1 Chronicles 16

KJV · Chapter 16/29

1So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.

2And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

3And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.

4And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:

5Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed–edom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;

6Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

7Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

8Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

9Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

10Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

11Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

12Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

13O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

14He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

15Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;

16Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;

17And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

18Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

19When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

20And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

21He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

22Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

23Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

24Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

25For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

27Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

28Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

29Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

30Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

31Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

32Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

33Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

34O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

35And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

36Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.

37So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:

38And Obed–edom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed–edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:

39And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,

40To offer burnt offerings unto the Lord upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel;

41And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever;

42And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.

43And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The ark is placed in a special tent in Jerusalem, and David arranges sacrifices, distributes food to the people, and appoints Levites to minister with music before the ark continually. He also composes a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Explanation

This chapter shows David establishing a permanent, organized routine of worship, with Levites specifically assigned to sing and play before the ark every day, not only on special occasions. The psalm David delivers to be sung, made up of passages that also appear in other biblical psalms, is a sweeping call for all the nations of the earth to acknowledge the greatness of God, contrasting him with the empty idols of other religions. David's generosity in distributing bread, meat, and wine to all the people, men and women alike, reinforces that true worship should be accompanied by inclusive, communal celebration.

Fun facts

  • The thanksgiving psalm David composes in this chapter is a combination of parts of Psalms 105, 96, and 106, showing how these songs were composed, rearranged, and reused over time in Israelite worship.
  • Asaph, appointed here as the chief musician, gives his name to a family of Levitical singers who would continue serving in the temple for generations, and several psalms in the book of Psalms are attributed directly to him or his lineage.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:1The ark finally arrives at its place, inside the tent David had prepared, and the celebration continues with burnt offerings and peace offerings — the happy ending that the first attempt, back in chapter 13, never got.
  2. 1 Chronicles 16:2Once the sacrifices are finished, David himself blesses the people in the name of the LORD — the king acting almost like a priest in this moment of national celebration.
  3. 1 Chronicles 16:3David has food handed out to everyone in Israel, men and women alike: a loaf of bread, a good piece of meat, and a flask of wine — the king footing the bill for the whole nation’s feast.
  4. 1 Chronicles 16:4The Levites chosen here do not sacrifice animals — their job is ‘to record, and to thank and praise’ the LORD, in other words liturgical and musical work, separate from the priests’ work at the altar.
  5. 1 Chronicles 16:5A detailed list of musicians forms around the ark, with Asaph as leader and several others playing lutes, harps, and cymbals — the musical structure of worship takes definitive shape.
  6. 1 Chronicles 16:6Two priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, are put in charge of sounding trumpets continually before the ark — a permanent sound marking God’s presence in the camp.
  7. 1 Chronicles 16:7On that same day, David hands over a psalm of praise for Asaph to sing for the first time — the text that follows is a blend of passages that also appear in Psalms 105, 96, and 106.
  8. 1 Chronicles 16:8The psalm opens with a direct invitation: praise the LORD, call on His name, tell other peoples what He has already done — a call to spread God’s fame, not keep it to oneself.
  9. 1 Chronicles 16:9The invitation continues: sing, play, and speak thoughtfully about God’s wonders — three different ways of expressing the same gratitude.
  10. 1 Chronicles 16:10The next line speaks of taking pride in God’s holy name, and of how the heart of whoever truly seeks Him grows glad.
