David instructs the Levites to provide singers and musicians in order to raise sounds of joy.
The term joy
is in the emphatic position in the Hebrew sentence (1 Chronicles 15:25). This holy procession was a celebration rather than a solemn march occasion (1 Chronicles 12:40).1 The king instructs the leaders of the Levites to divide their group into singers and musicians (1 Chronicles 15:16).2 Thompson observes in this process a practice of family tradition. Certain families were specialists in particular instruments, much as they were in wider life.
3 The musicians were sorted into three divisions based on which instruments they played—harp, lyre (stringed instruments), or cymbal.
The chiefs of the Levites first appoint the three leading singers. Note, however, that singers
may refer to musicians
in general rather than singers only.4 The singers are accompanied by musical instruments. The KJV alters the word order so that playing loudly
or sounding
is a qualifying participle of cymbals,
thus giving a different nuance in meaning. The Levitical brethren then were to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding…
The word for sounding
literally means causing to hear
or to proclaim.
The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, accompanied by musicians, were to proclaim
together with cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:19). In light of what is stated later in Chronicles, this likely refers to prophetic singing (1 Chronicles 25:1–2).5 Compositions of each one of these singers are found in the Scriptures: Asaph, Psalm 50:1–23; Psalm 73:1–83:18; Heman the Ezrahite, Psalm 88:1–18; and Ethan, Psalm 89:1–52. Ethan is probably to be identified with Jeduthun (1 Chronicles 16:41 and the psalm headings to Psalm 39:1–13, Psalm 62:1–12, and Psalm 77:1–20).
16 Et David dit aux chefs des Lévites de disposer leurs frères les chantres avec des instruments de musique, des luths, des harpes et des cymbales, qu'ils devaient faire retentir de sons éclatants en signe de réjouissance.