Deeper Commentary

1Ch 25:1 Moreover, David and the captains of the army set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments and cymbals. The number of those who did the work according to their service was-
See on 1 Chron. 24:1. According to Ezra 2:41, of the singers, only 128 of the children of Asaph returned. This was very poor response. We note that apparently the famous singing families of Heman and Jeduthin didn't return (1 Chron. 25:1). "Captains of the army" could be "captains of the host", referring to the chiefs of the various family groupings now listed, and not referring to military captains. See on :2. 

1Ch 25:2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asharelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied after the order of the king-
'Prophecy' refers to speaking forth God's word, not necessarily predicting the future. But it would seem great presumption on David's part to arrange 'prophets' who would speak God's word through the music they sung (:1). This would be after the pattern of 1 Sam. 10:5 and 2 Kings 3:15: "While the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord [i.e., the spirit of prophecy] was upon him". Perhaps the idea was that they would only sing music which had been already given by Divine inspiration in the gift of prophecy. But now we read that they were to prophesy "after the order of" David. This could mean they would take it in order to prophesy according to the sequence or order which David had prepared. Or it could mean they would prophecy at David's order, suggesting he imagined he would still be alive when this new temple system had been built by Solomon, thus getting around God's order for him not to build it himself. Even if the "order" is the 'sequence', we are still left with an unpleasant tension between prophesy being from God's instigation and initiative; and David considering that it was to be done according to his 'order', either the sequence he commanded, or his direct command. His spirituality is getting edged out by his evident love of religion. Just as David ordered men to prophesy / speak forth God's word, so it seems he pretty well made up God's word in his own mind...

1Ch 25:3 Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Yahweh-
They were known for prophesying in their praise. As discussed on :2, this could mean that the Spirit came upon them, and the songs they sung were directly inspired by God. But as discussed on :2, it was therefore inappropriate to demand that they did so only at a specific place in the program David had created. That was effectively trying to constrain the Spirit of God.

1Ch 25:4 Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth-
The meanings of these names forms an appropriate sentence: "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, have mercy upon me; I have magnified and exalted Your help; I spake of it sitting in affliction; grant us still Your visions". This would have been so relevant to the situation at the restoration, and perhaps the Divinely inspired editor of that time arranged the list in this order.

1Ch 25:5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s prophet of the words of God, to lift up the horn. God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters-
This probably doesn't refer to the use of a literal horn in worship, but rather is it to be connected to the preceding reference to the gift of a large family to Heman. To life up the horn was a Hebraism for power and ability. Heman wanted to fulfill his calling, and God gave him a large and musically gifted family to enable him to do so.

1Ch 25:6 All these were under the hands of their father for the singing ministry in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, for the service of God’s house: Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king-
This could mean they would take it in order to prophesy according to the sequence or order which David had prepared. Or it could mean they would prophecy at David's order, suggesting he imagined he would still be alive when this new temple system had been built by Solomon, thus getting around God's order for him not to build it himself. Even if the "order" is the 'sequence', we are still left with an unpleasant tension between prophesy being from God's instigation and initiative; and David considering that it was to be done according to his 'order', either the sequence he commanded, or his direct command. His spirituality is getting edged out by his evident love of religion.

1Ch 25:7 The number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to Yahweh, even all who were skilful, was two hundred and eighty-eight-
They were supposed to be prophets, receiving God's word and expressing that divine input in the words they sung under the influence of prophesy. But here we read that they were singing "to Yahweh". It is the same confusion as when David wants to build God a house, but God replies by saying that He will build David a house.

1Ch 25:8 They cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar-
These Levites were to support the 24 orders of priests listed in chapter 24. They weren't to chose which order they wanted to support or serve together with- that decision was taken by lot. Otherwise, the cliquey spirit which characterizes so many of God's servants would have developed, and this is often the church's greatest disadvertisment.

The Hebrew could be "Lots for attendance", as if they were asked to come up from the provinces and serve at the temple at the times of year which the lot defined. But the lots could refer to the order in which they presented their music, which would require all to be present in Jerusalem all the time.

 Notice the stress on the equality of the priests and the studied irrelevance of their personal wealth (1 Chron. 24:31; 25:8; 26:12). The Law was geared around the assumption that the priests would be so caught up in Yahweh's work that they would never be rich (consider Dt. 14:29), and the wonder of doing His work would compensate for their lack of physical possessions (Num. 18:23). The early church began by having all things common, in imitation of  how the priests had "like portions to eat" (Dt. 18:8). Yet the early church couldn't sustain the intensity of their initial realization of these things.

1Ch 25:9 Now the first lot of Asaph came forth to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, he and his brothers and sons were twelve-
There were a total of 4000 Levites envisioned as making music (1 Chron. 23:5), so these would have been split up amongst these 24 orders.

1Ch 25:10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
The record reads as if the lots were cast at David's time. Yet this was before the temple had been built. But the scale of his grandiose plans for the temple required this huge number of Levites and singers. So we assume he was really running ahead of his time, as if quite obsessed, by working out the musical plans and actually drawing lots for who was going to serve when; although the temple hadn't been built. 

