Psalms Alluded To
Psalm 8	Psalm 12	Psalm 16	Psalm 46
Psalms Appropriately Exegeted in this Chapter
Psalm 24	Psalm 47		Psalm 68
These links will take you to where these psalms are discussed within 1Chron. 15; and at the end of the chapter, there will be direct links to exegetical studies of these Psalms. Although Psalm 8 was probably written while David was under the stars (I have placed it after he defeats the Amalekites when living in a territory given him by Achish King of Gath), it is not inconceivable that this psalm was sung as a part of the procession.
There is no science in placing these particular psalms as a part of the musical celebration while the Ark is being transported. Two of them are placed here simply because there is a word in the psalms and in this chapter which are the same (likely, these are technical musical terms, which do not necessarily indicate that these psalms belong here rather than elsewhere). However, I am certain that psalms were sung during the moving of the Ark; and it is possible that any of these 4 (or 5) are appropriate to this chapter of Scripture.
Here is what I would suggest: the Ark represents Jesus Christ, the God-man, Who is known to David and to Israel as Jehovah Elohim. Therefore, it would make sense that a Messianic psalm be sung at this time. Psalm 8 is the only psalm which is Messianic which I have included. At some time, I may add one of the Messianic psalms here (Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 41, 45, 54, 68, 69, 89, 109, 110, 118).

Related Psalms and Chapters of Scripture Previously Exegeted
2Samuel 6			Psalm 110

I ntroduction: In 2Sam. 6, David makes his first attempt to move the Ark, fails, and then successfully brings the Ark to Jerusalem on the second try. As we have already studied, all of 1Chron. 13 is devoted to the first attempt to move the Ark; 1Chron. 14 deals with David in Jerusalem (and parallels 2Sam. 5:11–25), and this chapter, 1Chron. 15, and the next, correspond to the second half of 2Sam. 6. Since the 2^nd half of 2Sam. 6 is comprised of 12 verses and 1Chron. 15–16 make up 72 verses, we are going to find a lot more detail of this event in Chronicles. The reason that two chapters are given over to this event in Chronicles is that there are two separate but related events: the transporting of the Ark from the home of Obed-edom to Jerusalem; and the celebration of the Ark being placed in its tent in Jerusalem. Part I: Transport of the Ark (1Chron. 15); Part II: Celebration of the Successful Transport of the Ark (1Chron. 16).

What is striking in the Chronicles record is the great organization and celebration which takes place the second time the Ark is moved under David’s direction. The book of Samuel only devotes 3 verses to the celebration and 2^nd move of the Ark, wherein, it is clear that there was a celebration; but the extent of this celebration is revealed in Chronicles. In Samuel, you read the text and you think, “Hmm, sounds like maybe this was a big deal?” However, the text of Chronicles makes it unmistakably clear, this is a big deal!

As will be clear in this chapter of Chronicles, there will be a great deal of music and singing which takes place while the Ark is being moved and once it comes to its place in Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, 3 psalms are alluded to in 1Chron. 16, but no psalm is actually named in 1Chron. 15 (although there will be numerous references to musicians, singers and a musical celebration performed while the Ark was being moved). So, we may reasonably assume that there were psalms sung during this event which David and the music leaders picked out, but we do not know which psalms these were (assuming, of course, that they chose particular psalms which are extent today). Therefore, we will make reasonable guesses as to which psalms were sung at this time, and study those particular psalms with the procession of the Ark in mind (we will do this in between the chapters). When we study 1Chron. 16, portions of the psalms sung will be included in that chapter, and we will study those psalms as they are alluded to by the editor of Chronicles.

There are several themes to be found in this chapter of Chronicles: most obvious is, the moving of the Ark from a temporary holding place with Obed-edom (which is never described in any way). However, what is also clearly pointed out is the important place of the Levites in this celebration. They are both verified as to which branch of Levites they belong to, and the part which they play while the Ark is being moved. Interestingly enough, even though we can make some reasonable guesses as to who exactly moved the Ark (the 4 gatekeepers?), this is not clearly presented. Finally, it is important to recognize that the driving force behind all of this is King David. Levites did not come to David and petition that he bring the Ark to Jerusalem; this was in David’s mind, and it will be apparent throughout Chronicles that he has put a lot of thought into the Ark (David wanted to move the Ark in the first place; he knew what went wrong originally and he knew how to fix that; he prepared a place for the Ark to go; and he wanted to design and build a permanent place for the Ark of God). What has less emphasis, but is important, is, this is a celebration for all Israel. With all that goes on when the Ark is moved and when it comes to its tent in Jerusalem, indicates a great celebration.

If you read critically, you should have a number of questions occur to you in v. 1 (look in your Bible and read that verse right now, and determine if one or two questions come to you). Most people who read the Bible rarely think critically during their reading of it, unless they are simply looking to find something wrong or contradictory.

Chronicles is said to be man's history from God's viewpoint, and God emphasizes here that which He deems is important. The successful move of the Ark and the ensuing celebration no doubt have important spiritual implications.

I always like inserting an alternate outline.
Matthew Henry Outlines 1Chronicles 15
Section	Subdivided
I. How the Ark was moved more properly than before	1. A place was prepared for it (1Chron. 15:1). 2. The priests were ordered to carry it (1Chron. 15:2–15). 3. The Levites had their offices assigned them in attending on it (1Chron. 15:16–24).
II. How the Ark was moved more successfully than before	1. The Levites made no mistake in their work (1Chron. 15:26). 2. David and the people met with no damp upon their joy (1Chron. 15:27–28). 3. As for Michal's despising David, it was nothing (1Chron. 15:29).

Quite frankly, this outline seems rather lame to me.

Taken from Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; from e-Sword, 1Chron. 15 Introduction; slightly edited.

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David builds some houses for himself and sets up a tent for the Ark (v. 1). He comments that the Levites should have been the ones to move the Ark (v. 2). David gathers many from Israel for this second attempt to move the Ark, including many leaders from the prominent branches of Levites (vv. 3–10). David appears to assign 2 priests and 6 Levites to the actual moving of the Ark, although probably not all 8 were needed to actually lift and carry the Ark (vv. 11–12). David reiterates the importance of moving the Ark the correct way in v. 13, and the Levites prepared themselves and began to move the Ark (vv. 14–15). There are apparently a large number of musicians and choir types who are involved, who are partially enumerated in vv. 16–24. The overall celebration as the Ark was transported by the Levites is described in vv. 25–28. Then, at the very end of the chapter, we get another viewpoint, which is that of Michal, Saul’s daughter and one of David’s wives—who sees David and hates him (v. 29).

In our chapter, we will focus on the successful move of the Ark, the Levites who played a part in this move, and the gathering of Israel. The celebration will be examined in the next chapter.

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David Summons the Levites to Move the Ark

2Sam. 6:12–15

Slavishly literal:

Moderately literal:

And so he makes for himself houses in a city of David and so he erect a place to an Ark of the Elohim and so he stretches out for him a tent.

1Chronicles

15:1

David [lit., he] constructed houses for himself in the City of David. He also prepared a place for the Ark of Elohim and spread out a tent for it.

David constructed royal residences for himself (and his wives) in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the Ark of God, setting up a tent for it.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text And so he makes for himself houses in a city of David and so he erect a place to an Ark of the Elohim and so he stretches out for him a tent.

Septuagint And he made for himself houses in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and made a tent for it.

Significant differences: None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV David had several buildings built in Jerusalem, and he had a tent set up where the sacred chest would be kept..

The Message After David built houses for himself in the City of David, he cleared a place for the Chest and pitched a tent for it.

GNB (TEV) For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it.

NLT David now built several buildings for himself in the City of David. He also prepared a place for the Ark of God and set up a special tent there to shelter it.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ After David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for God's ark and set up a tent for it.

HCSB David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

ESV David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

Young’s Updated LT And he makes for himself houses in the city of David, and prepares a place for the ark of God, and stretches out for it a tent.

What is the gist of this verse? David begins some construction projects in Jerusalem: he builds some houses for himself and he prepared a place for the Ark of God and a tent wherein it would be placed.

1Chronicles 15:1a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa or va (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
׳âsâh (הָָע) [pronounced ģaw-SAWH]	to do, to make, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prepare	3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong's #6213 BDB #793
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition; with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #510
bayith (ת̣י ַ) [pronounced BAH-yith]	house, residence; household, habitation as well as inward	masculine plural noun	Strong's #1004 BDB #108
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within	a preposition of proximity	No Strong’s # BDB #88
׳îyr (רי ̣ע) [pronounced ģeer]	encampment, city, town	feminine singular construct	Strong's #5892 BDB #746
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187

Translation: David [lit., he] constructed houses for himself in the City of David. David is royalty and he has at least three wives at this time, and possibly more. No doubt he began with everyone living in the same tent. Here we find him building houses, which suggests to me that, not only did David build one or two federal buildings, but he probably built some houses for his wives, to separate them. This is pure speculation, but bear in mind that several women under the same roof can be a difficult thing to maintain. For that reason, I am guessing that David's multiplicity of wives dictated, to some degree, his residential building projects.

