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David made himself houses in David’s city; and he prepared a place for God’s ark, and pitched a tent for it.
Verse 1. Houses, or magnificent palaces, which afterwards caused him to be ashamed, seeing the ark was lodged under skins. 2 Kennicott. 7:10.—For it, entirely new. The old tabernacle was left at Gabaon. Calmet. D.
Then David said, “No one ought to carry God’s ark but the Levites. For the LORD has chosen them to carry God’s ark, and to minister to him forever.”
Verse 2. Levites, of the family of Caath, verse 13, Numbers 4:5. He was rendered more cautious by the death of Oza. Calmet.—For ever, as long as this law subsists. Bible.
David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the LORD’s ark to its place, which he had prepared for it.
David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brothers one hundred twenty;
Verse 5. Brethren. Relations. D.
of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty;
of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty;
of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred;
Verse 8. Elisaphan, a Caathite, (Exodus 6:18, 22) as well as Hebron and Oziel. Calmet.—Perhaps Caath was also called by the first name. D.
of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty;
of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve.
David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, up to the place that I have prepared for it.
Verse 12. Sanctified. Free from every legal uncleanness, continent, and washed. Calmet.
For because you didn’t carry it at first, the LORD our God broke out in anger against us, because we didn’t seek him according to the ordinance.”
Verse 13. Struck us. He partakes in the misfortune of Oza. Bible.—The law through ignorance. You must attend and give proper directions. Menochius.—Hebrew “because we did not seek him with judgment,” ( D.) or, “after the due order.” Prot.
So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
The children of the Levites bore God’s ark on their shoulders with its poles, as Moses commanded according to the LORD’s word.
David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up their voices with joy.
So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
Verse 17. Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were masters of the first band of musicians, in the reign of David. They played on the cymbals of brass, verse 19.
and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers.
Verse 18. Ben. His name is omitted, verse 20, and in the Septuagint The Syriac, and so forth have “the son of Jaziel:” but we find the 9th Psalm addressed “to Ben, chief of the hand of young women,” who sung and played on nables, verse 20. Calmet.—And Jaziel, called Oziel, verse 20, as the Septuagint have here. Bible.
So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were given cymbals of bronze to sound aloud;
and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with stringed instruments set to Alamoth;
Verse 20. Zacharias, and so forth presided over the second band, with nables, and Mathathias over the third, which had instruments of eight strings. The priests sounded the trumpets, (verse 24.) which Chonenias directed all the music, in this solemn processions. Calmet.—Psalteries. Lit. “nables.” Bible.—The Vulg. sometimes renders it psalterion, at other times lyra, ( Menochius.) or symphonia. Saint Jerome ad Dard. Tirinus.—Some have supposed that the word denotes bagpipes; but it was a stringed instrument made of wood. Calmet.—Hebrew “with nebalim over halamoth,” concerted things, or virgins, (Psalms 67:26) who sung the mysterious words of God. Bible.
and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps tuned to the eight-stringed lyre, to lead.
Verse 21. Ozaziu does not occur before. Septuagint have Ozias both here and verse 18, after Jehiel. Bible.—Of victory, such as was customary on the like occasions.—For the octave. Hebrew hasheminith, according to the Jews, means an instrument of eight strings; so when ten is mentioned, the Septuagint frequently supply “strings.” Psalms 32:2. Menochius.—Hebrew “they had guitars, and presided over the eighth band to intone. All the bands formed four choirs, distinguished by their instruments, the cymbal, nable, cinnor, (or guitar) and trumpets. Calmet.
Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful.
Verse 22. The prophecy. Singing praises to God is here called prophecy: the more, because these singers were often inspired men. Challoner.—Hebrew Massa signifies a song, ( Bible.) elevation, ( Calmet.) burden. Syr. So the Vulg. has onus Moab, and so forth the burden or dreadful prediction against Moab. Calmet.—Prophecy often denotes no more than a melodious canticle. 1 Kennicott. 10:10. Bible.—Chonenias directed all this music. Septuagint simply style him “prince of the Levites, prince of the musicians” ( Calmet.) or αρχων των ωδων (who gave out the songs) “because he was intelligent.” Bible.
Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before God’s ark; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
Verse 24. Jehias is called Jehiel, verse 18 and 21. He, Obededom, Barachias, and Elcana, (verse 23.) were probably the four chief porters who attended the ark in arms; and others were, afterwards, stationed at the temple. Calmet. 9:17. The two former took part also in the music, verse 21. Calmet.—Perhaps two preceded and two went behind the ark, to keep off the crowd. Menochius.
So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant up out of the house of Obed-Edom with joy.
When God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
Verse 26. Rams, in thanksgiving, that they had not been treated like Oza. Calmet.—The Jews pretend that the ark was no burden to the Levites. Tirinus.—Love makes all duties easy. Bible.
David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the choir master with the singers; and David had an ephod of linen on him.
Verse 27. Linen. Hebrew “a cloak of byssus,” or of the finest white linen. D.—Bysus has often occurred before in the Vulg. but we find the Hebrew buts, here for the first time. It probably denotes the brilliant yellow silk taken from the fish pinna, of which S. Basil speaks. Hexa. vii. Justinian was clothed with it, on account of its rarity and brightness. Procop. de fabric. Yet as it would hardly assume any colour but black, it was not so much sought after as the silk of Persia. Not only David, but all the Levites, were thus richly adorned; as the latter were at the dedication of the temple. 2 Chronicles 2:14. There was a manufactory of this byssus established by David. Calmet. 4:21. That of Egypt was white, and is called schesch, or “cotton.” Exodus 16:4. Calmet.—Ephod. Septuagint “a stole of byssus,” or a long silken robe, ( Bible.) which has been already expressed; ( Tirinus.) or rather, the ephod was only a girdle, which was not peculiar to the sacred ministers. 1 Kennicott. 2:18. Calmet.—Samuel, though a child, wore one. Worthington.
Thus all Israel brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant up with shouting, with sound of the cornet, with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with stringed instruments and harps.
As the ark of the LORD’s covenant came to David’s city, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing; and she despised him in her heart.
Verse 29. Heart, and reproached him for appearing without his regal ornaments, ( Bible. 2 Kennicott. 6:20) as if he had been naked. No reproach could have been more unfounded, as we see David had on a robe of byssus, with the ephod. Calmet.