1Ch 25:11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
None of the leaders of these 24 courses were firstborn sons. This confirms God's style of preferring to work with those whom man would place far down the list.  1. Joseph was the second son of Asaph. 2. Gedaliah the eldest son of Jeduthun. 3. Zaccur the eldest of Asaph. 4. Izri the second of Jeduthun. 5. Nethaniah the third of Asaph. 6. Bukkiah the eldest of Heman. 7. Jesharelah the youngest of Asaph. 8. Jeshaiah the third of Jeduthun. 9. Mattaniah the second of Heman. 10. Shimei the youngest of Jeduthun. 11. Azareel the third of Heman. 12. Hashabiah the fourth of Jeduthun. 13. Shubael the fourth of Heman. 14. Mattithiah the fifth of Jeduthun. 15. Jeremoth the fifth of Heman. 16. Hananiah the sixth of Heman. 17. Joshbekashah the eleventh of Heman. 18. Hanani the seventh of Heman. 19. Mallothi the twelfth of Heman. 20. Eliathah the eighth of Heman. 21. Hothir the thirteenth of Heman. 22. Giddalti the ninth of Heman. 23. Mehazioth the fourteenth of Heman. 24. Romamti-ezer, the tenth of Heman.  

1Ch 25:12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
The groups of 12 relatives would have formed a small musical band, maybe a choir, or some instrumentalists and some choir.

1Ch 25:13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
These names appear to refer to actual Levites living at the time of David who were chosen by lot to perform. We wonder what they did in the seven years [at least] between this time and the completion of the temple. Perhaps they did sing in the existing tabernacle in Zion.

1Ch 25:14 the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Another name for Uzziel, son of Heman.

1Ch 25:15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Yah saves'. The words 'Yahweh' and 'saved' occur so often in the life of David and in his Psalms, and so we wonder whether this child had been named in memory of that fact.

1Ch 25:16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Nearly all these names have God's Name within them. They were clearly all committed followers of Yahweh, at least in name.

1Ch 25:17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Shimei isn't mentioned in :2-4 in the Hebrew, but his name occurs there in the LXX.

1Ch 25:18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Uzziel of :4.

1Ch 25:19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Yahweh has imputed', perhaps reflective of how someone had perceived the wonder of Yahweh's imputation of righteousness by grace, as the basis of salvation. This had been taught to Israel by God's response to David's sin with Bathsheba. See on :23.

1Ch 25:20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Shebuel of :4.

1Ch 25:21 the fourteenth, to Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Gift of Yah', as in :16. This was the name given at birth, and in this case it stuck. It confirms the suggestion I have often made, that sometimes in these genealogies we read the birth names, at others, the names they were given later in life. And therefore the same person can have more than one name.

1Ch 25:22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
Keil observes: "The order of succession was so determined by lot, that the four sons of Asaph (:3) received the first, third, fifth, and seventh places; the six sons of Jeduthun, the second, fourth, eighth, twelfth, and fourteenth; and finally, the four sons of Heman (first mentioned in :4), the sixth, ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth places; while the remaining places, 15-24, fell to the other sons of Heman. From this we learn that the lots of the sons of the three chief musicians were not placed in separate urns, and one lot drawn from each alternately; but that, on the contrary, all the lots were placed in one urn, and in drawing the lots of Asaph and Jeduthun came out so, that after the fourteenth drawing only sons of Heman remained".

1Ch 25:23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'The grace of Yah'. Grace was and is the distinctive feature of the one true faith and God. David's sin with Bathsheba would have underlined it to all that generation. See on :19,25.

1Ch 25:24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
This name stands out from all the others- 'stiffnecked liver'. Sometimes in these genealogies we read the birth names, at others, the names they were given later in life. This was surely one of the latter. And therefore the same person can have more than one name.

1Ch 25:25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
I have noted on :19,23 the number of names from David's generation which allude to grace, and this is another one. God's grace to David would have gripped an entire generation of believers at that time.

1Ch 25:26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Speaker forth', an appropriate name for one who was to be involved in speaking forth God's praises. It is s.w. Ps. 106:2 "Who can utter / speak forth the mighty acts of the Lord'. All those who perform public service, especially in the area of worship, should be in the grip of a deep sense of inadequacy for their task before the wondrous spiritual realities they seek to articulate. See on :27.

1Ch 25:27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'For the God who consents' would continue the same idea as in :26; a sense of awe that God has allowed us to be involved in His service.

1Ch 25:28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Those caused to remain' would have been an appropriate name to speak to those at the time of the exile and restoration.

1Ch 25:29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'One made great' would perhaps reflect the repeated teaching of David from his own life, and which had affected that generation of believers, that it is God's grace / gentleness that makes any of us great (Ps. 18:35).

1Ch 25:30 the twenty- third to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Receiver of visions', an appropriate name for one whose music was to express the visions of God (see on :2,3).

1Ch 25:31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve-
'Raised up from a heap', a name encouraging to the exiles, and perhaps reflecting Hannah's awareness when she gave Samuel over to Levitical service, that such service is performed in gratitude for having been raised up like Job from the heap (1 Sam. 2:8).