At one time, in a different lifetime, I was a real estate agent, and I found out early on that, when it came to buying a house, 90% of the time, the only person who needed to be pleased was the wife. Now, she might send the husband out into the garage or he may crawl into the attic and look around, but that was simply a diplomatic gesture on the part of the wife, to make him think that he had some involvement in buying the house, apart from writing the monthly checks for it. I mean, it's not like the husband is going to walk back into the house from the garage and say, "Sorry, honey, there is no workbench in the garage; we are going to have to find another house." Or, "I don't know about the SEER number on this AC unit; maybe we should keep looking." Even a husband foolish enough to make a comment which suggested that he had a say in the matter, was gently reminded that he didn't, usually by the wife either ignoring his observation or saying, "This way you can build a workbench exactly the way you would like it to be." So, even here, where David is king over the Re-United Israel, his wives may be less blatant about this house situation, but don't think that they had no say in the matter. "David, honey, you're king of all Israel; if you think we need 3 houses, then you can have 3 houses built. This is what kings do."

We do not know how this parallels with Hiram King of Tyre, who build a home for David in 1Chron. 14. Recall that these chapters of Chronicles are roughly in chronological order, but not precisely. However, my thinking is, Hiram first build a palace for David and then David, learning from the construction, had those under him build more houses as well as federal buildings. This makes sense for several reasons:

Why Hiram Built a Palace for David prior to David’s Construction Project

1. The Israelites, up until this point in time, were not known for their building projects. They took the Land of Promise from people who had already built homes and had set up vineyards and wells. Everything that Israel needed was here; they just had to move in. For that reason, building skills would not have been foremost in the skills of Israelis (this may help to explain why there were no blacksmiths in Israel as well, as they would have inherited the tools of the land’s former occupants).

2. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that David had a large number of men that he could go to for this building project.

3. However, after Hiram built a palace for David, David learned these skills, as did those around him. No doubt he told a variety of men, “Shadow Hiram’s men; stay out of their way, but learn from them.” Personally, I have dealt with houses that were already built for a long time; and I couldn’t have told you the first thing about building one from scratch. However, after having an addition added to my home, and after observing the men working for several weeks, I would at least have a clue as to how to start, and which things need to be done in which order. In fact, I am doing a reasonable amount of the finishing work myself, which is only possible because I watch and learn. Prior to this project, I could not have done a third of what I can do now.

4. This may help to explain the placement of 1Chron. 14 prior to 1Chron. 15. It is not that all of chapter 14 occurs before chapter 15; but 1Chron. 14:1 definitely precedes 1Chron. 15:1, and that may account for how these chapters were placed (recall that 1Chron. 14 is almost identical to 2Sam. 5).

This would be another reason to add to the list of reasons why 1Chron. 14 is placed where we find it (which list of reasons is found in the exegesis of 1Chron. 14).

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Gill, by the way, suggests a slightly different scenario: that David had his men work right along side of Hiram’s servants so that 1Chron. 14:1 and 1Chron. 15:1 are essentially equivalent verses, which simply provide a different emphasis.

Why There are Two Separate Building Projects

1. Hiram builds a house (palace) for David; David builds houses.

2. Hiram provides the men and materials for his project for David; David is said to do the building in our passage (properly, he might be called the builder, much the same way a builder is so named today. Today, a builder might not draw up the plans, he might not ever lift up a hammer, but he coordinates the entire building process; that is probably David’s function, although I suspect he got hands on now and again.

3. Different verbs are used as well.

a. 1Chron. 14:1: And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him. The verb found here is bânâh (ה ָנ ָ) [pronounced baw-NAWH], which means to build, to rebuild, to restore. Strong’s #1129 BDB #124. The first occurrence of this verb is Gen. 2:22: And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he built into a woman and brought her to the man. God built the woman based upon Adam’s rib.

b. 1Chron. 15:1a: David made [constructed] houses for himself in the city of David. The verb found here is ׳âsâh (הָָע) [pronounced ģaw-SAWH], which means to do, to make, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prepare, to manufacture. Strong's #6213 BDB #793. We first find this verb in Gen. 1:7: And God made [constructed] the atmosphere and separated the waters that were under the atmosphere from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.

c. Although I would be hard-pressed to distinguish these verbs, the first is more narrowly focused on somehow taking existing material and making something somewhat different out of it, while retraining some of the original properties. The latter verb has a much wider application, and can include the activities of the first verb, it has a variety of other applications as well. We don’t necessarily have a different set of activities being described here, merely a different verb, which implies that we are dealing with different building projects

d. Keil and Delitzsch suggest that the second verb indicates that David is preparing the houses for habitation, rather than building them.¹ The problem with this theory is, Hiram builds a house and here David is constructing houses. So, even if we are primarily focusing on the finishing work, we still have the difference in number.

e. Wesley suggests² that Hiram build a huge palace, and that this is finished off as separate offices and dwelling places. I’m not sure whether this is what Keil and Delitzsch meant, but this is a reasonable possibility in my mind.

4. The description for Hiram’s project includes the materials which he sends to David; David’s project does not mention material or workforce, but it includes the tent which David sets up for the Ark of God.

5. It is very likely that the houses which David built were in accordance with his wives’ wishes, and these buildings were probably attached to the larger structure which Hiram built for David.

6. Even though David was not known for his building projects, he apparently had a crew of men who could build and he apparently supervised these projects, as we read in 2Sam. 5:9: And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. V. 10, by the way, is Hiram coming to David to build a palace for David.

7. Although these two events occurred probably during the same year or two, Hiram built David a house to celebrate his becoming king over all Israel and David built his houses and constructed the tent in anticipation of moving the Ark of God.

8. Let me suggest that the wives of David also had some sort of imput to this operate ration, as Michal will be looking out a window and observing David and the procession of the Ark. “Honey,” she said before she got pissed off at David, “I would like you to build me a house with a big picture window which looks out over the main street” is probably close to her instructions to David (if David build several houses for his several wives, each no doubt had a list of things that she required).³ There were no doubt servants’ quarters for those who served David’s wives and David directly, as well as guard outposts and quarters.

9. Israel is not known for its building projects up until this point in time. They took the land and the houses already available on the land. I suspect that David and some of his men learned Building 101 from Hiram and his crew of carpenters and stonemasons. After seeing a palace build from the ground up, David was inspired to do essentially the same thing.

10. The fact that Solomon becomes known for great building projects which he initiates and completes during his kingship, suggests that building became a trade that Israelis had become familiar with (as had Solomon); and this suggests that they had training and/or experience—hence, building projects during the time of David such as this one.

Given these facts—particularly #1–3 above, this surely refers to two separate building projects.

Now, quite frankly, I don’t know how big of a deal this is to treat these as separate projects; but it is important to me to either get the details right, or, if there are several reasonable scenarios, to present them all, along with their implications, if any.

¹ Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament; from e-Sword; 1Chron. 15:1.

² John Wesley; Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible; courtesy of e-sword, 1Chron. 15:1.

³ Jamieson, Fausset and Brown indicated that having several wives suggests that several separate dwellings would be necessary. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown; Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; from e-sword, 1Chron. 15:1.

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1Chronicles 15:1b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
kûwn (ן) [pronounced koon]	to erect (to stand up perpendicular), to set up, to establish, to prepare, to strengthen, to be stabilized	3^rd person masculine singular, Hiphil imperfect	Strong’s #3559 BDB #465
mâqôwm (םקָמ) [pronounced maw-KOHM]	place, situated; for a soldier, it may mean where he is stationed; for people in general, it would be their place of abode (which could be their house or their town)	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #4725 BDB #879
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN]	ark, chest; Ark	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #727 BDB #75
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM]	gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim	masculine plural noun with the definite article	Strong's #430 BDB #43

Translation: He also prepared a place for the Ark of Elohim... As king, it should be obvious that David did not build whatever homes are referenced in the previous portion of this verse; however, it is possible that David did set up a tent for the Ark himself. It is obvious that he read in the Bible how the Ark should be moved (as we will see in vv. 12–13); therefore, he may have made an attempt, based upon Scripture, to set up a tent for the Ark. However, this is a very surprising statement. I'll reserve additional comment until the next part of this verse.

