The number and offices of the singers and players on musicalinstruments; and their division by lot into twenty-four courses, 1-31.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXV
Verse 1. "David and the captains of the host" - The chiefs of those who formed the several orders: not military captains.
"Should prophesy" - Should accompany their musicalinstruments with prayer and singing.
Verse 2. "Which prophesied" - Sunghymns and prayed. But the Targum understands this of prophesying in the proper sense of the term; and therefore says, "Who prophesied by the Holy Spirit." Jarchi is of the same opinion and quotes the case of Elisha, 2 Kings iii. 15; While the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord [i.e., the spirit of prophecy] was upon him.
Verse 3. "The sons of Jeduthun-six" - That is, six with their father, otherwise, there are but five. Hence it is said, they were under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, &c.
Verse 5. "To lift up the horn" - "The horn of prophecy," says Jarchi; "to sound with the trumpet in the words of prophecy before the Lord." -T.
"Three daughters." - These also were employed among the singers.
Verse 7. "Two hundred fourscore and eight." - That it twelve classes of twenty-four Levites each; for two hundred and eighty-eight divided by twelve quotes twenty-four.