1 Chronicles 13:8

1Ch 13:8 And David and all Israel played before God with all [their] might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

Ver. 8. David and all Israel played.] How should we rejoice in the gospel now restored! O nos ingratos!

And with singing.] Psallunt et saliunt. All this is no warrant for those Popish pompous processions and superstitous will-worships.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, before the Ark, where God showed himself: so that the sign is taken for the thing signified, which is common to all sacraments both in the old and new Testament.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(8) Played.—Were dancing (to music).

With all their might, and with singing.—So LXX. and Syriac. Samuel has “with all woods of cypresses;” a strange expression, probably due to confusion of similar letters, and transposition. The LXX. there has “in strength.”

Cymbals and trumpets.—Samuel (Hebrew) has sistrums (a kind of rattle) and cymbals. The former word only occurs there. The Chronicle has a later term for cymbals (meçiltayim for çilçeþlîm).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. played] The Heb. word means to sport, to dance (cp. 1Ch_15:29).

with all their might, and with singing] A better reading than that of 2Sa_6:5, with all manner of instruments made of fir wood.

and with singing] R.V. even with songs.

psalteries] The instrument here meant (Heb. nçbhel) “is generally identified at the present day with an instrument called the santir still in use among the Arabs. This consists of a long box with a flat bottom covered with a somewhat convex sounding-board over which the strings are stretched.” (Nowack, Hebräische Arckäologie, I. 275.) The “harp” (Heb. kinnôr) was a simpler instrument, a lyre rather than a true harp.

For a full discussion of nçbhel and kinnôr see Driver, Amos, p. 234.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let us bring again the ark. It had been removed from Shiloh (Jos_18:1) at the instance of "the elders of Israel" to their camp, when they were hard pressed and smitten by the Philistines; (1Sa_4:1-4) there it was taken by the Philistines, (1Sa_4:11, 1Sa_4:22) and hurried from Ashdod to Ekron and on to Bethshemesh. (1Sa 5:l, 1Sa_5:5, 1Sa_5:8, 10 6:9-13) For we inquired not at it in the days of Saul. The allusion may be considered delicately worded, but an inexpressible pathos and unmeasured condemnation must be imagined as clinging to this sentence, illustrated further by 1Sa_7:2 1Sa_28:6, 1Sa_28:15, 1Sa_28:16; 1Ch_10:14. Played before God. The Hebrew word is the Piel of qjc, the root of which, from the simplest meaning of "to laugh" (and with the two appropriate prepositions used for laughing with an expression of derision or contempt), through the two further meanings of "sporting" and jesting," passes to the signification of dancing" (1Sa_18:7; Jer_31:4) Its deepest idea seems to be "to make merry," and to savour of the very same ambiguity attaching to that idiom with ourselves. The parallel of this passage exhibits "before the Lord." With all their might. See the evident mistake of the parallel ("on all manner of instruments made of firwood," literally, with all firwoods) through similarity of the Hebrew characters. Cymbals and trumpets. Of the five names of musical instruments, the same in number in both passages, the first three are the same in the Hebrew, but these last two are different words, twOrxxOj here for A variation of this particular kind again indicates with some decisiveness the different character and the number of the sources from which the writers of the Books of Samuel and those of Chronicles took.

Holy mirth.

To some minds the two ideas, holiness and mirth, do not seem to harmonize. Whether because goodness is sometimes associated with austerity, and religious observances with dulness, or because mirth is sometimes associated with sensual indulgence and profanity; the fact is that to many minds there appears a mutual repugnance between the two.

I WE HAVE HERE A SUITABLE AND INSPIRITING OCCASION OF HOLY MIRTH. General rejoicing should not take place only when temporal deliverances or material prosperity have been experienced. When God shows his mercy towards a people, in conferring upon them spiritual privileges, then should they show forth his praise, and make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

II THE UNION OF ALL CLASSES IN HOLY MIRTH. King, priests, and people rejoiced together, and if all orders and ranks are alike indebted to God"s goodness, all should alike join in his service and praise. Widespread is the beneficence of the heavenly Father; let all the children give thanks, and be joyful before the Lord the King.

III HOLY MIRTH FINDS AN APPROPRIATE EXPRESSION IN CONJOINED AND CORDIAL SERVICES OF MUSIC AND SONG.

Such utterance of mirth is natural, is in accordance with the constitution God our Maker has given us. It is scriptural, for both under the old covenant and the new, vocal praise was practised by the saints of God. It is acceptable: "With such sacrifices God is well pleased." It is an anticipation of heaven, where the praises of the redeeming God are universal and perpetual.