1Chronicles 15:1c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
nâţâh (ה ָט ָנ) [pronounced naw-TAWH]	to stretch out, to spread out, to bow, to extend, to incline, to turn	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #5186 BDB #639
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition; with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #510
ohel (ל ∵הֹא) [pronounced OH-hel]	tent, tabernacle, house, temporary dwelling	masculine singular noun	Strong's #168 BDB #13

Translation: ...and spread out a tent for it. David has been doing some reading. We will find this out in the next verse and in v. 13. He knows how the Ark is to be moved. Now, even though historians may hotly debate whether or not David owned a Strong's Concordance or Topical index for his Bible, I would suppose that he did not. Whether he read the Law carefully, or skimmed over it, we do not know; but when he came to the section on the Ark of God, he read that section carefully, which will be clear in vv. 2 and 13. If David knows how to move the Ark, then surely he knows where the Ark belongs. The Ark of God is to be placed in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle of God (tabernacle means a semi-permanent tent). In ancient Israel, there were tents, tabernacles and houses. These roughly correspond to our motor homes, our mobile homes, and our single family dwellings. I suspect that a tabernacle is larger and more permanent than a tent, just as a mobile home is generally larger and more stationary than a motor home. Let me get to the point: why doesn't David either move the Ark of God to the Tabernacle of God; or why doesn't David bring the Tabernacle of God to Jerusalem?

Let's take this in points:

What We Know about the Tabernacle of God

1. At one time, the Tabernacle of God was located in Shiloh. We examined the movement of the Ark in 1Sam. 7:2 (which I placed with 1Sam. 6) and we studied the destruction of Shiloh there as well.

a. In a war with the Philistines, during the time of Eli and Samuel, the Ark was taken from Shiloh into battle by the army of Israel and they were beat down badly, and the Ark was taken into Philistia. 1Sam. 1–5

b. Although the Ark is returned to Israel, we do not hear about Shiloh again, and the Ark is taken to Kiriath-jearim, where it stays until David attempts to move it for the first time.

c. Eli dies, his sons are killed, Samuel takes over as Israel’s spiritual leader, and the Ark stays in Kiriath-jearim and we never hear about it or the Tabernacle until the time of David.

d. Jeremiah tells us that Shiloh was destroyed in Jer. 7:1, 12–15 26:4, 6. Jeremiah spoke of Shiloh long after it had been destroyed.

e. What seems to be the most logical is, Shiloh was destroyed around the same time that the Ark was taken. We covered this in great detail in the Doctrine of he Destruction of Shiloh , which was a part of our 1Samuel study.

2. Apparently, although Shiloh was destroyed, it appears as though the Tabernacle was not.

a. We find the priests with the Table of Showbread in 1Sam. 21 at Nob (no previous passage references a move to Nob; we must reasonably assume the priests moved there as a group).

b. However, Saul goes to Nob and kills all of the priests; only Abiathar, a very young man, escapes to David with the Ephod of God. If the Tabernacle was set up there, which seems reasonable, what happened to it after that?

c. When the Temple is constructed by Solomon, he places the original Tabernacle in the Temple. 1Kings 8:4 2Chron. 1:3

d. It is unclear how often the Tabernacle was set up, whether it functioned as it was suppose to function.

3. In any case, it does appear that the Tabernacle is in Gibeon at this time (1Chron. 16:39 2Chron. 1:3).

4. In this and the next chapter about successfully moving the Ark, the Tabernacle is not mentioned.

Let me warn you, I pose questions as I go along; if I am able to offer a reasonable explanation for them, that is great; if not, then that is your homework.

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David has been to the Tabernacle, insofar as we know. Recall, he got bread from the shewbread at Nob, at the City of the Priests. This leaves us with a number of questions:

Questions about the Tabernacle and David

1. Where is the Tabernacle at this time?

2. Why doesn’t David fetch it as well?

3. Why doesn’t David take the Ark to the Tabernacle?

4. Where are the priests?

5. There are two lines of priests, as we have examined in 1Chron. 6; is this other line with the Tabernacle?

The last two questions are easy: David will summon the two priests and they will attend and take part in this celebration (1Chron. 15:11, 14). So, Levites, which apparently have some sort of present function (they are apparently organized musically) and priests who represent the two lines of the priesthood willingly come when David summons them.

The first question is also easy: apparently the Tabernacle is in Gibeon at this time (1Chron. 16:39 2Chron. 1:3).

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This leaves the second and third questions, and I have a few possible theories.

Why Doesn’t David Bring the Tabernacle to Jerusalem?

1. David, after having a house built for him and after building a few houses, has his mind set on building a house for God, as opposed to fetching the Tabernacle. He will later express this exact sentiment, which suggests that possibly David has been thinking about this all along. This would explain both why David did not bring the Tabernacle to Jerusalem and why he did not take the Ark to wherever the Tabernacle was set up.

2. Because of David, all of the priests were killed at the Tabernacle. Maybe he just feels unworthy of dealing with the Tabernacle. Although David may have felt guilty about this, it is a sin from his past; he has confessed his sins on a number of occasions and has moved on.

3. David is possibly unfamiliar with Tabernacle worship. We don’t know this for a fact, but it appears as though Tabernacle worship disappeared before and during the reign of Saul, which would have been pretty much all of David’s life. So, it is possible that he read about the Ark, and then researched the Bible to find out how to move the Ark; but that he did not really examine Tabernacle worship. Like the previous point, I doubt that this is the reason.

4. Barnes presents the theory: David probably thought that something newer and more magnificent was requisite. He therefore allowed the former tabernacle to keep its place, and had another made and erected.¹

5. To back up the idea that David has in mind a project to build a permanent dwelling for the Ark is found in 1Chron. 17:1 (1Chron. 15–16 are about the moving of the Ark to Jerusalem and the celebration which took place after it arrived). In 1Chron. 17:1, David speaks to the prophet Nathan about building a permanent structure for the Ark, which indicates that this was probably on David’s mind all along.

I think that #1 is the most likely explanation, although #4 is a possibility. #’s 2 and 3, I just threw out there.

¹ Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, 1Chron. 15:1.

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We’ve looked at this from the human viewpoint so far. What was in David’s mind? Why didn’t David do this or that? However, David would have been willing to do whatever God wanted him to do with respect to the Tabernacle and the Ark of God. Why didn’t God require that these two things be united? Why didn’t God tell David, “Either bring the Ark to the Tabernacle or bring the Tabernacle to Jerusalem”?

Why Did God Allow Tabernacle Worship and the Ark to Remain in the Background?

1. We are looking at this from the divine perspective now. We know possibly why David did not bring the Ark and Tabernacle together, but only from his perspective. From God’s vantage point, I believe that God chose to have one Christ figure at a time in the forefront.

2. You may recall that Samuel was an outstanding parallel to our Lord, and that prior to his leading the nation Israel, the existing priesthood suddenly ended, the Ark was out of commission, and Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was kept, was apparently destroyed. The idea was, Samuel stood as a shadow for Jesus Christ.

3. With David, we have a similar situation. David is an outstanding shadow figure of Christ to come. Furthermore, his reign and his son’s reign also parallel the 2^nd Advent and the Tribulation followed by our Lord’s rule over the earth during a Millennium of peace. Samuel would have been the 1^st Advent of our Lord, including being resurrected.

4. The purpose of the Ark, of the Tabernacle and of the sacrifices was to foreshadow Jesus Christ and to provide the gospel to those of that time. Samuel and David are such good representations of Christ Jesus that the Ark and the Tabernacle were no longer in the forefront.

5. So, it is possible that Tabernacle worship was still going on at this time, but it is not mentioned because God wants us to look at Samuel and David and see the 1^st and 2^nd Advents. With Solomon, David’s son, on the throne, there is a time of peace and the Temple is built, representing a permanence, as we have in the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ.

6. Bear in mind that, Samuel, David and Solomon are all real people, who lived and died, who sinned and who did great things. You cannot examine each and every detail of these men’s lives and find a parallel to Jesus Christ. However, if you paint with broad strokes, the most essential similarities can be easily seen.

7. Samuel: Samuel was a prophet, a priest, and a judge. He was not in the direct line of the priests, yet he was chosen from even before he was born to serve God. Even in the end, God brought Samuel back from the dead, to complete the parallel between himself and Jesus Christ.

8. David: David is the king-prophet and throughout his kingship, he will be a bloody king, involved in innumerable wars, just as our Lord will kill a tremendous number of people during the Tribulation.

9. Solomon: Solomon will rule over Israel during a time of peace. All that David did secured this great time of peace for Israel. At this point in Israel’s history, Israel will occupy the most land and be the most prosperous. There will no longer be worship at the semi-permanent Tabernacle, but worship will be at a permanent dwelling, the Temple of Solomon (there will also be a Temple during the Millennium). This will represent the permanence and the prosperity of the Millennium. However, just as Solomon’s rule will not be perfect, there will be sin during the Millennium and, at the end, rebellion (at the end of Somon’s rule, Israel will be split into two kingdoms).

10. Therefore, since these three men represent our spiritual future, they will be in the forefront, and the Tabernacle and the Ark will not be as important during this time period.

When we deal with events that we do not completely understand, bear in mind, there should be reasons for them from a human perspective as well as from the divine perspective.

