1 Chronicles 25

1 Chronicles 25 is the twenty-fifth chapter of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Chronicles in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1][2] The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE.[3] This chapter records the organization and departments of Levite temple musicians, from three main families (verses 1–19) and the drawing of lots to allocate individual musicians' duties (verses 20–31).[4] The whole chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingship of David (1 Chronicles 9:35 to 29:30),[1] which from chapter 22 to the end does not have parallel in 2 Samuel.[5]

1 Chronicles 25
The complete Hebrew text of the Books of Chronicles (1 and 2 Chronicles) in the Leningrad Codex (1008 CE).
BookBooks of Chronicles
CategoryKetuvim
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part13

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 31 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[6]

Extant manuscripts of a Koine Greek translation known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE, include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century).[7][lower-alpha 1]

Three families of musicians (25:1–6)

This section details the organization of the temple musicians who strictly belonged to the Levites (1 Chronicles 23:30–31; cf. 1 Chronicles 15:16–24; 16:4–6). There were three main musician families: Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, whose members would be organized into divisions.[4] After returning from exile in Babylon occasionally all musicians are regarded as descendants of Asaph (Ezra 2:41; 3:10; Nehemiah 7:44). Nehemiah 11:17 and 1 Chronicles 9:15-16 mention both Asaph and Jeduthun, whereas a 'third tradition' speaks of three musicians comprising Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (1 Chronicles 6:44; 15:17,19). The similar way of writing both names helps the identification of Jeduthun and Ethan. The order of Asaph, Jeduthun, Heman probably reflects an older hierarchy, but the tone in this passage elevates the family of Heman as the largest ('according to the promise of God to exalt him', verse 5).[4] The musician families are introduced with their duties, such as to prophecy (verses 1–3), and instruments, that their singing, playing, and the content of their psalms or music, can be viewed as in 1 Samuel 10:5 and 2 Kings 3:15 as emphasizing the 'close relationship between music and prophecy'.[11] In 2 Chronicles 29:25 David gave an order, which was supported by two prophets (Gad and Nathan), to confirm permanent office of these Levites as temple musicians.[11] Allusions to song and music as a kind of prophecy (verses 1–3; cf. 2 Chronicles 24:19–22) may be related to the tradition of regarding David as a 'prophet who composed the psalms through divine inspiration'.[12]

Verse 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:[13]
  • "The captains of the host": is understood as 'those who superintended the order of temple worship' (1 Chronicles 22:17; 1 Chronicles 23:2; 1 Chronicles 24:6; cf. Numbers 4:3; Numbers 8:23).[14] As a part of David's 'governmental apparatus', these officers (also interpreted as the 'leaders of the army') have a say in the organization of the singers.[15] The term "host" or "army" refers to a rank for the Levites, an expression adopted from Numbers 4, for example, whereas 1 Chronicles 15:16 uses 'chiefs of the Levites', who 'select the musicians for their office'.[11]

Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun belonged respectively to the Gershon, Kohath, and Merarite families (1 Chronicles 6:18–32), which are the three branches of Levites.[14]

Verse 5
All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.[16]
  • "Seer": from Hebrew hōzèh, literally "gazer".[17] Gad was called "David’s seer" in 1 Chronicles 21:9, whereas Jeduthun was called "the king’s seer" in 2 Chronicles 35:15 (in LXX: together with Asaph and Heman).[11][17] The word rendered “seer” in 1 Chronicles 26:28 and 1 Samuel 9:9 is different (Hebrew: rō’èh).[17]
  • "Exalt his horn": means "increase his power or influence".[18]

Twenty-four divisions of musicians (25:7–31)

The allocation of 24 divisions of musicians resembles that of the priest, suggesting that 'sacrifice and music are closely intertwined' (cf. 23:29–30), but, unlike the priests, none of the names in the list can be proved to have existed in other texts.[4] Four divisions from the family of Asaph (numbers 1, 3, 5, 7), six from the family of Jeduthun (numbers 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14), and 14 from the family of Heman (numbers 6, 9, 11, 13, 15–24).[19] From the result it can be deduced that the lots were not placed separately by family, but all lots were placed in one urn, so after the lots of Asaph and Jeduthun were drawn, only sons of Heman remained.[20] Each of the 24 musical divisions has 12 members (24 x 12 = 288).[11]

