Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/169

Rh he was skilful. And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark. So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the out of the house of Obed-edom with joy: and it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the, that they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: and David had upon him an

"song" means "uplifting," either of the voice in song, or in a physical sense = "burden"; hence mg. was over the carrying of the ark.

23. were doorkeepers for the ark] The same statement is made in ver. 24 concerning Obed-edom and Jehiah (= Jeiel)! On Curtis' view, this verse was added by the same writer as vv. 19—21, who, having taken Obed-edom and Jeiel as part of the list of singers in ver. 18 no doubt thought that the names of the doorkeepers (the last word of ver. 18) had somehow been omitted. He supplied therefore here the names Berechiah and Elkanah (taken perhaps from ix. 16). A still later writer has attempted to put matters straight by further adding at the conclusion of ver. 24 "and Obed-edom and Jehiah (Jeiel) were doorkeepers for the ark."

24. the priests] In Num. x. 1—10 it is enjoined to make two silver trumpets to be blown by the priests on days of joy and on feast-days. This festal trumpet was different from the "cornet" (ver. 28), properly a ram's horn, which was freely used for secular purposes. See Driver, Amos, pp. 144 ff. (with illustrations).

25—XVI. 3 (cp. 2 Sam. vi. 12—20).&emsp;

26. when God helped the Levites] In 2 Sam. vi. 13, when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces. The Chronicler interprets the safe start as a sign of Divine assistance.

seven bullocks and seven rams] In Sam. an ox and a fatling (so R.V., not, oxen and fatlings as A.V.). The smaller sacrifice of Sam. is represented as the king's own offering, the larger sacrifice of Chron. as that of the king and his elders combined.

27. of the song] mg., of the carrying of the ark. Cp. ver. 22, note.