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One final question—why didn’t David just build an large, permanent edifice to keep the Ark in? He had already tried to move the Ark with disastrous results; so David knew that doing things differently than what was found in Scripture could be very problematic. Therefore, I am sure that he followed the example what was done at Obed-edom’s home or in Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark had been kept successfully throughout David’s lifetime. This is given no emphasis, as there was not really an official place to keep the Ark other than in the Tabernacle of God. God allowed the Ark to be kept where it is kept all these years for the reasons cited above. Before David tries to change up things too much, he will first speak to Nathan the prophet about it (1Chron. 17:1).

Then said David, “Not to carry an Ark of the Elohim for if the Levites for in them chose Y^ehowah to carry an Ark of the Y^ehowah and to His ministry as far as forever.”

1Chronicles

15:2

David then said, “None should carry the Ark of Elohim except the Levites for Y^ehowah chose to carry the Ark of Y^ehowah by means of them so that they [might] minister [to] Him forever.”

David then said, “It is not lawful for anyone except the Levites to carry the Ark of God, for Jehovah chose them to bear the Ark of the Lord and to minister before Him forever.”

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text Then said David, “Not to carry an Ark of the Elohim for if the Levites for in them chose Y^ehowah to carry an Ark of the Y^ehowah and to His ministry as far as forever.”

Septuagint Then said David, It is not lawful for any to bear the ark of God, but the Levites; for the Lord has chosen them to bear the ark of the Lord, and to minister to Him for ever.

Significant differences: The LXX smoothed out the text slightly in regards to God choosing them to bear the Ark. In my mostly literal translation, I essentially did the same thing.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV He said, "Only Levites will be allowed to carry the chest, because the LORD has chosen them to do that work and to serve him forever."

The Message Then David gave orders: "No one carries the Chest of God except the Levites; GOD designated them and them only to carry the Chest of GOD and be available full time for service in the work of worship."

NLT Then he issued these instructions: “When we transport the Ark of God this time, no one except the Levites may carry it. The Lord has chosen them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”

REB He decreed that only Levites should carry the Ark of God, since they had been chosen by the Lord to carry it and to serve him for ever.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Then David insisted that only the Levites carry God's ark because the LORD had chosen them to carry his ark and to serve him forever.

HCSB Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever."

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

ESV Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever.

Young’s Updated LT Then said David, “None are to carry the ark of God, except the Levites, for on them has Jehovah fixed to carry the ark of God, and to serve Him—unto the age.”

What is the gist of this verse? David indicates that the problem before was, the Levites were to bear the Ark of God, and that God gave them a specific ministry—to bear the Ark and to serve Him forever.

1Chronicles 15:2a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
âz (ז ָא) [pronounced awz]	then, at that time, in that case (when following an if or though), now, as things are; that being so	adverb	Strong’s #227 BDB #23
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MAHR]	to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #559 BDB #55
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low]	not, no	negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation	Strong’s #3808 BDB #518
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
nâsâ (אָָנ) [pronounced naw-SAW]	to lift up, to bear, to carry	Qal infinitive construct	Strong’s #5375 (and #4984) BDB #669
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN]	ark, chest; Ark	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #727 BDB #75
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM]	gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim	masculine plural noun with the definite article	Strong's #430 BDB #43
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee]	when, that, for, because	explanatory conjunction; preposition	Strong's #3588 BDB #471
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem]	if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though	primarily an hypothetical particle	Strong's #518 BDB #49
Together, kîy îm (ם ̣א י ̣) [pronounced kee-eem] act as a limitation on the preceding thought, and therefore should be rendered but, except, except that, unless and possibly only. However, these particles are not used in a limiting way if they follow an oath, a question or a negative. Then they can be rendered that if, for if, for though, that since, for if, but if, indeed if, even if.
L^evîyyim (ם ̣ ̣ול) [pronounced l^e-vee-YIM]	joined to, attached; garland, crown; and is transliterated Levites	proper plural noun with the definite article	Strong’s #3881 BDB #532

Translation: David then said, “None should carry the Ark of Elohim except the Levites... This translation is a little weak; the negation used here generally negates the verb; there is another substantive is not used here which is rendered none. Brenton suggests, in his rendering of the LXX, that this should be it is not lawful for anyone to carry the Ark of God except for the Levites. What we have here are a couple of missing words from the MT, or David is speaking in ellipsis, where a few words are left out in order to place great emphasis upon what he is saying. Literally, this reads: “Not to carry the Ark of God except the Levites...”

All this aside, this tells us that David has been reading his Bible. We know that part of a king’s duties are to make a copy of the Law for himself, so David does have a personal Bible. As we have studied earlier, the Law of Moses makes it quite clear that the Levites are the ones who are to transport the Ark (Num. 1:50 4:5, 15 7:9 10:8, 17 Deut. 10:8 31:9). I suspect that David read about the Ark, originally, in the first few chapters of Samuel, which told him where the Ark of God was, and, without doing any further research, attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, following the example of the Philistines. When this did not work, then David went back to the Scriptures, read the passages I just named, and now will made a second attempt to move the Ark.

Application: As I pointed out when we studied 2Sam. 6, you do not read a narrative in the Bible and then copy what you find in the narrative. This is not how spirituality or the spiritual life works. David read about how the Philistines moved the Ark and copied their method, to some degree, because they were successful in transporting the Ark from Philistia back to Israel. However, this was not God’s way of doing things; in other passages, God makes it clear how the Ark is supposed to be moved. Now, maybe you don’t get the point. Here’s the point: many cults have begun by reading narrative and copying what is there. Joseph Smith read the Bible and then put together a similar set of Scriptures himself, also written in King James’ English (which is not how people spoke then Smith wrote the Book of Mormon). The Mormons read about polygamy in the Bible and many of them took it up as a lifestyle (this is not a part of official Mormon today). Charismatics, over the past century, saw the giving of the Holy Spirit occurring in several instances in the Book of Acts, which experience was followed by, in several cases, speaking in tongues. Because they did not necessarily have an emotional high after being saved (assuming that many of them are saved), they imitated what they found in the book of Acts, and justified this with a few Scriptures from 1Corinthians. Let me make this clear: you do not read some narrative in Scripture and then try to copy it. The Bible is filled with mandates; there are hundreds of mandates. The New Testament has many verses in the imperative mood. Before you try to just copy what you read in narrative, read these mandates and obey these mandates. I can guarantee you that, if you obey Paul’s mandates (and those in the other epistles), you spiritual life is going to be fine. You aren’t going to feel as though you are somehow lacking this or that dimension in your spiritual life.

1Chronicles 15:2b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee]	when, that, for, because	explanatory conjunction; preposition	Strong's #3588 BDB #471
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within	a preposition of proximity; with the 3^rd person masculine plural suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #88
bâchar (ר ַח ָ) [pronounced baw-KHAHR]	to choose; Gesenius also lists to prove, to try, to examine, to approve, to choose, to select; to love, to delight in [something], to desire	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect	Strong's #977 BDB #103
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
nâsâ (אָָנ) [pronounced naw-SAW]	to lift up, to bear, to carry	Qal infinitive construct	Strong’s #5375 (and #4984) BDB #669
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN]	ark, chest; Ark	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #727 BDB #75
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217
In the Hallel codex and 1 early printing, this reads Elohim instead of YHWH.

Translation: ...for Y^ehowah chose to carry the Ark of Y^ehowah by means of them... God chose the Levites to minister to him, which meant that they had charge of maintaining the Tabernacle and the furniture; and, when necessary, moving these holy things from place to place.

Each article of furniture of the Tabernacle and every ritual helped to explain God’s character, essence and plan. God even used specific events (the failure of Moses; the offering of Isaac) in order to teach great spiritual truths. We have God’s holiness taught here; all that is connected with God—and specifically, the Ark—cannot be simply handled and moved. No person could have direct contact with the Ark, no matter how good they are. And only the Levites, after having been consecrated, could be closely associated with the Ark (although they could not touch the Ark).

Application: The aspect of God’s essence which is most often ignored is His perfection and his holiness; God cannot have direct contact with man. We can pick out men that we think are really wonderful, and kind, and who sin very little, and who have few if any overt sins, and these men cannot have any direct contact with God, any more than having direct contact with the sun. God is perfect holiness and we are not; perfect righteousness cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness, no matter how nice that unrighteous person seems to us. Uzza was probably a hell of a nice guy and he was one of the caretakers of the Ark, yet when he touched the Ark inadvertently, he died immediately. There was no second chance. Unrighteousness cannot have fellowship with perfect righteousness. There can be no contact between man and God, because man is profane and God is holy; even someone like Uzza, who touched the Ark accidentally and who was, by all accounts, a pretty moral and upright guy, could not have contact with God. We need an intermediary; we need a mediator; we need Jesus Christ.

J. Vernon McGee gives us some application: As we look around us, we see a restlessness. The church, having departed from the Word of God, is in as much disarray as any other institution. The theology of both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is a shambles, my friend. Why? Because both got away from the Word of God, and as a result, they are not doing it God’s way. My firm conviction is that the most important matter is to get the ark of God on the move, by which I mean, get the gospel going out, get the Word of God moving out to the human family. Let’s put the emphasis where God puts it.

