Jeduthun

Biblical Record

Jeduthun appears mainly in 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. He was a Levite and a leader within the system of worship music that David established.

• Praise at the tabernacle in Gibeon: According to 1 Chronicles 16:39–42, after David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, he stationed the priest Zadok before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon. With him David appointed Heman and Jeduthun to give thanks to the LORD, "because his mercy endureth for ever" (1 Chronicles 16:41). The two men were also in charge of instruments such as trumpets and cymbals.
• Organization of the ministry of praise: According to 1 Chronicles 25:1–6, David and the captains of the host set apart the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, "who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals" (1 Chronicles 25:1). Jeduthun's six sons served under their father's direction, playing the harp "to give thanks and to praise the LORD" (1 Chronicles 25:3). The New Korean Revised Version renders the expression as "to sing spiritual songs," but the verb in the original text means "to prophesy."
• Dedication of the temple: According to 2 Chronicles 5:12, when Solomon brought the Ark into the Temple in Jerusalem, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons, arrayed in white linen, played instruments and praised the LORD.
• Later descendants: Descendants of Jeduthun took part in the cleansing of the temple under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:14). The account of Josiah's Passover refers to "Jeduthun the king's seer" (2 Chronicles 35:15). Descendants of Jeduthun also appear in the list of Levites who settled in Jerusalem after the return from exile (1 Chronicles 9:16; Nehemiah 11:17).
• Psalm superscriptions: Jeduthun's name appears in the superscriptions (the headings at the beginning of a psalm) of Psalms 39, 62, and 77.

Significance Within Scripture

Chronicles portrays Jeduthun as one of the pillars of the order of temple worship established by David. Together with the names of Asaph and Heman, his name long continued to designate a family of Levitical singers. In this way Chronicles shows that the ministry of praise was handed down from generation to generation. The New Testament does not mention Jeduthun directly.

Interpretation and Issues

• Is he the same person as Ethan? In 1 Chronicles 15:17, 19, "Ethan" appears alongside Heman and Asaph as a leader of the singers. In later accounts, however, Jeduthun appears in that position. Many therefore hold that the two names refer to the same person, although the text does not state this explicitly.
• Meaning of the psalm superscriptions: Interpretations of "Jeduthun" in the psalm superscriptions differ. Some take these psalms to be songs sung by Jeduthun himself or by his family; others think the name refers to a tune or style of performance named after him. The superscriptions alone are not enough to settle the question.
• Another Jeduthun: Opinions are also divided over whether Jeduthun, the father of Obed-edom the gatekeeper (1 Chronicles 16:38), is the same person as Jeduthun the musician.
• Praise and prophecy: Because of expressions such as "seer" and "prophesy," some interpreters hold that temple music had a prophetic character. The text, however, does not describe in detail what this looked like in practice.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Jeduthun is usually mentioned together with Asaph and Heman. He is sometimes cited when explaining the biblical basis for the choir or for worship ministry, or presented as an example of a "set-apart servant of praise" in sermons at choir dedication services. He is rarely treated in depth as an individual figure.