1 Chronicles — Chapter 25
Loading ESV text...
1Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
2From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.
3From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
4From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5All these sons of Heman the king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king.
7Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288.
8They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.
9The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
10the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
11the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
14the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
17the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
20the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
21the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
22the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
23the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
24the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
25the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
26the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
27the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
28the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
29the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
30the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
31and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.
1Moreover 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:
2Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king.
3Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.
4Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth:
5All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
7So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
8And they cast lots, ward against ward, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
9Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons were twelve:
10The third to Zaccur, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
11The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
12The fifth to Nethaniah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
13The sixth to Bukkiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
14The seventh to Jesharelah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
15The eighth to Jeshaiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
16The ninth to Mattaniah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
17The tenth to Shimei, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
18The eleventh to Azareel, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
19The twelfth to Hashabiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
20The thirteenth to Shubael, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
21The fourteenth to Mattithiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
22The fifteenth to Jeremoth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
23The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
24The seventeenth to Joshbekashah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
25The eighteenth to Hanani, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
26The nineteenth to Mallothi, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
27The twentieth to Eliathah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
28The one and twentieth to Hothir, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
29The two and twentieth to Giddalti, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
30The three and twentieth to Mahazioth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
31The four and twentieth to Romamti-ezer, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve.
1Moreover David and the captains of the host set apart for the service certain 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 them that did the work according to their service was:
2of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied after the order of the king.
3Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah.
4Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.
5All these were the sons of Heman the king`s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.
7And the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in singing unto Jehovah, even all that were skilful, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
8And they cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
9Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah; he and his brethren and sons were twelve:
10the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
11the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
14the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
17the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
20for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
21for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
22for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
23for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
24for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
25for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
26for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
27for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
28for the one and twentieth to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
29for the two and twentieth to Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
30for the three and twentieth to Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
31for the four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.
1David and the army officers selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy as they played stringed instruments and cymbals. The following men were assigned this responsibility:
2From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were supervised by Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
3From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all, under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
4From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s prophet. God had promised him these sons in order to make him prestigious. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the supervision of their fathers; they were musicians in the Lord’s temple, playing cymbals and stringed instruments as they served in God’s temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the supervision of the king.
7They and their relatives, all of them skilled and trained to make music to the Lord, numbered 288.
8They cast lots to determine their responsibilities—oldest as well as youngest, teacher as well as student.
9The first lot went to Asaph’s son Joseph and his relatives and sons—twelve in all, the second to Gedaliah and his relatives and sons—twelve in all,
10the third to Zaccur and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
11the fourth to Izri and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
12the fifth to Nethaniah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
13the sixth to Bukkiah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
14the seventh to Jesharelah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
15the eighth to Jeshaiah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
16the ninth to Mattaniah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
17the tenth to Shimei and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
18the eleventh to Azarel and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
19the twelfth to Hashabiah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
20the thirteenth to Shubael and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
21the fourteenth to Mattithiah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
22the fifteenth to Jerimoth and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
23the sixteenth to Hananiah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
24the seventeenth to Joshbekashah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
25the eighteenth to Hanani and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
26the nineteenth to Mallothi and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
27the twentieth to Eliathah and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
28the twenty-first to Hothir and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
29the twenty-second to Giddalti and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
30the twenty-third to Mahazioth and his sons and relatives—twelve in all,
31the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer and his sons and relatives—twelve in all.
1Moreover, David and the captains of the army set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with harps, with stringed instruments, and with cymbals. The number of those who did the work according to their service was:
2of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. The sons of Asaph were under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied at the order of the king.
3Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Yahweh with the harp.
4Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the hands of their father for song in Yahweh’s house, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of God’s house; Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.
7The number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to Yahweh, even all who were skillful, was two hundred eighty-eight.
8They cast lots for their offices, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the student.
9Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, he and his brothers and sons were twelve;
10the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
11the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
12the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
13the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
14the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
15the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
16the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
17the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
18the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
19the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
20for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
21for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
22for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
23for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
24for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
25for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
26for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
27for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
28for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
29for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
30for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
31for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve.
Summary
David and the army commanders set apart the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to minister through music, prophesying with lyres, harps, and cymbals (v. 1). Asaph's sons serve under his direction; Jeduthun's sons give thanks and praise under their father's guidance; and Heman, described as the king's seer, is given fourteen sons and three daughters by God, all of whom join their father in the service of song (vv. 2-6). All of them are trained and skilled singers under their fathers' instruction for the service of the house of God, playing cymbals, harps, and lyres under the king's direction alongside Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman (v. 6). Counting these musicians together with their kinsmen skilled in song, the total comes to two hundred eighty-eight, and lots are cast for their order of service without regard to whether each was young or old, teacher or pupil (vv. 7-8). The remainder of the chapter records the twenty-four lots by name in order, from the first lot for Joseph through the twenty-fourth for Romamti-ezer, with twelve men assigned to each division (vv. 9-31).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Largely parallels 1-2 Samuel geographically. Jerusalem (Zion/City of David) is the theological and political center.
- Key sites: Hebron (David's first capital, 7 years), the threshing floor of Ornan/Araunah (future Temple site, ch.21).
- Chapters 1-9 (genealogies) contain tribal allotments but minimal narrative geography.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- HebronHebron, West BankThe highest town in the Judean hills at about 3,000 feet, 19 miles south of Jerusalem. Abraham bought a burial cave here, and David reigned from it for seven years before moving north, so it carries both the patriarchal and the royal claim to the land. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the revolutionary concept of prophesying with instruments — that worship music was considered a vehicle for divine revelation, not merely human artistic expression. He notes that the 288 trained musicians represent an enormous national investment in worship, and that the casting of lots for service order prevented any musician from claiming precedence based on talent or seniority.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Music as Prophetic Ministry (v.1) — The sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun "prophesy" through their instruments, meaning their playing carries God's truth, not just pleasant sound. Whether you lead worship, sing, or play an instrument, is your music proclaiming something true about God, or merely producing atmosphere?
- God Provides for What He Calls (v.5) — God gives Heman fourteen sons and three daughters specifically to serve in worship ministry. When God calls a work into being, do you trust Him to supply the people and resources it needs, or do you assume scarcity?
- Skill and Devotion Together (v.7) — The 288 musicians are described as both trained and skilled, showing that excellence and spiritual passion were expected to go together. Are you investing in the discipline of your craft as much as the sincerity of your heart, whatever form your service takes?
- Equal Dignity in Every Assignment (v.8) — Positions are cast by lot without distinction between "the teacher" and "the scholar," giving master and apprentice equal standing. Do you treat a newer believer's faithful service as being just as valuable as a veteran's?