1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible

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I Chronicles 15:1 He made also houses for himself in the city of David: and built a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tabernacle for it.

Houses, or magnificent palaces, which afterwards caused him to be ashamed, seeing the ark was lodged under skins, 2 Kings 7:10. --- For it, entirely new. The old tabernacle was left at Gabaon. (Calmet) (Du Hamel)
I Chronicles 15:2 Then David said: No one ought to carry the ark of God, but the Levites; whom the Lord hath chosen to carry it, and to minister unto himself for ever.

Levites, of the family of Caath, ver. 13., and Numbers 4:5. He was rendered more cautious by the death of Oza. (Calmet) --- For ever, as long as this law subsists. (Haydock)
I Chronicles 15:3 And he gathered all Israel together into Jerusalem, that the ark of God might be brought into its place, which he had prepared for it.

I Chronicles 15:4 And the sons of Aaron also, and the Levites.

I Chronicles 15:5 Of the children of Caath, Uriel was the chief: and his brethren a hundred and twenty.

Brethren. Relations. (Du Hamel)
I Chronicles 15:6 Of the sons of Merari, Asaia, the chief: and his brethren two hundred and twenty.

I Chronicles 15:7 Of the sons of Gersom, Joel, the chief: and his brethren a hundred and thirty.

I Chronicles 15:8 Of the sons of Elisaphan, Semeias, the chief: and his brethren two hundred.

Elisaphan, a Caathite, (Exodus 6:18, 22.) as well as Hebron and Oziel. (Calmet) --- Perhaps Caath was also called by the first name. (Du Hamel)
I Chronicles 15:9 Of the sons of Hebron, Eliel, the chief: and his brethren eighty.

I Chronicles 15:10 Of the sons of Oziel, Aminadab, the chief: and his brethren a hundred and twelve.

I Chronicles 15:11 And David called Sadoc, and Abiathar, the priests, and the Levites, Uriel, Asaia, Joel, Semeia, Eliel, and Aminadab.

I Chronicles 15:12 And he said to them: You that are the heads of the Levitical families, be sanctified with your brethren, and bring the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place which is prepared for it.

Sanctified. Free from every legal uncleanness, continent, and washed. (Calmet)
I Chronicles 15:13 *Lest as the Lord at first struck us, because you were not present, the same should now also come to pass, by our doing some thing against the law.

1 Paralipomenon 13:10.
Struck us. He partakes in the misfortune of Oza. (Haydock) --- The law, through ignorance. You must attend and give proper directions. (Menochius) --- Hebrew, "because we did not seek him with judgment," (Du Hamel) or, "after the due order." (Protestants)
I Chronicles 15:14 So the priests and the Levites were sanctified, to carry the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.

I Chronicles 15:15 *And the sons of Levi took the ark of God, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord, upon their shoulders, with the staves.

Numbers 4:15.
I Chronicles 15:16 And David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites, to appoint some of their brethren to be singers with musical instruments; to wit, on psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, that the joyful noise might resound on high.

I Chronicles 15:17 And they appointed Levites, Heman, the son of Joel, and of his brethren Asaph, the son of Barachias: and of the sons of Merari, their brethren, Ethan, the son of Casaia.

Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were masters of the first band of musicians, in the reign of David. They played on cymbals of brass, ver. 19.
I Chronicles 15:18 And with them their brethren: in the second rank, Zacharias, and Ben, and Jaziel, and Semiramoth, and Jahiel, and Ani, and Eliab, and Banaias, and Maasias, and Mathathias, and Eliphalu, and Macenias, and Obededom, and Jehiel, the porters.

Ben. His name is omitted, ver. 20, and in the Septuagint. The Syriac, etc., have "the son of Jaziel:" but we find the 9th Psalm addressed "to Ben, chief of the band of young women," who sung and played on nables, ver. 20. (Calmet) --- And Jaziel, called Oziel, ver. 20, as the Septuagint have here. (Haydock)
I Chronicles 15:19 Now the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, sounded with cymbals of brass.

I Chronicles 15:20 And Zacharias, and Oziel, and Semiramoth, and Jehiel, and Ani, and Eliab, and Maasias, and Banaias, sung mysteries upon psalteries.

