1 Chronicles 16

Chapter 16 of 1 Chronicles falls in the early part of the section on David's reign (chapters 10–29). Following the account in 1 Chronicles 15 of the Levites carrying the ark of the covenant up to the City of David, this chapter records the worship held on the day the ark was installed and the order of service established afterward.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The ark is set in the midst of the tent David had pitched for it, and burnt offerings and peace offerings are presented. David blesses the people in the name of the LORD and gives every man and woman a loaf of bread, a good piece of meat, and a flagon of wine (a cake of raisins).
• Verses 4–6 David appoints Levites to minister before the ark, to record, to thank, and to praise. Asaph is the chief. Others play psalteries and harps, while Asaph sounds the cymbals. The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blow the trumpets.
• Verses 7–36 The song of thanksgiving that David delivered into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. The song opens with a summons to make the LORD's deeds known among the peoples. It then calls Israel to remember the covenant concerning the land of Canaan made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and summons the heavens, the earth, the sea, and even the trees to praise. It closes with a prayer that God would save and gather His people, and all the people say "Amen" and praise the LORD.
• Verses 37–42 Asaph and his brethren minister daily before the ark of the covenant. Obed-edom with his sixty-eight brethren, along with Obed-edom the son of Jeduthun and Hosah, are appointed as porters (gatekeepers). The priest Zadok and his brethren offer burnt offerings morning and evening before the tabernacle at the high place in Gibeon, while Heman and Jeduthun serve alongside them in giving thanks and playing instruments.
• Verse 43 The people depart, each to his house, and David returns to bless his household.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 16:8 "Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name" — The opening of the song of thanksgiving, which extends praise to making the LORD's deeds known among all peoples.
• 1 Chronicles 16:22 "Touch not mine anointed" — In context, this refers to God's protection of the wandering patriarchs, though it is often quoted in isolation.
• 1 Chronicles 16:34 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" — A refrain of thanksgiving that recurs in verse 41. "Mercy" here renders the Hebrew hesed.

People and Places

• David: The king who installed the ark and established the order of worship and service.
• Asaph: Chief of the Levites appointed to lead praise before the ark. His name appears in the superscriptions of Psalm 50 and Psalms 73–83.
• Heman and Jeduthun: Levitical musicians responsible for song and instruments at Gibeon.
• Obed-edom: A figure whose name appears in this chapter in connection with both musical service and gatekeeping.
• Zadok: The priest in charge of the tabernacle at Gibeon.
• Gibeon: The high place where the Mosaic tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering were located.
• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Canaan: The recipients of the covenant and the promised land mentioned in the song.

Points for Reflection

• The song in verses 8–36 appears to combine Psalm 105:1–15, Psalm 96, and Psalm 106:1 and 47–48. Conservative and critical interpreters differ over whether the song should be regarded as one sung in David's own day or as the Chronicler's compilation of psalms. Some scholars see the words of verse 35, "gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen," as reflecting a postexilic setting.
• Verses 1–3 and 43 parallel 2 Samuel 6. The organization of Levitical praise, by contrast, appears only in Chronicles, which highlights David as the one preparing for temple worship.
• In this chapter worship is divided between two sites: the tent in Jerusalem, where the ark rested, and Gibeon, where the tabernacle stood.
• The phrase in verse 29, "in the beauty of holiness," is rendered differently across translations, depending on whether the Hebrew is understood as "holy beauty" or "holy attire."
• The word "anointed" in verse 22 comes from the same root as the New Testament title Messiah, but here it is plural and refers to the patriarchs.

In the Korean Church

• Verse 34 is frequently read as a thanksgiving text in services for Harvest Thanksgiving and for Maekchu Thanksgiving, the early-summer thanksgiving for the first harvest of wheat and barley observed in Korean churches.
• The organization of Levitical praise is often presented as a model in sermons on the choir and worship ministry.
• Verse 22 is sometimes cited as grounds for not criticizing pastors. Within the church, some have objected that such use departs from the verse's original context, which concerns the protection of the patriarchs.