The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 15
Chapter XV · Vol. II, pp. 826–828
1 David, having prepared a place for the ark, ordereth the priests and Levites to bring it from Obed-edom. 25 He performeth the solemnity thereof with great joy. 29 Michal despiseth him.
1 And David made him houses1 in the city of David,2 and prepared aa place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent.
B.C. 1045.
1 An eastern house of any importance is not a single house, but a collection of several houses, around one or several courts, and parcelled out in different departments.—C.
2 'The City of David' was the name given to that quarter of Jerusalem which stood on the hill of Zion, which was originally occupied by the fortress and city of the ancient Jebusites. It lay west of Moriah, the temple mount, and it was surrounded on all sides by deep ravines, leaving only a low narrow neck on the north communicating with the suburbs on that side.—P.
a 2 Sa.6.17. Ps.132.2-5.
2 Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God3 but the Levites:4 for them hath theb LORD chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever.
3 And David cgathered all Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD unto his place, which he had prepared for it.
c 2 Sa.6.11. ch.13.5.
5 Ofe the sons of Kohath; Uriel the chief, and his brethren5 an hundred and twenty.
e Ex.6.16,18,22. Nu.iii.iv. ch.6.1, &c.; 24.7-24.
5 Or, kinsmen.
6 Of the sons of Merari; Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty.
7 Of the sons of Gershom; Joel the chief, and his brethren an hundred and thirty.
11 And David called for iZadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,
i ch.18.16. 2 Sa.8.17; 15.24,29,35; 20.21. ver.5-10.
12 And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: ksanctify yourselves,7 both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
A.M. 2959. B.C. 1045.
k Ex.19.10,15. 2 Ch.29.5. Ge.35.2. Is.52.11. Jn.17.17. Ro.12.1,2. 1 Pe.1.15,16; 2.1,5,9.
7 Prepare yourselves after the appointed manner to appear before God in his service, Ex. 19.10, 11,22. This preparation was outward, but was the emblem of a heart 'sanctified by faith,' Ac.26.18, in the Lamb of God, 'whose blood cleanseth from all sin,' 1 Jn.1.7.—C.
13 For lbecause ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due 8order.
14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified mthemselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders, with the staves thereon, as nMoses commanded, according to the word of the LORD.
16 And David ospake to the pchief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
o Is.49.24. Ezr.7.11-27.
p ver.11,19-21. Ps.105.1-6; 29.1, &c. ch.16.5; 6.31.
17 So the Levites appointed qHeman 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;
q ch.6.33,39,44; 25.1-6; 16.5. ver.19. Ps.l.lxxxviii.lxxxix.titles.
18 And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and rJaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the porters.
r Or, Aziel, ver.20.
19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound swith cymbals9 of brass;
s Ps.150.2-5; 68.25; 33.2. ver.16.
9 Convex, bowl-shaped instruments of brass, which being struck against each other, generally above the head of the player, produced a ringing tinkling sound, calculated to relieve the deeper notes of the other instruments. The ruins of Herculaneum furnish several specimens, most probably borrowed from the Hebrew worship, and misappropriated to the heathen.—C.
20 And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries on tAlamoth;1
t Ps.46.1, i.e. virginal or treble.
1 There is every reason to conclude that the psaltery was a stringed instrument of the harp kind, by some supposed to be of a triangular form, by others a segment of a circle, like an English bow with several strings. But nothing is certainly known, except that it was sacred to the service of religion. 'Alamoth,' most probably the treble, the vocal part being sung by virgins, as the word signifies.—C.
21 And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the uSheminith2 to excel.
u Bass, or instruments of eight strings, Ps.6.title.
2 The Hebrew kinna or harp seems to have differed from the nebel or psaltery, chiefly in its greater compass of notes and power of sound. It is one of the antediluvian instruments, ascribed to Jubal. 'Sheminith,' the eighth, perhaps the male voice, ordinarily an octave below the female. 'To excel,' to elevate. 'To complete the harmony' (Boothroyd).—C.
22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for 3song:4 he instructed about the song,5 because he was skilful.
3 Or, was for the carriage; he instructed about the carriage.
4 Heb. lifting up.
5 The marginal reading seems best—carriage meaning how to carry, and when to lift or lay down the ark.—C.
23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the xtrumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were door-keepers for the ark.
25 So yDavid, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obed-edom zwith joy.
y 2 Sa.6.11-13, &c.
z 2 Ch.20.27. Ezr.6.16. Ps.47.5,6; xcv.-c. lxviii.
26 And it came to pass, when God helped6 thea Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered bseven bullocks and seven rams.
27 And David was clothed with ca robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song7 with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.8
28 Thus all Israel dbrought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet,9 and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.
d 2 Sa.6.12,15. Ne.8.10. Ps.47.1-9; 68.1-35; xcv.-c. ver.16.
9 The cornet was a trumpet made of horn. The trumpet was a similar instrument of greater length made of metal.—C.
29 And it came to pass, as ethe ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window, fsaw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.
e Ex.25.16,21; 40.3,20. De.31.26. Jos.11.7. Ju.20.2. 1 Sa.4.3. 2 Sa.15.24. ch.17.1. He.9.4.
Notes
[Ver. 27. In the parallel passage in 2 Sa. 6. 14, instead of the words 'And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen,' we find, 'And David danced with all his might.' In the Hebrew there is such a close similarity in letters and sound between the two statements that some commentators think the text in Chronicles is a corruption, especially as in the last clause it is said, 'David had upon him an ephod of linen,' and in ver. 29 reference is made to Michal having seen David dancing. As there is no MS. authority for the alleged corruption I feel bound to reject it. P.]
Ver. 29. [The history of Michal was eventful, and may account satisfactorily for this outburst of temper. We are told that at first she loved David, 1 Sa. 18. 20; and when married she proved the depth of her affection by risking her life for her husband, 19. 12. But David was forced to flee from Saul's court, and Michal was married to another. David also married Abigail and Ahinoam. Years passed. Saul is dead, and those who had been his followers desired to make terms with David, who made it a first condition of peace that Michal should be restored to him. Her new husband loved her, and the attachment appears to have been mutual; still she was torn from him and given up to David, 2 Sa. 3. 12, sq. On being brought back she doubtless saw that her old place in David's affections was occupied by others. She was grieved and provoked; and she gave expression to her feelings of hatred and contempt on seeing what she thought acts on David's part beneath the dignity of royalty. She seems also to have spoken disrespectfully of his other wives, for which David rebukes her in these words: 'And of the maid-servants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour,' 2 Sa. 6. 22. P.]
Reflections.—Good works must also be well done: and all our sufferings for our mistakes should teach and stir us up to be more regular. The greatest reformers, being men, have some faults. But it is a mercy when we see our errors and amend them. Even such as know the word of God better than others may, on particular occasions, forget the directions which they are peculiarly called to remember. But readiness to correct former mistakes is an evidence of true wisdom and goodness. Such as are above others in dignity ought to go before them in duty. Many who are very remiss in their duty, if they were but faithfully told of it, would reform and do better. Whatever gifts God bestows upon us should be employed in his service: and in all religious work we should derive our help from heaven and thank God for it. If we escape his judgments while we are serving him, we owe it to his favour, not to our own exactness: and to him we owe the praise of all that is good in our work. God delights in the prosperity of his servants; and we ought to serve him with cheerfulness and joy. But in the very best of times there will be some evil murmurers who think God's service too mean for them.