Application: There are two ways to learn something: the hard way and God’s way. David could have moved the Ark successfully the first time, had he gone to the Word of God first. Let me be more specific: I am sure that David had gone to the Word of God, read about the Ark and where it was, noticed how the Philistines moved the Ark, and then copied the Philistines. You can’t do it that way. God specified how the Ark was to be moved, and all David had to do was dig a little deeper into the Word to determine what he should have done. Bob Thieme Jr. used to use the phrase, you’ve learned enough doctrine to be dangerous. This is what David did; he had learned enough doctrine to be dangerous, and his first attempt to move the Ark ended in tragedy. David has clearly gone back into the Scriptures and he has researched this issue more carefully, and now, everything is going to go as planned.

Application: In this dispensation, we are to be taught by a pastor-teacher. Did you realize that, after you have been saved, and you walk into church for your first dose of doctrine, that, for some reason, the pastor rarely covers everything that you need to know for the rest of your life in that first lesson. Sometimes it may take two or three. Paul tells us in 1Corinthians not to make any major decisions—don’t get married, don’t get divorced. What is that all about? Once we become Christians, we no longer make big decisions? Of course not! But, when you are saved, what you need is doctrine in order to figure out what you ought to do. Until then, you cool your jets, you slow your roll, and you don’t jump into any major decisions. When I first became a believer in Jesus Christ, I made a major decision right out of the gate, and it was the biggest mistake that I have ever made. You don’t think that Satan is right there just waiting to pounce, waiting to knock you off guard from day one? Now, since then, after I got some doctrine, after I got oriented to this life and my place in it, decisions of what I should do have been extremely easy. Rarely has been the time since then that I agonized, should I do A or should I do B? Decisions for me have been very easy, after I got some doctrine in my soul. 6 years after I was saved, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life (moving from California to Texas); this was exactly what I needed to do, even though, in many ways, it was a difficult decision to make. It became apparent to me that I needed to move—I was spinning my wheels in California—and I had 3 possible places to move to, and Texas was far, far down on that list of 3 (if I recall, it was about 10^th on a list of 3 places to move to). Having been here now for nearly 3 decades, it is quite clear to me that this is where God wanted me, and this is where God wants me. I could not have asked for a better destination. But, notice, this decision came 6 years after becoming a believer in Jesus Christ (and I studied doctrine almost daily for 5 years prior to making the decision). My point: do not make any major decisions after being saved; grow up spiritually first. Once you begin to grow spiritually, you are going to find that divine guidance is one of the easiest aspects of the Christian life.

1Chronicles 15:2c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
shârath (ת ַר ָש) [pronounced shaw-RAHTH]	to serve, to minister	Piel infinitive construct with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #8334 BDB #1058
Although Owen has that this is a Qal stem, this verb only occurs in the Piel, as per BDB.
׳ad (דַע) [pronounced ģahd]	as far as, even to, up to, until	preposition	Strong’s #5704 BDB #723
׳ôwlâm (םָלע) [pronounced ģo-LAWM]	long duration, forever, perpetuity, antiquity, futurity	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #5769 BDB #761
Together, they mean and from everlasting to everlasting, from eternity past to eternity future or from antiquity to everlasting, forever; for a lifetime (?); from a point in time to far into the future; to the end of this age.

Translation: ...so that they [might] minister [to] Him forever.” Literally, this reads: ...and to His ministry as far as forever.” I have added a few words in order for this to hold together well. The forever spoken of here would be as long as there was an Ark and as long as there was a Tabernacle (or Temple). Quite obviously, without those things, there is no need for the Levites to minister to them. There are several times when we find the phrase forever which does not mean forever (Ex. 21:6 Lev. 25:46 Deut. 15:17 1Sam. 1:22).

There is no indication that these duties would later pass on to anyone else. The Levites represent the believer in Christ Jesus. They could not own land here on earth, although they were able to live side by side to other Israelites, the land never belonged to them. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. We might own a house which sits on a small tract of land, but it is temporary at best. I personally love my house and the plot of ground that it sits on, but at some point in time, it will no longer belong to me, because my life in this world is temporary. The Levites represented the temporary nature of our life on this earth; and they represented the spiritual aspect of our life. They represent our spiritual life and our spiritual duties.

And so assembles David all Israel unto Jerusalem to bring up an Ark of Y^ehowah unto his place which he set up for him.

1Chronicles

15:3

David assembled all of Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the Ark of Y^ehowah to its place that David had prepared for it.

David assembled all of Israel at Jerusalem in order to bring up the Ark of the Lord to the place that David had prepared for it.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text And so assembles David all Israel unto Jerusalem to bring up an Ark of Y^ehowah unto his place which he set up for him.

Septuagint And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place which he had prepared for it.

Significant differences: The MT has a masculine singular suffix affixed to place, which is not found in the LXX. That is the only difference in the text (recall that there is no neuter gender in the Hebrew, so now and again a masculine gender will be rendered as a neuter in the Greek).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV Next, David invited everyone to come to Jerusalem and watch the sacred chest being carried to the place he had set up for it.

The Message David then called everyone in Israel to assemble in Jerusalem to bring up the Chest of GOD to its specially prepared place.

GNB (TEV) So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ David called together all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the LORD'S ark to the place he had prepared for it.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

LTHB And David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Jehovah to its place that he had prepared for it.

Young’s Updated LT And David assembles all Israel unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Jehovah unto its place that he had prepared for it.

What is the gist of this verse? David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the moving of the Ark into Jerusalem.

1Chronicles 15:3a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
qâhal (ל-הָק) [pronounced kaw-HAHL]	to assemble, to call together, to summon an assembly [for war, judgement or a religious purpose]	3^rd person masculine singular, Hiphil imperfect	Strong’s #6950 BDB #874
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
kôl (לֹ) [pronounced kohl]	every, each, all of, all; any of, any	masculine singular construct not followed by a definite article	Strong’s #3605 BDB #481
Yis^erâêl (לֵאָר ׃̣י) [pronounced yis-raw-ALE]	transliterated Israel	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #3478 BDB #975
el (ל∵א) [pronounced ehl]	unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concerning, regarding; besides, together with; as to	directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied)	Strong's #413 BDB #39
Y^erûwshâlayim (ם̣יַלָשר׃י) [pronounced yroo-shaw-LAH-yim]	possibly means founded upon peace or city of the Jebusites (or both); it is transliterated Jerusalem	Proper singular noun, location	Strong’s #3389 BDB #436

Translation: David assembled all of Israel at Jerusalem... David is going to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem, and he’s not going to do it in secret; he is not going to take a few expendables out with him and try this or that. He is going to move the Ark, he knows how to move the Ark; and he is going to do it in front of all Israel. Although there are differening opinions here, I believe that David originally assembled 30,000 of his choice men when he made the first attempt to move the Ark; but this time, there was an open invitation to all Israel, a few of whom will be named in this chapter. Given what is occurring and given the planning that went into this, there was essentially a parade route, so to speak, where people could stand, beginning at the home of Obed-edom—where the Ark is—and extending into Jerusalem where the tent is which David prepared, which David had prepared for the Ark. This is a significant moment in Israel’s history, so it would make sense for David to call to all Israel to attend (in 1Chron. 15:25, we read that David and certain higher ups went to bring the Ark up from the house of Obed-edom; this would be the mobile part of the parade, and all Israel would be the spectators).

1Chronicles 15:3b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
׳âlâh (ה ָל ָע) [pronounced ģaw-LAWH]	to cause to go up, to lead up, to take up, to bring up	Hiphil infinitive construct	Strong's #5927 BDB #748
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN]	ark, chest; Ark	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #727 BDB #75
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217

Translation: ...to bring up the Ark of Y^ehowah... This will be David’s second attempt at transporting the Ark, but he appears to be quite confident about the procedure. Why is he confident? Because he believes in the Word of God. That is the key.

Application: Confidence comes from knowing and obeying the Word of God.

Application: I’ve been a believer in Jesus Christ for 35 years now, but it is not the number of years on this earth as a believer which contributes to my confidence; it is my knowledge of God’s Word. With a superficial understanding of God’s Word, surely I could say things like, “The Bible is filled with contradictions; the Bible is simply a book written by men; the Bible has been changed many times throughout human history in order to promote this or that religious view.” However, the more that I know about the Bible, the sillier those claims seem to me. What I know about the Bible and what I know of what is in the Bible gives me terrific confidence.

