Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful.
Parallel Translations
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Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the singing. He taught the singers, because he was skillful.
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And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful.
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And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song; he was master in the song, because he was skilful.
Cross-references (3)
Passages linked to 1 Chronicles 15:22 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Chronicles 15:16 David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up their voices with joy.
- 1 Chronicles 15:27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the choir master with the singers; and David had an ephod of linen on him.
- 1 Chronicles 25:7-8 The number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to Yahweh, even all who were skillful, was two hundred eighty-eight. They cast lots for their offices, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the student.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain To wit, to appoint Psalms, and songs to them…
To wit, to appoint Psalms, and songs to them that sung.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ch 15:22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, [was]…
1Ch 15:22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, [was] for song: he instructed about the song, because he [was] skilful.
Ver. 22. Because he was skilful.] In music: and haply in other arts also.
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Was for song, Heb. was for lifting up; either,
Was for song, Heb. was for lifting up; either,
1. Of the ark; he was for carriage of the ark, being appointed to instruct or direct the time and manner of carrying the ark, and when they should make a stand or a change in the bearers. Or rather,
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2. Of the voice; he was the moderator of the music, instructing them when and how to lift up their voices, or change their notes, or make their stops, which best agrees with the following reason, because he was skillful; for this required far more skill than the carriage of the ark, which any man of common discretion could easily govern; and with 1Ch 15:27, where this same Chenaniah is joined with the singers.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Chenaniah chief of the Levites was for song,....…
And Chenaniah chief of the Levites was for song,.... But the chief for the song were Heman, Asaph, and Ethan; rather
for the burden, as the Targum; for the lifting up and bearing the ark:
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he instructed about the song; or about the taking up and bearing the burden, the ark; directing when to take it up, and how far to go with it, and then rest:
because he was skilful; a wise and prudent man in all things, and so proper to direct in this business.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain For song - He was the moderator of the…
For song - He was the moderator of the musick, instructing them when and how to lift up their voices, or change their notes, or make their stops.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 22. Chenaniah - he instructed about the song]…
Verse 22. Chenaniah - he instructed about the song] This appears to have been the master singer; he gave the key and the time, for he presided במשא bemassa, in the elevation, probably meaning what is called pitching the tune, for he was skilful in music, and powerful in his voice, and well qualified to lead the band: be might have been precentor,
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ch 15:22. Chenaniah was for song — Or, as…
1Ch 15:22. Chenaniah was for song — Or, as it may be translated, was for the carriage, namely, of the voice. He was the moderator of the music, instructing them when and how to lift up their voice, change their notes, or make stops. Accordingly, the following words tell us, he instructed about song — Or taught them how to sing; because he was skilful — Was a great artist in singing.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For song - See the margin. Hebraists are still…
For song - See the margin. Hebraists are still at variance as to the meaning of this passage, some supposing elevation or, delivery of the voice, others elevation of the ark, to be intended.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain The prophecy. Singing praises to God is here called…
The prophecy. Singing praises to God is here called prophecy: the more, because these singers were often inspired men. (Challoner) --- Hebrew Massa signifies a song, (Haydock) elevation, (Calmet) burden. (Syriac) So the Vulgate has onus Moab, &c., the burden or dreadful prediction against Moab. (Calmet) --- Prophecy often denotes no more than a melodious canticle, 1 Kings x. 10. (Haydock) --- Chonenias directed all this music. Septuagint simply style him "prince of the Levites, prince of the musicians" (Calmet) or Greek: archon ton odon (who gave out the songs) "because he was intelligent." (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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Chenaniah, chief of the Levites--He was not of the…
Chenaniah, chief of the Levites--He was not of the six heads of the Levitical families, but a chief in consequence of his office, which required learning, without regard to birth or family.
instructed about the song--He directed all these bands as to the proper time when each was to strike in or change their notes; or, as some render the passage, "He led the burdens, for he was skilled," that is, in the custom which it was necessary to observe in the carriage of the holy things [BERTHEAU].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 22. Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song…
22. Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song — Chenaniah was not chief of the Levitical singers, for we have just been told that Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were the leaders in that department. Hence we regard the rendering for song as an error. The Hebrew is במשׂא, in the burden; that is, the burden of bearing the ark. In Num_4:15, the duty of bearing the sanctuary and its sacred vessels is expressly called “the burden (משׂא) of the sons of Kohath.”
He instructed about the song — Rather, he gave instruction about the burden; that is, he gave the proper orders and instructions about the bearing of the ark. The whole verse should accordingly be rendered: Chenaniah, a prince of the Levites, was in charge of the burden; he gave instruction in respect to the burden, for he was skillful. David carefully guarded this time against carelessness and ignorance in the matter of removing the ark, by putting the matter in charge of a prince of the Levites who possessed the requisite knowledge and skill to superintend the responsible burden.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 22. was for song] The Heb. word (massa) used…
22. was for song] The Heb. word (massa) used here twice for “song” (lit. “burden”) means sometimes “burden” in a physical sense; hence R.V. mg. was over the carrying of the ark.
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.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (22) Rather, And Chenaniah, captain (i.e., conductor) of the…
(22) Rather, And Chenaniah, captain (i.e., conductor) of the Levites in bearing (that is, the sacred vessels), was conducting the bearing, because he was skilled—scil., in the traditional regulations connected with bearing the Ark duly and rightly.
Chenaniah.—1Ch_15:27, and 1Ch_26:29.
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Chief of the Levites.—Not one of the six princes (1Ch_15:5-10), or heads of houses, but president of the carriage of the Ark.
Was for song.—So the LXX., which reads “leader of the songs;” but the Syriac has “bore the burden daily” and although the word massâ—i.e., “lifting up,” or “bearing”—might mean “lifting up the voice,” (1) the context is against that meaning here, for Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were conductors of the singing and music; (2) Chenaniah is nowhere else associated with music (see Note on 1Ch_26:29); (3) the word massâ, “bearing,” has the sense we have given it when used in relation to Levites (Num_4:19; 2Ch_35:3).
He instructed.—The Hebrew has an ambiguous form, which may be an infinitive—instructing, correcting (yâsar); or an imperfect of a different verb—was prince over, superintendent of (sârar).
He was skilful.—Comp. 1Ch_25:7; 2Ch_34:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For song. There is considerable diversity of opinion as…
For song. There is considerable diversity of opinion as to the meaning of this word. Some think its meaning to be "in the carrying (aCMB)" i.e. of the ark. Its exact position here seems not unfavourable to such interpretation. On the other hand, its position in ver. 27 seems conclusively to point to the translation of the Septuagint and of our Authorized Version in this place as the correct one. Dr. Murphy, however, to escape this, thinks "with the singers" in ver. 27 to be a "copyist"s inadvertent repetition."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
This continues the list of men whom the Levites appointed to sing and play music as the people brought the ark to Jerusalem. (See: How to Translate Names)
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translationWords
priest
trumpet
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.