1 Chronicles 15:18

1Ch 15:18. Their brethren of the second degree — The first rank or degree of sacred musicians was that of those three famous persons, named 1Ch 15:17; the next consisted of these here mentioned. The porters — Who were to keep the doors of the tabernacle and courts, but withal were instructed in music, that when they were free from attendance upon their proper office, they might not be idle nor unprofitable in God’s house.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Which were inferior in dignity.

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

(18) And with them their brethren of the second degree.—So 1Ch_16:5 : “Asaph the leader, and his second Zechariah.” Fourteen minstrels of the second rank—that is, subordinate to the first three—are named here.

Ben (son) is not a proper name. That of Zechariah’s father may have fallen out after it (comp. the Syriac and Arabic: “Zechariah son of Ne’ael”), or it may be due to a scribe’s inadvertence. The LXX. omits it.

Shemiramoth.—This peculiar name resembles the Assyrian Sammurramat, the classical Semiramis. Delitzsch suggests that it is a compound of sammîm (“spices”), and râ’imat (“loving”): a suitable name for a woman, and actually borne by a lady of the court of Rammân-nirâri (B.C. 812), king of Assyria.

Jaaziel.—Called Jeiel by mistake in 1Ch_16:5.

And Jeiel.—The LXX. adds, “and Azaziah” (Ozias). (Comp. 1Ch_15:21.) Perhaps this should be read, and “the porters” omitted. (See 1Ch_15:24.)

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

18. their brethren] The names of these are repeated in 1Ch_15:20-21, where they are distributed according to musical instruments.

Ben] This word, which means “son,” seems to have slipped in by mistake.

the porters] R.V. the doorkeepers, the Heb. word being the same as in 1Ch_15:23-24. See the notes on 1Ch_9:17.

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.

And with them their brethren of the second degree,.... Who were next unto them, both in office and skill in singing:

the fourteen following, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters; who, when they were not employed in singing, were doorkeepers of the sanctuary; either they had been porters at the tabernacle in Gibeon, or were so after the ark was placed in the tabernacle David prepared for it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ben. His name is omitted, ver. 20, and in the Septuagint. The Syriac, &c., have "the son of Jaziel:" but we find the 9th Psalm addressed "to Ben, chief of the hand of young women," who sung and played on nables, ver. 20. (Calmet) --- And Jaziel, called Oziel, ver. 20, as the Septuagint have here. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Their brethren of the second degree; the first rank or degree of sacred musicians being those three famous persons named 1Ch 15:17, next unto whom were these here named.

The porters; who were to keep the doors of the tabernacle and courts but withal were instructed in music and singing, that when they were free from attendance upon their proper office, they might not be idle nor unprofitable persons in God’s house.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Their brethren of the second degree — Second in rank and dignity to the three chief musicians.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ben. This word is either altogether an accidental interpolation, or a remnant of some statement of the patronymic character regarding Zechariah. Another indication of the state of the text in this verse is to be found in the probable omission of the name Azazgah of ver. 21, after Jeiel. It will be observed that no trace of this word Ben is found in the repeated list of ver. 20.

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

Second degree - The first rank of sacred musicians being those three famous persons named ver. 17, next to whom were these here named. Porters - who were to keep the doors of the tabernacle and courts, but with all were instructed in musick, that when these were free from attendance upon their proper office, they might not be idle nor unprofitable in God's house.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And with them their brethren of the second degree,.... Who were next unto them, both in office and skill in singing:

the fourteen following, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters; who, when they were not employed in singing, were doorkeepers of the sanctuary; either they had been porters at the tabernacle in Gibeon, or were so after the ark was placed in the tabernacle David prepared for it.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

And with them, their brethren the second in rank second in rank to them as gate sentries.

Zechariah Ben That was his name; and all these singers and gate sentries [served] on the road by bringing the Ark. The singers and the gate sentries that David stationed after they placed the Ark into the tent that David had pitched for it and in the Tabernacle of Shiloh, were gate sentries, but they were not gate sentries while on the road, because not that many gate sentries were required. Therefore, they became singers, with the exception of two, Berechiah and Elkanah (verse 23). All this was on the road, but when the Ark rested, the singers became gate sentries.

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.