Reasons for Our Confidence in God’s Word

1. The promise of Jesus Christ runs from the beginning of Scripture to the very end.

a. From Gen. 3, we know that the Seed of the Woman is going to solve the great sin problem of Adam and the woman.

b. From Gen. 3, God replaces the clothing which Adam and/or Eve made out of fig leaves with leather, which means, God killed an animal in order to cover their nakedness. Prior to this, there is no indication that animals were killed for any reason (man was a vegetarian until God gave him permission to eat animal flesh).

c. The difference between Cain and Abel’s sacrifices were, Cain’s came from his hard work; Abel presented an animal to God, an animal’s whose throat he slashed open (which is how Cain figured out how to kill Abel). Gen. 4

2. Our Lord’s close association with the woman is found throughout Scripture:

a. Jesus Christ is known as the Seed of the Woman back in Gen. 3 where the quality of the sins of Adam and Eve are distinguished from the very beginning.

b. The Savior would be born of a virgin in Isa. 9:6, which is fulfilled in Matt. 1. The discussion about whether the Hebrew word found in Isaiah means virgin or young woman is smoke a mirrors; simply read the context: The Lord will give you a sign... Quite frankly, it is not really a sign when a young woman becomes pregnant.

3. Man is portrayed as fallen from the very beginning:

a. In Gen. 3, the fall of man is described.

b. Throughout the Law of Moses, there are purifying rituals which are provided in order for man to be, at least temporarily, right with God (most of them involve animal sacrifices).

c. Job cries out, “How can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 9:2b).

d. The psalmist confirms our unrighteousness: The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:1–3).

e. Isaiah tells us that even our deeds of righteousness are like menstruous rags in God’s eyes. Isa. 64:6a: But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

f. Rom. 1:18: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

g. Rom. 3:10: As it stands written: "None is righteous, no, not one.”

4. Our Lord’s substitutionary death on our behalf is found throughout God’s Word:

a. In Gen. 22, Abraham is told to offer up his son (who should have been Abraham’s only son); and immediately before Abraham slits the throat of the son he loves, God provides a substitution for Isaac.

b. We find the continued theme of animal sacrifices throughout the Bible, until, of course, our Lord comes.

c. The firstborn of Egypt had to die in order for the Israelites to be set free.

d. Psalm 22 describes the crucifixion in much greater detail than any of the gospels, including the book of John where John was an eyewitness to the crucifixion.

e. Isa. 53 describes our Lord’s 1^st advent and His death on our behalf with great theological clarity.

f. God speaks to us in Zech. 12:10 about the end times: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

5. God is our righteousness.

a. Jer. 23:6: In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

b. Jer. 33:16: In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'

c. Rom. 3:22: The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction [between Jews and Gentiles in this regard].

d. Rom. 5:17–19): For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

e. 1Cor. 1:30: And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

f. Gal. 2:21: I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

6. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ, the God-man, known in the Old Testament as Jehovah Elohim.

a. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rom. 4:3–5 Gen. 15:6).

b. And Rom. 4:6–8 (and Psalm 32:1–2): Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

c. Philip. 3:7–9: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

d. Titus 3:5: he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

7. The Trinity is found throughout Scripture.

a. As early as Gen. 1:26, God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...”

b. In Deut. 6:4, often cited as proof that the Bible does not teach there is a Trinity, reads: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” The word used for one is a word of unity rather than specifically and exclusively for singularity. This same word is used of the man and the woman becoming one flesh.

c. In Isa. 48:12–13, 16, Jesus Christ speaks: “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I have called: I am He, I am the first and I am the last; surely My hand founded the earth and My right hand spread out the heavens. When I called to them, they stand together...Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.”

8. The need for a Mediator between man and God is found throughout Scripture:

a. When God spoke to the people of Israel and gave them the 10 Commandments, their response was: Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." (Ex. 20:18–19). They asked that Moses mediate between them and God (which he did on several occasions after that when God said He would wipe them out).

b. Job 33:22–28: His soul draws near the pit, and his life to those who bring death. If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him, and he is merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor'; then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. He sings before men and says: 'I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not repaid to me. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.'

c. 1Tim. 2:5–6: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

d. Heb. 9:15: And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

9. Jesus Christ is presented from the beginning as Creator of the heavens and the earth. We have already seen passages like Gen. 1:26 Isa. 48:16.

a. We find this confirmed in the New Testament. John 1:1–3, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

b. This is taught throughout the New Testament, but Paul, John and the writer of Hebrews: Rev. 4:11 Heb. 1:2 Col. 1:16.

10. These few consistencies found from beginning to end in the Bible barely scratch the surface of our reason to have confidence in Him and in His Word. None of these doctrines are popular; men have objected to some of all of them throughout human history. I recall vividly the words of a song by Who, “I don’t need to be forgiven, yeah yeah yeah yeah.” If you ask almost any person who has not been saved (and even some of those who have been saved), and they will tell you that they are going to heaven because they are good or because they do good things. The idea that God gives us eternal life for simply believing in Jesus Christ runs counter to our natural way of thinking. Every cult and every religion has a set of rules or commandments that we must follow in order to earn God’s respect and love (although these religions are often less clear about just exactly how well we must obey in insure our eternal salvation). All of these essential doctrines herein named run counter to man’s way of thinking, yet they remain in Scripture from beginning to end, unchanged, even though a myriad of different and often opposing groups preserved Scripture over the many centuries of man’s history.

The more that you know from the Old and New Testaments, the greater your confidence level in the Word of God and in your own salvation. The more that you know about what God did on our behalf, from beginning to end, the more all of this holds together. The fact that these books were written by a number of different men from all walks of life, over a period of as much as 3000 years, and yet there is this great consistency, is awesome.

What I have listed here is just a small portion of things which would give us confidence in Scripture. And even though I focused on Jesus Christ, each point could easily have another dozen subpoints.

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1Chronicles 15:3c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
el (ל∵א) [pronounced ehl]	unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concerning, regarding; besides, together with; as to	directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied)	Strong's #413 BDB #39
mâqôwm (םקָמ) [pronounced maw-KOHM]	place, situated; for a soldier, it may mean where he is stationed; for people in general, it would be their place of abode (which could be their house or their town)	masculine singular noun with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #4725 BDB #879
ăsher (ר∵שֲא) [pronounced ash-ER]	that, which, when, who, whom	relative pronoun	Strong's #834 BDB #81
kûwn (ן) [pronounced koon]	to erect (to stand up perpendicular), to set up, to establish, to prepare, to strengthen, to be stabilized	3^rd person masculine singular, Hiphil perfect	Strong’s #3559 BDB #465
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #510

Translation: ...to its place that David had prepared for it. V. 1 tells us that David pitched a tent for the Ark of God, which tent is not the Tabernacle of God. It is interesting, as mentioned before, that David does not locate and bring up the Tabernacle of God as well. However, as also discussed, what we may reasonably assume is, David had other plans for housing the Ark of God (and he will find out that God has other plans Himself in this regard).

Although this chapter of Chronicles parallels and second half of 2Sam. 6, there are only 3 or so verses which are actually similar, this being one of them. I’ll try to compare these verses at the end with 2Sam. 6.

And so gathers David sons of Aaron and the Levites:...

1Chronicles

15:4

He [lit., and David] gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites:...

So David assembled the sons of Aaron and the following Levites:...

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text And so gathers David sons of Aaron and the Levites:...

Septuagint And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites. [Brenton left out the conjunction in his English translation; it is found in the Greek, however].

Significant differences: None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV He also sent for Aaron's descendants and for the Levites. The Levites that came were:...

The Message David also called in the family of Aaron and the Levites.

GNB (TEV) Next he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ David also called together Aaron's descendants and the Levites.

HCSB Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

WEB David gathered together the sons of Aaron, and the Levites...

Young's Updated LT And David gathers the sons of Aaron, and the Levites.

What is the gist of this verse? One subset of those gathered are the priests, who are the descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses. All priests are Levites but not all Levites are priests.

1Chronicles 15:4a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
âçaph (ף ַס ָא) [pronounced aw-SAHF]	relocate, transfer, transport, gather, to gather and remove, to remove	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #622 BDB #62
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane]	son, descendant	masculine plural noun	Strong’s #1121 BDB #119
Ahărôn (ןֹרֲה-א) [pronounced ah-huh-ROHN]	transliterated Aaron	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #175 BDB #14

Translation: He [lit., and David] gathered the sons of Aaron... There is some confusion with who is who. We hear the phrase Levitical priests all the time, but that is not really accurate. The sons of Aaron were priests, and Aaron is a branch of the Levite tribe. The Levites in general served God working under the priests. So all priests are Levites, but not all Levites are priests.

1Chronicles 15:4b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]	generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward	indicates that the following substantive is a direct object	Strong's #853 BDB #84
L^evîyyim (ם ̣ ̣ול) [pronounced l^e-vee-YIM]	joined to, attached; garland, crown; and is transliterated Levites	proper plural noun with the definite article	Strong’s #3881 BDB #532

Translation: ...and the Levites:... This is one of the 12 tribes of Israel. They did not specifically own any land, but they shared space with the other 11 tribes throughout Israel. David would not have simply gone to one territory and gather up the Levites; they would have come from all over Israel. Even though there was probably a city of priests (Gibeon now instead of Nob1Chron. 16:29), the Levites would be all over Israel in specific designated cities (Joshua 21).