Verse 8
And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student.[21]
  • "Cast lots": A lottery is held to determine the 24 divisions (or "courses") of the musicians (or "singers"), as with the priests (1 Chronicles 24:5) and other Levites (1 Chronicles 24:31).[11][15]
  • "The teacher with the student": rendered in LXX as τελείων καὶ μανθανόντων, "the initiated and the learners".[19] “The teacher” can also mean “the skilful” as in 1 Chronicles 25:7 (the same Hebrew word).[19]

List of temple musician divisions
VerseDivision English name FamilyNote
9 1stJoseph Asaph[19]
2ndGedaliah Jeduthun[19]
10 3rdZaccur Asaph[19]
11 4thIzri Jeduthun[19] Zeri (צְרִ֡י) in 1 Chronicles 25:3[20]
12 5thNethaniah Asaph[19] literally "Nethanyahu" (נְתַנְיָ֔הוּ; cf. 1 Chronicles 25:2 נְתַנְיָ֥ה, "Nethaniah")[20]
13 6thJesharelah Heman[19] Asarelah (אֲשַׂרְאֵ֖לָה) in 1 Chronicles 25:2[20]
14 7thBukkiah Asaph[19]
15 8thJeshaiah Jeduthun[19]
16 9thMattaniah Heman[19]
17 10thShimei Jeduthun[19]
18 11thAzareel Heman[19] Uzziel in 1 Chronicles 25:4 (like the king's names Uzziah in 1 Chronicles 3:12 and Azariah in 2 Chronicles 26:1)[20]
19 12thHashabiah Jeduthun[19] Hashabyahu (חֲשַׁבְיָ֨הוּ) in 1 Chronicles 25:3[20]
20 13thShubael Heman[19] Shebuel in 1 Chronicles 25:4 (cf. 1 Chronicles 23:16 with 1 Chronicles 24:20)[20]
21 14thMattithiah Jeduthun[19] Other that Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, in this list only the name "Mattithiah" recurs elsewhere (1 Chronicles 15:18, 1 Chronicles 15:21)[20]
22 15thJeremoth Heman[19] Jerimoth in 1 Chronicles 25:4[20]
23 16thHananiah Heman[19] literally, "Hananyahu" (חֲנַנְיָ֔הוּ); cf 1 Chronicles 25:4 (חֲנַנְיָ֣ה, "Hananiah")[20]
24 17thJoshbekashah Heman[19]
25 18thHanani Heman[19]
26 19thMallothi Heman[19]
27 20thEliathah Heman[19] Spelled as אֱלִיָּ֔תָה; cf. אֱלִיאָ֤תָה in 1 Chronicles 25:4[20]
28 21stHothir Heman[19]
29 22ndGiddalti Heman[19]
30 23rdMahazioth Heman[19]
31 24thRomamtiezer Heman[19]

See also

Notes
  1. The extant Codex Sinaiticus only contains 1 Chronicles 9:27–19:17.[8][9][10]

References
  1. Ackroyd 1993, p. 113.
  2. Mathys 2007, p. 268.
  3. Ackroyd 1993, pp. 113–114.
  4. Mathys 2007, p. 280.
  5. Mathys 2007, p. 279.
  6. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
  7. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
  8. Würthwein, Ernst (1988). Der Text des Alten Testaments (2nd ed.). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. p. 85. ISBN 3-438-06006-X.
  9. Swete, Henry Barclay (1902). An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek. Cambridge: Macmillan and Co. pp. 129–130.
  10.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Codex Sinaiticus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  11. Mathys 2007, p. 281.
  12. Coogan 2007, pp. 611–612 Hebrew Bible.
  13. 1 Chronicles 25:1 KJV
  14. Exell, Joseph S.; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice (Editors). On "1 Chronicles 25". In: The Pulpit Commentary. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. Accessed 24 April 2019.
  15. Coogan 2007, p. 612 Hebrew Bible.
  16. 1 Chronicles 25:5 NKJV
  17. Ellicott, C. J. (Ed.) (1905). Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers. 1 Chronicles 25. London : Cassell and Company, Limited, [1905-1906] Online version: (OCoLC) 929526708. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  18. Note on 1 Chronicles 25:5 in NKJV
  19. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 1 Chronicles 25. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  20. Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz. Commentary on the Old Testament (1857-1878). 1 Chronicles 25. Accessed 24 Juni 2018.
  21. 1 Chronicles 25:8 NKJV

Sources
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