Text -- 1 Chronicles 16:4-43 (NET)

16:4 He appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the Lord, to offer prayers, songs of thanks, and hymns to the Lord God of Israel. 16:5 Asaph was the leader and Zechariah second in command, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were to play stringed instruments; Asaph was to sound the cymbals; 16:6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of God’s covenant.

David Thanks God

16:7 That day David first gave to Asaph and his colleagues this song of thanks to the Lord: 16:8 Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name! Make known his accomplishments among the nations! 16:9 Sing to him! Make music to him! Tell about all his miraculous deeds! 16:10 Boast about his holy name! Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 16:11 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives! Seek his presence continually! 16:12 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed, his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed, 16:13 O children of Israel, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones! 16:14 He is the Lord our God; he carries out judgment throughout the earth. 16:15 Remember continually his covenantal decree, the promise he made to a thousand generations– 16:16 the promise he made to Abraham, the promise he made by oath to Isaac! 16:17 He gave it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a lasting promise, 16:18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.” 16:19 When they were few in number, just a very few, and foreign residents within it, 16:20 they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another. 16:21 He let no one oppress them, he disciplined kings for their sake, 16:22 saying, “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Don’t harm my prophets!” 16:23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Announce every day how he delivers! 16:24 Tell the nations about his splendor, tell all the nations about his miraculous deeds! 16:25 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise, he is more awesome than all gods. 16:26 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, but the Lord made the heavens. 16:27 Majestic splendor emanates from him, he is the source of strength and joy. 16:28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations, ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength! 16:29 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! Bring an offering and enter his presence! Worship the Lord in holy attire! 16:30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is established, it cannot be moved. 16:31 Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the nations say, ‘The Lord reigns!’ 16:32 Let the sea and everything in it shout! Let the fields and everything in them celebrate! 16:33 Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth! 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his loyal love endures. 16:35 Say this prayer: “Deliver us, O God who delivers us! Gather us! Rescue us from the nations! Then we will give thanks to your holy name, and boast about your praiseworthy deeds.” 16:36 May the Lord God of Israel be praised, in the future and forevermore. Then all the people said, “We agree! Praise the Lord!”

David Appoints Worship Leaders

16:37 David left Asaph and his colleagues there before the ark of the Lord’s covenant to serve before the ark regularly and fulfill each day’s requirements, 16:38 including Obed-Edom and sixty-eight colleagues. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah were gatekeepers. 16:39 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests served before the Lord’s tabernacle at the worship center in Gibeon, 16:40 regularly offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord on the altar for burnt sacrifice, morning and evening, according to what is prescribed in the law of the Lord which he charged Israel to observe. 16:41 Joining them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord. (For his loyal love endures!) 16:42 Heman and Jeduthun were in charge of the music, including the trumpets, cymbals, and the other musical instruments used in praising God. The sons of Jeduthun guarded the entrance. 16:43 Then all the people returned to their homes, and David went to pronounce a blessing on his family.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:11

¹ tn Heb “face.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:12

¹ tn Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:13

¹ tn Heb “seed.”

² tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:14

¹ tn Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:15

¹ tn The Hebrew text has a masculine plural imperative, addressed to the people. Some LXX mss harmonize the wording here to Ps 105:8, which has זָכַר (zakhar), the perfect third masculine singular form of the verb, “He (the Lord) remembers” (so NIV; NEB reads “He called to mind his covenant”).

² tn Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 16-18 make clear.

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:16

¹ tn Heb “which.”

² tn Heb “his oath to Isaac.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:17

¹ tn Or “eternal covenant.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:20

¹ tn Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:22

¹ tn The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:23

¹ tn Heb “from day to day.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:24

¹ tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:25

¹ tn Or “feared above.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:26

¹ tn The Hebrew word אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement. Many modern English translations render this term as “idols” here.

² tn Or “the sky” (also in v. 31). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:27

¹ tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”

² tn Heb “strength and joy [are] in his place.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:29

¹ tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., due] his name.”

² tn Or “in holy splendor.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:31

¹ tn Heb “let them say among the nations.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:34

¹ tn Or “is eternal.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:35

¹ tn The words “this prayer” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

² tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.

³ tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:36

¹ tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”

² tn This is the Hebrew term אָמֵן (’amen, “surely”), traditionally transliterated “amen.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:37

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “according to the matter of the day in its day.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:39

¹ tn The word “served” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

² tn Or “high place.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:40

¹ tn Heb “which he commanded Israel.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:41

¹ tn Perhaps this refers to the refrain of their songs of praise (see Ps 136). In this case one could translate, “to give thanks to the Lord with songs using the refrain, ‘For his loyal love endures.’”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:42

¹ tn Heb “and with them, Heman and Jeduthun, trumpets and cymbals for sounding, and the instrument of song of God, and the sons of Jeduthun [were] at the gate.”

NET Notes: 1Ch 16:43

¹ tn Heb “to bless his house.” Elsewhere when “house” is the object of “bless,” it refers to a household or family. See, for example, 1 Chr 13:14; 17:27. However, since בֵּית (bet, “house”) refers to a literal house or home earlier in the verse and to David’s palace in 17:1, one might translate here, “David went to pronounce a blessing on [i.e., dedicate] his house [i.e., palace].”