1 Chronicles 6:33

(33) And these are they that waited (stood) with their children.—The main sentence which began at 1Ch_6:31, and was suspended by the parenthetic 1Ch_6:32, is now resumed. The persons meant are the three chiefs of the Levitical guilds of musicians, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan; their “children” are the members of those guilds. (Comp. the phrase, “sons of the prophets,” i.e., members of prophetic guilds, 2Ki_9:1; Amo_7:14.) 1Ch_25:1-7 supplies the names of the principal “sons” of the three masters. Their Levitical descent is shown in the genealogies here traced up from themselves to Levi. First we have the pedigree of Heman (1Ch_6:33-38) the Kohathite.

Heman a singer.—Rather, the singer or minstrel. Heman, as representing the chief branch of the Levites, is primus inter pares as regards the other master singers. His choir occupied the centre, having on its right that of the Gershonite Asaph, on its left that of the Merarite Ethan (1Ch_6:39; 1Ch_6:44), so that Heman would conduct the whole body of musicians, when the three choirs chanted in concert. The word “minstrel” is more appropriate than “singer” because the original term (ham’shôrçr) implies singing which the singer himself accompanies with an instrument of music. (See 1Ch_25:6; LXX., ὁ ψαλτῳδὸς.)

Son of Joel, the son of Shemuel.—It is interesting to learn that Heman, the great minstrel, was a grandson of Samuel the great prophet. (For the connection between music and prophecy, see 2Ki_3:15; 1Sa_10:5-6; and below, 1Ch_25:1, Note.) Considering that some have denied that Samuel was a Levite, the point of contact here noted looks like an undesigned coincidence.

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

1Ch 6:33 And these [are] they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,

Ver. 33. Heman.] He was Samuel’s grandchild, by Joel. The posterity (haply, not immediate) of the righteous shall be blessed.

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.

6:33 Heman held the lead position among David’s singers (see Ps 88:title).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Shemuel--that is, Samuel. This is the exact representation of the Hebrew name.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

33–38 (= 18–23 according to the Heb. division). The descent of Heman, David’s singer, through Kohath from Levi

33. a singer] R.V. the singer.

Shemuel] R.V. Samuel, the well-known prophet being the person meant. Samuel is a form derived from the LXX. through the Latin Vulgate; but Shemuel is a more correct transliteration of the Hebrew name. Cp. 1Ch_6:26-28, notes.

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.

Their brethren also the Levites,.... Who were not skilled in singing, and employed in that service, even the rest of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites:

were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God; some were porters at the gates; others had the care of the vessels; others slew the beasts for sacrifices, flayed them, and cut them up, and brought the pieces to the altar of burnt offerings, for the priests to offer.

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

Heman. Some families among the Levites were more distinguished than the rest, having authority to regulate the singers, and to give the tune. Hence many psalms are addressed to these three masters of music. Yet from those titles we cannot surely infer that those psalms were composed by Asaph, &c. (Calmet)

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).

These, to wit,

Heman here mentioned; and Asaph, 1Ch 6:39; and Ethan, 1Ch 6:44.

Shemuel, or, Samuel the prophet.

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

We have now the name and pedigree of each of the three chief singers or musicians (their duty was both vocal and instrumental) of David"s appointment, beginning, according to the analogy of ver. 2, supra, with Heman, the descendant of Kohath, instead of Asaph from Gershom. So the place of Heman was still the place of honor, in the centre, with Asaph on the right and Ethan on the left (vers. 39, 44). Heman is the twenty-first according to this list (vers. 33-38) after Levi, but the genealogy is indistinct (see above, vers. 22-28) between Shemuel and Assir, and according to Hervey ("Genealogies of our Lord," p. 214), Heman comes fourteenth after Levi. This Heman is to be distinguished from Heman the "son of Zerah", (1Ch_2:6) and with but little doubt, therefore, from Heman the Ezrahite (Zerahite) of Psalm 88. On the other hand, a theory has been suggested by Lord Arthur C. Hervey which might reconcile the two. He supposes that if Heman the Kohathite (or his father) had married an heiress of the house of Zerah, he might have become reckoned in the line of Zerah as well as in that of Kohath.

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

Their brethren also the Levites,.... Who were not skilled in singing, and employed in that service, even the rest of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites:

were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God; some were porters at the gates; others had the care of the vessels; others slew the beasts for sacrifices, flayed them, and cut them up, and brought the pieces to the altar of burnt offerings, for the priests to offer.

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.)

These were those

"These were the musicians"

Kohathites

This is the name of a people group, the descendants of Kohath (1 Chronicles 6:1). (See: How to Translate Names)

going back in time

This means the list is going in order from the most recent to the oldest.

Heman ... Jeroham ... Eliel ... Toah ... Zuph ... Mahath

These are the names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

Elkanah ... Amasai

See how you translated these men's names in 1 Chronicles 6:25.

translationWords

son

clan

Joel

Samuel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And their brethren the Levites were appointed for the entire service of the Tabernacle of the House of God for gate sentries and to flay [the sacrificial animals], as is written further: (II Chron. 35: 11): “...and the Levites were flaying.”

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.