  11. 1 Chronicles 16:11A simple invitation repeated in several psalms: seek the LORD and His strength, seek His presence without ceasing.
  12. 1 Chronicles 16:12It calls for remembering the wonders God has already done, the miracles and the judgments He made throughout the people’s history.
  13. 1 Chronicles 16:13Here the psalm turns directly to Israel, called the ‘seed’ of a servant and the chosen ‘children’ of Jacob — a reminder of exactly who this song is addressed to.
  14. 1 Chronicles 16:14A central statement: He is the LORD, the God of Israel, and His judgments reach the whole earth, not just the chosen people.
  15. 1 Chronicles 16:15It calls for always remembering God’s covenant, a promise made to last a thousand generations — a poetic way of saying ‘forever.’
  16. 1 Chronicles 16:16It recalls the specific covenant with Abraham and the oath made to Isaac — the first two patriarchs of the promise.
  17. 1 Chronicles 16:17The same covenant later confirmed with Jacob, called here an ‘everlasting covenant’ — the promise passing from father to son across three generations.
  18. 1 Chronicles 16:18The content of the promise: the land of Canaan, given as an inheritance — the underlying reason behind the whole story of Israel up to this point in the book.
  19. 1 Chronicles 16:19It recalls that Israel started out small, just a few men, and strangers besides in their own promised land — a contrast with the great kingdom David is building now.
  20. 1 Chronicles 16:20It speaks of the time when the people wandered from nation to nation, with no fixed home — the days of the patriarchs, even before Egypt.
  21. 1 Chronicles 16:21God let no one oppress this small, landless people, and even rebuked kings on their account — protection even while they were weak.
  22. 1 Chronicles 16:22A famous line: ‘Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm’ — a reference to the protection God gave the patriarchs, treated here almost like anointed prophets.
  23. 1 Chronicles 16:23The tone shifts: now it is an invitation for the whole earth, not just Israel, to sing to the LORD and proclaim His salvation every day.
  24. 1 Chronicles 16:24It calls for declaring God’s glory among the nations — the psalm widens its audience from Israel to the whole world.
  25. 1 Chronicles 16:25A declaration of greatness: the LORD is great, greatly to be praised, and more to be feared than any other god worshiped anywhere.
  26. 1 Chronicles 16:26It explains the reason for the comparison: the gods of the other nations are nothing but idols, while the LORD is the One who truly made the heavens.
  27. 1 Chronicles 16:27It describes the atmosphere around God: majesty, splendor, strength, and gladness — qualities of the very ‘place’ where He dwells.
  28. 1 Chronicles 16:28It summons the families of the nations to acknowledge the glory and strength of the LORD — again widening the reach of praise beyond Israel.
  29. 1 Chronicles 16:29It calls for offerings and worship in ‘the beauty of holiness’ — a poetic phrase that appears in several psalms to describe true worship.
  30. 1 Chronicles 16:30It speaks of the trembling before God that should grip the whole earth, and affirms that the world stands firm because of Him.
  31. 1 Chronicles 16:31A call to cosmic joy: heaven and earth rejoicing, and the nations proclaiming ‘the LORD reigneth’ — one of the most repeated lines in the psalms of praise.
  32. 1 Chronicles 16:32It extends the joy to the sea and the field — all of nature taking part in this poetic celebration.
  33. 1 Chronicles 16:33Even the trees of the forest are invited to rejoice, because God is coming to judge the earth — an ending that points forward, beyond the present moment of celebration.
  34. 1 Chronicles 16:34One of the most repeated lines in the entire Bible: give thanks to the LORD because He is good, and His mercy endures forever — a refrain that comes back near the end of the psalm.
  35. 1 Chronicles 16:35The psalm turns into a request: ‘save us, gather us together, deliver us from the heathen’ — a verse that sounds more like the prayer of a people in exile than immediate celebration, showing how Chronicles reuses this psalm centuries later.
  36. 1 Chronicles 16:36The psalm ends with a final blessing, and all the people answer ‘Amen’ — the same kind of closing used at the end of several books of Psalms.
  37. 1 Chronicles 16:37At this point there are two places of worship at once: the ark sits in a simple tent in Jerusalem, while Moses’ old tabernacle and its altar of sacrifice keep functioning in Gibeon, with a separate team of priests. It is a temporary arrangement, since the permanent temple has not even begun to be built yet.
  38. 1 Chronicles 16:38After the feast, Obed-edom — the same man who kept the ark in his house for three months — gains a permanent post as gatekeeper, along with sixty-seven more relatives.
  39. 1 Chronicles 16:39Zadok the priest is put in charge of the other center of worship, Moses’ old tabernacle, which keeps functioning in Gibeon even with the ark already in Jerusalem.
  40. 1 Chronicles 16:40Zadok’s job in Gibeon is to keep the daily sacrifices, morning and evening, exactly as the law of Moses required — traditional worship running side by side with the new celebration around the ark.
  41. 1 Chronicles 16:41More musicians are appointed to give thanks, with the repeated phrase ‘his mercy endureth for ever’ — the same refrain that closed the psalm sung earlier.
  42. 1 Chronicles 16:42Heman and Jeduthun, with trumpets and cymbals, round out the musical structure of this second center of worship in Gibeon — showing that organized music was there too, not just sacrifice.
  43. 1 Chronicles 16:43With the whole celebration over, everyone goes back home, and David returns to bless his own household — a simple, domestic ending after a full day of national festivity.

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