Zacharias, etc., presided over the second band, with nables, and Mathathias over the third, which had instruments of eight strings. The priests sounded the trumpets, (ver. 24.) which Chonenias directed all the music, in this solemn procession. (Calmet) --- Psalteries. Literally, "nables." (Haydock) --- The Vulgate sometimes renders it psalterion, at other times lyra, (Menochius) or symphonia. (St. Jerome, ad Dard.) (Tirinus) --- Some have supposed that the word denotes bagpipes; but it was a stringed instrument made of wood. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "with nebalim over halamoth," concerted things, or virgins, (Psalm 67:26.) who sung the mysterious works of God. (Haydock)
I Chronicles 15:21 And Mathathias, and Eliphalu, and Macenias, and Obededom, and Jehiel, and Ozaziu, sung a song of victory for the octave upon harps.

Ozaziu does not occur before. Septuagint have Ozias both here and [in] ver. 18, after Jehiel. (Haydock) --- Of victory, such as was customary on the like occasions. --- For the octave. Hebrew hasheminith, according to the Jews, means an instrument of eight strings; so when ten is mentioned, the Septuagint frequently supply "strings," Psalm 32:2. (Menochius) --- Hebrew, "they had guitars, and presided over the eighth band to intone. All the bands formed four choirs, distinguished by their instruments, the cymbal, nable, cinnor, (or guitar) and trumpets. (Calmet)
I Chronicles 15:22 And Chonenias, chief of the Levites, presided over the prophecy, to give out the tunes: for he was very skilful.

The prophecy. Singing praises to God is here called prophecy: the more, because these singers were often inspired men. (Challoner) --- Hebrew Massa signifies a song, (Haydock) elevation, (Calmet) burden. (Syriac) So the Vulgate has onus Moab, etc., the burden or dreadful prediction against Moab. (Calmet) --- Prophecy often denotes no more than a melodious canticle, 1 Kings 10:10. (Haydock) --- Chonenias directed all this music. Septuagint simply style him "prince of the Levites, prince of the musicians" (Calmet) or archon ton odon (who gave out the songs) "because he was intelligent." (Haydock)
I Chronicles 15:23 And Barachias, and Elcana, were door-keepers of the ark.

I Chronicles 15:24 And Sebenias, and Josaphat, and Nathanael, and Amasai, and Zacharias, and Banaias, and Eliezer, the priests, sounded with trumpets, before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehias, were porters of the ark.

Jehias is called Jehiel, ver. 18., and 21. He, Obededom, Barachias, and Elcana, (ver. 23.) were probably the four chief porters who attended the ark in arms; and others were, afterwards, stationed at the temple, 1 Paralipomenon 9:17. The two former took part also in the music, ver. 21. (Calmet) --- Perhaps two preceded and two went behind the ark, to keep off the crowd. (Menochius)
I Chronicles 15:25 *So David, and all the ancients of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, out of the house of Obededom, with joy.

2 Kings 6:12.
I Chronicles 15:26 And when God had helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they offered in sacrifice seven oxen, and seven rams.

Rams, in thanksgiving, that they had not been treated like Oza. (Calmet) --- The Jews pretend that the ark was no burden to the Levites. (Tirinus) --- Love makes all duties easy. (Haydock)
I Chronicles 15:27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that carried the ark, and the singing men, and Chonenias, the ruler of the prophecy among the singers: and David also had on him an ephod of linen.

Linen. Hebrew, "a cloak of byssus," or of the finest white linen. (Du Hamel) --- Byssus has often occurred before in the Vulgate, but we find the Hebrew buts, here for the first time. It probably denotes the brilliant yellow silk taken from the fish pinna, of which St. Basil speaks. (Hexa. vii.) Justinian was clothed with it, on account of its rarity and brightness. (Procopius, de fabric. Yet as it would hardly assume any colour but black, it was not so much sought after as the silk of Persia. Not only David, but all the Levites, were thus richly adorned; as the latter were at the dedication of the temple, 2 Paralipomenon 2:14. There was a manufactory of this byssus established by David, 1 Paralipomenon 4:21. That of Egypt was white, and is called schesch, or "cotton," Exodus 16:4. (Calmet) --- Ephod. Septuagint, "a stole of byssus," or a long silken robe, (Haydock) which has been already expressed; (Tirinus) or rather, the ephod was only a girdle, which was not peculiar to the sacred ministers, 1 Kings 2:18. (Calmet) --- Samuel, though a child, wore one. (Worthington)
I Chronicles 15:28 And all Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with joyful shouting, and sounding with the sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and cymbals, and psalteries, and harps.

I Chronicles 15:29 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come to the city of David, Michol, the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window, saw king David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.

Heart, and reproached him for appearing without his regal ornaments, (Haydock; 2 Kings 6:20.) as if he had been naked. No reproach could have been more unfounded, as we see David had on a robe of byssus, with the ephod. (Calmet)