The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 16

1 Chronicles 16: the ark in its tent and David's psalm of thanks

General context

The ark is set in the tent David pitched, burnt sacrifices and peace offerings are made, and David blesses the people in the Lord's name and gives every man and woman a loaf, a piece of flesh and a flagon of wine. He appoints Levites to minister before the ark, "to record, and to thank and praise": Asaph the chief with cymbals, others with psalteries and harps, and two priests with trumpets. "Then on that day" David delivers a psalm of thanks "into the hand of Asaph and his brethren". The psalm calls on hearers to give thanks, sing, seek the Lord and remember his works; it addresses "ye seed of Israel his servant" and recalls the covenant with Abraham, the oath to Isaac and the promise of Canaan when they were few and strangers, when God "reproved kings for their sakes". It then calls all the earth to sing, declares that the people's gods are idols "but the Lord made the heavens", summons the kindreds to bring an offering, and bids heavens, earth, sea, fields and trees rejoice "because he cometh to judge the earth". It ends with thanks, a plea, "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen", and a blessing to which all the people say Amen. David then leaves Asaph and his brethren before the ark to minister daily, with Obed–edom and Hosah as porters, while Zadok and the priests serve at the tabernacle at Gibeon with Heman and Jeduthun, offering morning and evening as the law requires. The people go home and David returns to bless his house.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 16:1, 1 Chronicles 16:2, 1 Chronicles 16:3, 1 Chronicles 16:4, 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 16:7, 1 Chronicles 16:8, 1 Chronicles 16:13, 1 Chronicles 16:16, 1 Chronicles 16:19, 1 Chronicles 16:21, 1 Chronicles 16:23, 1 Chronicles 16:26, 1 Chronicles 16:29, 1 Chronicles 16:33, 1 Chronicles 16:35, 1 Chronicles 16:36, 1 Chronicles 16:37, 1 Chronicles 16:38, 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 16:40, 1 Chronicles 16:41, 1 Chronicles 16:43

1 Chronicles 16 (KJV)

¹So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.

²And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

³And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.

⁴And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:

⁵Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;

⁶Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

⁸Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

⁹Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

¹⁰Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

¹¹Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

¹²Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

¹³O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;

¹⁶Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;

¹⁷And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹⁸Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

¹⁹When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

²⁰And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

²¹He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

²²Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

²³Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

²⁴Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

²⁵For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

²⁷Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

²⁸Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

²⁹Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

³⁰Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

³¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

³²Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

³³Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

³⁴O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

³⁵And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

³⁶Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.

³⁷So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:

³⁸And Obed-edom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:

³⁹And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,

⁴⁰To offer burnt offerings unto the Lord upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel;

⁴¹And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever;

⁴²And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.

⁴³And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.

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Historical context

The chapter sets out two places of worship at once: the ark in its tent in David's city, served by Asaph and his brethren, and "the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon", where Zadok's priests offer the daily burnt offerings with Heman and Jeduthun. Jeduthun, who appeared in chapter 9 only as an ancestor of a Levite, is here a working singer at Gibeon; chapter 15 had Ethan as the third chief singer, and the text does not say whether Ethan and Jeduthun are the same man. Obed–edom is called "the son of Jeduthun" in this chapter. The psalm is introduced as something David "delivered" into Asaph's hand "to thank the Lord"; the text says who received it and for what, not who composed its lines. Its speaker addresses Israel as "seed of Israel his servant" and then "all the earth", and near its end asks to be gathered and delivered "from the heathen", a plea placed in the mouth of a people at the moment of the ark's arrival. Asaph's role is fixed as "the chief" with cymbals; "to record" is listed among the Levites' tasks without further definition.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 16:37, 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 16:41, 1 Chronicles 16:38, 1 Chronicles 16:7, 1 Chronicles 16:13, 1 Chronicles 16:23, 1 Chronicles 16:35, 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 16:4

Literary context

Narrative frames a poem. The opening verses settle the ark and feed the people; the closing verses assign daily duties; between them stands the psalm, the longest stretch of poetry in the book. The poem moves outward in stages: a call to thank and remember, the covenant story from Abraham to the wandering ancestors, a summons to all the earth and its kindreds, the creation's own rejoicing, then a plea and a doxology answered by the people's Amen. Its closing line of thanks, "for his mercy endureth for ever", is picked up by the narrator in the assignment of Heman and Jeduthun, so the song's words become the singers' standing task. The chapter also closes a large unit: the ark that killed Uzza and was carried aside now sits in its tent with music "continually". The last verse mirrors the second: David blessed the people, and now he goes home to bless his house.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 16:1, 1 Chronicles 16:8, 1 Chronicles 16:15, 1 Chronicles 16:28, 1 Chronicles 16:31, 1 Chronicles 16:34, 1 Chronicles 16:36, 1 Chronicles 16:41, 1 Chronicles 16:2, 1 Chronicles 16:43

Key moments

The ark set in the tent (1 Chronicles 16:1). The ark is placed in David's tent and offerings are made before God.
Bread, flesh and wine for all (1 Chronicles 16:3). David gives every man and woman in Israel a portion of food.
Asaph made chief (1 Chronicles 16:5). Asaph leads the Levites before the ark and sounds the cymbals.
The psalm handed to Asaph (1 Chronicles 16:7). David delivers a psalm of thanks into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.
The covenant remembered (1 Chronicles 16:16). The psalm recalls the covenant with Abraham and the oath to Isaac.
All the people say Amen (1 Chronicles 16:36). The psalm ends in a blessing and the people answer Amen.
Two places of service (1 Chronicles 16:39). Zadok and the priests serve at Gibeon while Asaph remains before the ark.

For reflection

At the moment the ark finally rests in Jerusalem, the psalm asks God to "gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen". Why might a song of arrival still carry a prayer for rescue?

People in this chapter

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