Heman saw to it that those psalms were sung in which David prays and foretells the exaltation of the "horn," that is, the kingdom, power, and glory both of his own empire and of the antitype, Christ. For to hear this was most pleasing and most desired by David. Hence he frequently treats of this exaltation of the horn in the psalms. Hence Vatablus translates: Who was the king's seer in divine words, that the horn might be lifted up; and he explains it thus: Heman prophesied of David that he would attain great fame and glory. For "horn" signifies dignity and glory, likewise strength and might, as if to say: for the exaltation of the royal dignity and power. For Asaph and Jeduthun sang other psalms, which were directed toward instructing and consoling the people, and stirring them to piety and to praising God along with them.
Verse 7: Who Taught the Song
7. WHO TAUGHT THE SONG — that is, "masters," as follows, who taught the rest to sing and play skillfully, both with the voice and with musical instruments.
Verse 8: The Skilled as Well as the Unskilled
8. THE SKILLED AS WELL AS THE UNSKILLED — that is, the one experienced in singing equally with the inexperienced, the teacher equally with the student; meaning that David distributed the singers into 24 classes, and to each class he gave twelve master musicians who were skilled, to teach the rest to sing, and to direct and perfect them in song. Therefore these masters were 288 in total, as was said in verse 7. For multiply 24 by 12, and the result is the number 288.