Sunday Sermonette: Droning on

 Side note: Saying that Jews should be expelled from the country is hate speech. I'm not gratuitously labeling what I don't agree with. Nick Fuentes is a Nazi.

Chapter 25 continues with the interminable recitation of meaningless names, in this case of musicians. While the names are pointless, we can divine a little bit about Judean music, but it really is just a little. We don't know when the Chroniclers source material for this was written, but when Chronicles was written, probably in the mid 6th Century BCE, the instruments named here were evidently still characteristic. We don't know what other role, if any, music may have played in the society, but these musicians are assigned to accompany "the ministry of prophesying," which I presume is what we would call a sermon, although perhaps the words were, at least sometimes. See verse 3, "Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord." Of course, he could have used the harp to accompany spoken words.

 

It appears there was ensemble performance, as per verse 6: "All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps." (The KJV translates "psaltery" rather than "harp." A psaltery is essentially a fretless guitar, but it probably had not been invented at this time. Harp is more likely.)  Elsewhere in the Bible the tambour is mentioned, though not here. This chapter does not name any specialists in singing, though as I say perhaps the "prophesying" is supposed to be done in song. So we know there was rhythmic accompaniment with the cymbals. The harp and lyre are capable of producing chords, so there was likely some form of harmonic structure. But that's all we know. We don't know what scales were used, or harmonies; whether there may have been duet or ensemble singing; and when and where, other than for religious observances, music may have been played. All we have is this list of names.

We know from

25 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:

² From the sons of Asaph:

Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

³ As for Jeduthun, from his sons:

Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,^[a] Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.

⁴ As for Heman, from his sons:

Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. ⁵ (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)

⁶ All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. ⁷ Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. ⁸ Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

9 The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph,
his sons and relatives[b]	12[c]
the second to Gedaliah,
him and his relatives and sons	12
10 the third to Zakkur,
his sons and relatives	12
11 the fourth to Izri,[d]
his sons and relatives	12
12 the fifth to Nethaniah,
his sons and relatives	12
13 the sixth to Bukkiah,
his sons and relatives	12
14 the seventh to Jesarelah,[e]
his sons and relatives	12
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah,
his sons and relatives	12
16 the ninth to Mattaniah,
his sons and relatives	12
17 the tenth to Shimei,
his sons and relatives	12
18 the eleventh to Azarel,[f]
his sons and relatives	12
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah,
his sons and relatives	12
20 the thirteenth to Shubael,
his sons and relatives	12
21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah,
his sons and relatives	12
22 the fifteenth to Jerimoth,
his sons and relatives	12
23 the sixteenth to Hananiah,
his sons and relatives	12
24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah,
his sons and relatives	12
25 the eighteenth to Hanani,
his sons and relatives	12
26 the nineteenth to Mallothi,
his sons and relatives	12
27 the twentieth to Eliathah,
his sons and relatives	12
28 the twenty-first to Hothir,
his sons and relatives	12
29 the twenty-second to Giddalti,
his sons and relatives	12
30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth,
his sons and relatives	12
31 the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer,
his sons and relatives	12.

Footnotes

1. 1 Chronicles 25:3 One Hebrew manuscript and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also verse 17); most Hebrew manuscripts do not have Shimei.
2. 1 Chronicles 25:9 See Septuagint; Hebrew does not have his sons and relatives.
3. 1 Chronicles 25:9 See the total in verse 7; Hebrew does not have twelve.
4. 1 Chronicles 25:11 A variant of Zeri
5. 1 Chronicles 25:14 A variant of Asarelah
6. 1 Chronicles 25:18 A variant of Uzziel