...to sons of Kohath: Uriel the head and his brothers a hundred and twenty;...

1Chronicles

15:5

...from [lit., to, for, with regard to; and so throughout] the descendants of Kohath: Uriel, the head [of this branch] and 120 of his brothers;...

...from the sons of Kohath,—120 came (their leader is Uriel);...

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text ...to sons of Kohath: Uriel the head and his brothers a hundred and twenty;...

Septuagint Of the sons of Caath; there was Uriel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and twenty.

Significant differences: None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV ...Uriel, the leader of the Kohath clan, and one hundred twenty of his relatives;...

The Message From the family of Kohath, Uriel the head with 120 relatives;...

GNB (TEV) From the Levite clan of Kohath came Uriel, in charge of 120 members of his clan;...

NLT There were 120 from the clan of Kohath, with Uriel as their leader.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Leading Kohath's descendants was Uriel, who came with 120 of his relatives.

HCSB ...From the Kohathites, Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

ESV ...of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers;...

Young's Updated LT Of sons of Kohath: Uriel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and twenty.

What is the gist of this verse? In attendance is Uriel, the head of the Kohath branch of Levites, along with 120 others.

1Chronicles 15:5a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to; belonging to; by	directional/relational preposition with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #510
The meanings of the lâmed preposition broken down into groups: ➊ to, towards, unto; it is used both to turn one’s heart toward someone as well as to sin against someone; ➋ to, even to; in this sense, it can be used with a number to indicate the upper limit which a multitude might approach (nearly). ➌ Lâmed can be equivalent to the Greek preposition eis (εἰς), meaning into, as in transforming into something else, changing into something else (Gen. 2:7). This use of lâmed after the verb hâyâh (ה ָי ָה) [pronounced haw-YAW] (Strong’s #1961 BDB #224) is one thing becoming another (Gen. 2:7). ➍ Its fourth use is the mark of a dative, after verbs of giving, granting, delivering, pardoning, consulting, sending, etc. This type of dative is broken down into several categories, but one includes the translation by, which would be apropos here. ➎ With regards to, as to. Similar to the Greek preposition eis (εἰς) plus the dative. [Numbering from Gesenius]. ➏ On account of, because, propter, used of cause and reason (propter means because; Gesenius used it). ➐ Concerning, about, used of a person or thing made the object of discourse, after verbs of saying. ➑ On behalf of anyone, for anyone. ➒ As applied to a rule or standard, according to, according as, as though, as if. ➓ When associated with time, it refers to the point of time at which or in which anything is done; or it can refer to the space of time during which something is done (or occurs); at the time of.
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane]	son, descendant	masculine plural noun	Strong’s #1121 BDB #119
K^ehâth (תָהק) [pronounced k^eh-HATH]	assembly; transliterated Kohath	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #6955 BDB #875

Translation: ...from [lit., to, for, with regard to; and so throughout] the descendants of Kohath:... We are now dealing with the various branches of the Levite line. 6 branches will be named in this and the next 5 verses. The Levite line goes back about 1000 years, and one branch of Levites are descendants of Kohath, Levi’s second son (Gen. 46:11). Kohath was one of the sons who originally moved to Egypt during the famine, where his Uncle Joseph was prime minister. There are three primary lines of Levi: Kohath, Gershon and Merar.

Samuel was half or a quarter Levite through the line of Kohath, something which we discussed in 1Chron. 6:24, and was shown on the chart The Lines of Korah and the Ancestors of Heman, in that same passage. I also discussed this in the first chapter of 1Samuel, in The Line of Samuel the Prophet. This helps to explain why Hannah, his mother, would be so willing to give up Samuel, her first son, to God. The pertinent passages on this topic are: 1Sam. 8:2 1Chron. 6:33 15:17. In reading the text of 1Chron. 6:33–34, I don’t see how it can be interpreted in any other way.

Although Kohath is not the eldest of Levi’s sons, his branch is considered to be the predominant branch, as from him came Moses and Aaron.

1Chronicles 15:5b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
Ûwrîyêl (ל̤אי .רא) [pronounced oo-ree-ALE]	flame of El; my light is El, God is my light, flame of God; transliterated Uriel	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #222 BDB #22
sar (ר ַ) [pronounced sar]	chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince, leader, commander	masculine singular noun with the definite article	Strong’s #8269 BDB #978

Translation: ...Uriel, the head [of this branch]... Uriel would have been a prominent Levite at this time, and the most prominent of the Kohath line. This is possible the same Uriel mentioned in the line of Kohath back in 1Chron. 6:24. The Kohathites are responsible for moving certain pieces of furniture, including the Ark of God, so Uriel would oversee the moving of the Ark to Jerusalem.

ISBE lists 3 different Uriel’s, one from the Apocrypha:

The Uriel’s of Scripture

(1) A Kohathite, said in 1Chron. 15:5 to be the chief of the sons of Kohath (1Chron. 6:24 (Hebrew verse 9); 1Chron. 15:5, 11). He corresponds to Zephaniah in the pedigree of Heman in 1Chron. 6:33–38 (Hebrew 18–23). Easton lists the man of 1Chron. 6:24 as different.

(2) A man of Gibeah, and father of Micaiah the mother of King Abijah of Judah (2Chron. 13:2).

(3) Called only in 2Esdras an “angel,” except 2Esdras 4:36 where the Revised Version (British and American) and the King James Version rightly give “Jeremiel the archangel” for the King James Version “Uriel the archangel,” but elsewhere known as one of the four chief archangels. He was the angel who instructed Ezra (2Esdras 4:1 5:20 10:28). In Enoch 20:2 Uriel is the angel who is “over the world and Tartarus”

Taken from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; James Orr, Editor; ©1956 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Ⓟ by Hendrickson Publishers; from E-Sword; Topic: Uriel. Slightly edited. M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary; 1897; from e-Sword, topic: Uriel.

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1Chronicles 15:5c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
âch (ח ָא) [pronounced awhk]	brother, kinsman or close relative	masculine plural noun with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong's #251 BDB #26
mêâh (ה ָא ֵמ) [pronounced may-AW]	one hundred, a hundred, hundred	feminine singular numeral	Strong’s #3967 BDB #547
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
׳es^erîym (םי.ר∵ע) [pronounced ģes^e-REEM]	twenty	plural numeral adjective	Strong’s #6242 BDB #797

Translation: ...and 120 of his brothers;... Given that we have thousands of Kohathites in previous centuries, this would have been the prominent ones who attend. There is also the possibility that some priests merged with the general populace of Israel, something which I believe the ancestors of Hannah, Samuel’s mother, did. Such a merging with the general population would be a foreshadowing of the Jews in the Tribulation, who originally assimilate into the general population, and then come to the forefront of spiritual information dissemination (primarily the gospel) during the Tribulation.

When we get to v. 10, we will compare these Levite family branches.

...to sons of Merari: Asaiah the head and his brothers two hundred and twenty;...

1Chronicles

15:6

...from the descendants of Merari: Asaiah, the head [of this branch] and 220 of his brothers;...

...from the sons of Merari,220 came (their leader is Asaiah);...

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text ...to sons of Merari: Asaiah the head and his brothers two hundred and twenty;...

Septuagint Of the sons of Merari; Asaia the chief, and his brethren, two hundred and twenty.

Significant differences: None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV ...Asaiah, the leader of the Merari clan, and two hundred twenty of his relatives;...

The Message ...from the family of Merari, Asaiah the head with 220 relatives;...

GNB (TEV) ...from the clan of Merari came Asaiah, in charge of 220;...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Leading Merari's descendants was Asaiah, who came with 220 of his relatives.

HCSB ...from the Merarites, Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV From the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brothers.

Young's Updated LT Of sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and his brothers, two hundred and twenty.

What is the gist of this verse? In attendance is Asaiah, the head of the Merari branch of Levites, along with 220 of his brothers.

1Chronicles 15:6a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane]	son, descendant	masculine plural noun	Strong’s #1121 BDB #119
M^erârîy (י .רָרמ) [pronounced mehr-aw-REE]	sorrowful, sad; bitter; transliterated Marari	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #4847 BDB #601

Translation: ...from the descendants of Merari:... What an odd name for a son: sorrowful, sad; bitter. For whatever reason, this is the meaning of Merari, the youngest son of Levi. It is suggested that, Merari was born when Levi and his brothers left their homeland due to the famine (this is the Land of Promise, by the way) and moved to Egypt, where their brother Joseph had made provision for them. This may explain why he has this name. I personally left California and family and friends for Texas, and it was very difficult to make a move of this magnitude; the family of Jacob would have faced the same difficulties, except that they moved to a foreign country, which is even more of a culture shock.