LESSONS.

1. Discourage a severe, morose piety.

2. Let songs of rejoicing abound in Christian homes and Churches.

3. Let the young be trained to associate happiness with religion to take pleasure in "the service of song in the house of the Lord.

T.

The joy of religion.

The natural and fitting expression of the kingly and national gladness in the restoration of the sacred ark was, "Playing before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets." The three kinds of musical instruments are here indicated those producing sound by wind, by the vibration of strings, and by the clanging together of metals. For a picturesque realization of the scene brought before us in this verse, see Stanley"s "Jewish Church," vol. 2:74-76. The mission of music and song is to find expression for man"s gladness and joy. It is as natural to sing as to laugh. Man has wonderfully developed the faculties of music and song, and now it is one of our chief modes of expressing human emotions, and of relieving them by expression. It is as truly one of the great forces for exciting and stirring emotion, as is well shown when it is necessary to raise the martial spirit of a nation. Dr. Horace Bushnell has a very striking paper on "Religious Music," in his volume "Work and Play," in which he opens out and illustrates these two points: "The very wonderful fact that God has hidden powers of music in things without life; and that when they are used, in right distinctions or properties of sound, they discourse what we know what meets, interprets, and works our feeling, as living and spiritualcreatures." "How carefully this (musical) part of the worship was ordered in the temple service of Israel is known to every reader of the ancient Scriptures; how exactly also the chorus of singers and of players on instruments were arranged, one to answer to another in the deep wail of grief or penitence, the soft response of love, the lively sweep of festive gladness, or all to flow together in choral multitudes of praise, that might even shake the rock of Zion itself." "And if any one wishes to know what power there may be in music, as an instrument of reliction, let him ask what effect the songs of this one singer (David) have had, melted into men"s hearts, age after age, by music, and made in that manner to be their consecrated and customary expressions of worship.

I THE REASONABLENESS OF JOY IN RELIGION. We feel the reasonableness of the songs and joy of Israel when redeemed from Egyptian bondage and delivered from their raging foes. Much more is joy and song right and natural as our response for redemption from penalty, and deliverance from evil. It can only be a distorted religion that fits with melancholy. "The joy of the Lord is our strength;" and with "joy we draw water from the wells of salvation." Illustrate from the Old Testament point of view: David and the prophets give high examples. Illustrate from the New Testament point of view: apostles tell us if we are merry, we should sing psalms;" "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." Modern religious life makes music and song essential features, and these do much towards preserving a healthy tone in our piety. This may be applied to private devotion; it is greatly aided by hymn and song. It is the most attractive feature of public worship.

II THE HELPFULNESS OF SONG IN EXPRESSING RELIGIOUS JOY. What could David have done else, or so well, in uttering his overcharged feelings? Music at once soothes and gives adequate expression. A man can put his very heart into a song, and ease and quiet his intense emotions by so doing. Estimate the influence of song: it

(1) uplifts;

(2) brightens;

(3) aids feeling;

(4) comforts.

Illustrate by the incidents and influences connected with Paul Gerhardt s hymns. Then we should fully recognize the importance of the gifts of song and music which have been granted to the Church, and see that these are duly consecrated and cultivated. Religious joy cannot be always maintained, and yet true hearts may even find "songs in the night and in the prison. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

with all [their] might Here it is written: בְּכָל עֹז, with all strength, and in II Samuel (6:5): “בְּכָל עֲצֵי, with all wood.” The meaning is: with all manner of wooden musical instruments, and here the meaning is: with all powerful musical instruments.

and with songs and with harps and with psalteries and with timbrels All of these are musical instruments, but cymbals (מְצִלְתַּיִם) were not a musical instrument, and their function was only to make sounds, like the instrument called the kettle drum, Pauken in German, which is struck with sticks to make sounds. This is implied further (15: 25): “and with resounding cymbals,” and it is written (ibid. verse 19): “And the singers: Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, with copper cymbals to resound.” And it is written further below (25:6): “with song in the House of the Lord, with cymbals, etc.,” and because of this, they are called מְצִלְתַּיִם. Similarly (Deut. 28:42): “... the locusts (הַצְּלָצַל) will inherit.” This is a species of locust that makes a sound, as it is written in the prophecy of Joel (2:5) about the locusts: “Like the sound of chariots on the mountaintops, they will leap, etc.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.