1Chronicles 15:6b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
׳Ăsâyâh (הָיָֲע) [pronounced ģuh-saw-YAW]	Jah has made, made by Jehovah; transliterated Asaiah	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #6222 BDB #795
sar (ר ַ) [pronounced sar]	chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince, leader, commander	masculine singular noun with the definite article	Strong’s #8269 BDB #978

Translation: ...Asaiah, the head [of this branch]... Asaiah means the Lord has made, and he was the current head of the Merari branch of Levites. He is one of 4 different Asaiah’s found in Scripture.

ISBE lists 4 different Asaiah’s:

The Asaiah’s of Scripture

(1) A Levite of the family of Merari, and one of those who helped bring the ark from the house of Obed–edom to Jerusalem (1Chron. 6:30 15:6, 11).

(2) A leading man of the tribe of Simeon. He was in the incursion which attacked and dispossessed the Meunim (which see), or the shepherd people, in the valley of Gedor (1Chron. 4:36).

(3) An officer of Josiah sent to Huldah the prophetess for advice regarding the law book found by Hilkiah (2Kings 22:12, 14 2Chron. 34:20; also spelled Asahiah).

(4) A Shilonite resident of Jerusalem (1Chron. 9:5). He is called Maaseiah in Neh. 11:5.

Taken from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; James Orr, Editor; ©1956 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Ⓟ by Hendrickson Publishers; from E-Sword; Topic: Asaiah. Slightly edited. Fausset lists these as 5 Asaiah’s, but without any detail. Andrew Robert Fausset, Fausset’s Bible Dictionary; from e-Sword, topic: Asaiah.

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1Chronicles 15:6c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
âch (ח ָא) [pronounced awhk]	brother, kinsman or close relative	masculine singular noun with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong's #251 BDB #26
mâthayim (ם̣י -תאָמ) [pronounced maw-thah-YIM]	two hundred	feminine dual numeral	Strong’s #3967 BDB #547
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
׳es^erîym (םי.ר∵ע) [pronounced ģes^e-REEM]	twenty	plural numeral adjective	Strong’s #6242 BDB #797

Translation: ...and 220 of his brothers;... Even at the Exodus, this branch of the tribe of Levi numbered in the thousands; therefore, this is certainly a group of the heads of Merari.

...to sons of Gershom: Joel the head and his brothers a hundred and thirty;...

1Chronicles

15:7

...from the descendants of Gershom: Joel, the head [of this branch] and 130 of his brothers;...

...from the sons of Gershom,130 came (their leader is Joel);...

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text ...to sons of Gershom: Joel the head and his brothers a hundred and thirty;...

Septuagint Of the sons of Gedson; Joel the chief, and his brethren, a hundred and thirty.

Significant differences: None. If you notice the difference in the proper name Gershom; in the Greek, it reads Gedson; this is because a d and r in the Hebrew can be easily confounded; and, for whatever reason, this name (along with most others) can end in an m or an n in the Hebrew.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV ...Joel, the leader of the Gershon clan, and one hundred thirty of his relatives;...

The Message ...from the family of Gershon, Joel the head with 130 relatives;...

GNB (TEV) ...from the clan of Gershon, Joel, in charge of 130;...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Leading Gershom's descendants was Joel, who came with 130 of his relatives.

HCSB ...from the Gershomites, Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV From the sons of Gershom: Joel the chief, and a hundred and thirty of his brothers.

Young’s Updated LT Of sons of Gershom: Joel the chief, and his brothers, a hundred and thirty.

What is the gist of this verse? In attendance is Joel, the head of the Gershom branch of Levites, along with 130 of his brothers.

1Chronicles 15:7a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane]	son, descendant	masculine plural noun	Strong’s #1121 BDB #119
Gêr^eshôwm (םש ר̤) [pronounced gay-rehsh-OHM]	exile, refugee; to cast out; transliterated Gershon, Gershom	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #1648 BDB #177
Also spelled Gêr^eshôwn (ןש ר̤) [pronounced gay-rehsh-OWN].

Translation: ...from the descendants of Gershom:... It is interesting that Gershom is mentioned last, of the 3 sons of Levi, as he was the eldest of the brothers. One problem with retrieving information on him is, he is known in Chronicles as Gershom, but in the rest of Scripture as Gershom (which occurs with several names in Scripture).

1Chronicles 15:7b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
Yôwêl (ל̤אי) [pronounced yoh-ĀL]	to whom Jehovah is God or worshiper of Jehovah; and is transliterated Joel	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #3100 BDB #222
sar (ר ַ) [pronounced sar]	chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince, leader, commander	masculine singular noun with the definite article	Strong’s #8269 BDB #978

Translation: ...Joel, the head [of this branch]... There are about 14 different men with the name Joel in Scripture. There are 3 of them who may or may not be the same person.

Because there are as many as 3 different Joel’s who are all named in Scripture during David’s reign, we will summarize them here:
Which Joel is Joel? Are These the Same Man?
Person	Scripture	Discussion
Joel, a head of the Gershom branch of the Levites	1Chron. 15:7: ...of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with 130 of his brothers... 1Chron. 15:11: Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab...	This is the Joel of our passage.
Joel, the eldest son of Samuel.	1Sam. 8:2: The name of Samuel’s firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 1Chron. 6:31–34a: These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. These are the men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer the son of Joel, son of Samuel, son of Elkanah,... 1Chron. 15:17: So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah.	Although the ages are roughly the same, the Joel here is a Kohathite (1Chron. 6:33) and the Joel of our passage is a Gershonite. Therefore, these are different men.
Joel, A Gershonite Levite, in the reign of David, son of Jehiel, a descendant of Laadan.	1Chron. 23:7–8: The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 1Chron. 26:21–22: The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, the heads of the fathers' houses belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli. The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and Joel his brother, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the LORD.	This man is probably equivalent to the Joel of our passage.

If these men are different, they are all contemporaries. And given the fact that, you can walk into any classroom in this year 2007 and not be surprised that there are 3 Taylor’s or 3 Michael’s in the same class; the idea that there are 3 men of spiritual prominence with the same name is not a difficult thing to believe or to grasp.

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1Chronicles 15:7c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
âch (ח ָא) [pronounced awhk]	brother, kinsman or close relative	masculine singular noun with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong's #251 BDB #26
mêâh (ה ָא ֵמ) [pronounced may-AW]	one hundred, a hundred, hundred	feminine singular numeral	Strong’s #3967 BDB #547
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
sh^elôshîym (םי.שֹלש) [pronounced sh^elow-SHEEM]	thirty	plural numeral	Strong’s #7970 BDB #1026

Translation: ...and 130 of his brothers;... Again, these are simply men of renown of this particular branch of the Levites.

...to sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the head and his brothers two hundred;...

1Chronicles

15:8

...from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah, the head [of this branch] and 200 of his brothers;...

...from the sons of Elizaphan, 200 came (their leader is Shemaiah);...

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text ...to sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the head and his brothers two hundred;...

Septuagint Of the sons of Elisaphat; Semei the chief, and his brethren, two hundred.

Significant differences:

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV ...Shemaiah, the leader of the Elizaphan clan, and two hundred of his relatives;...

The Message ...from the family of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the head with 200 relatives;...

GNB (TEV) ...from the clan of Elizaphan, Shemaiah, in charge of 200;...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Leading Elizaphan's descendants was Shemaiah, who came with 200 of his relatives.

HCSB ...from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV From the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief and two hundred of his brothers.

Young’s Updated LT Of sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers, two hundred.

What is the gist of this verse? In attendance is Shemaiah, the head of the Elizaphan branch of Levites, along with 200 of his brothers.

1Chronicles 15:8a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane]	son, descendant	masculine plural noun	Strong’s #1121 BDB #119
Ělîytsâphân (ןָפָצי.לֱא) [pronounced ehl-ee-tsaw-FAW]	God has protected; God of treasure; transliterated Elizaphan	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #469 BDB #45
Also spelled Ěl^etsâphân (ןָפָצלֱא) [pronounced ehl^e-tsaw-FAW].

Translation: ...from the descendants of Elizaphan:... Elizaphan was a descendant of Kohath, a son of Levi, who came to the forefront as the Jews pushed toward the Land of Promise (Num. 3:30). He is known as Elzaphan in Ex. 6:22 Lev. 10:4. We really known nothing about this man other than his listing in a few genealogies and in this chapter.

1Chronicles 15:8b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah]	and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because	wâw consecutive	No Strong’s # BDB #253
Sh^ema׳^eyâh (הָיע-מש) [pronounced sh^e-mahģ^e-YAW]	Yah has heard; heard by Jehovah; and is transliterated Shemaiah	masculine singular proper noun	Strong’s #8098 BDB #1035
This is also spelled: Sh^ema׳^eyâhûw (הָיע-מש) [pronounced sh^e-mahģ^e-YAW-hoo].
sar (ר ַ) [pronounced sar]	chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince, leader, commander	masculine singular noun with the definite article	Strong’s #8269 BDB #978