1 Chronicles 23:5

Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) Moreover four thousand were porters.—Literally, and four thousand (are to be) warders. (Comp. 1Chronicles 9:21-27.) Reuss thinks 4,000 warders too many; but the different clans went on duty in turn.

And four thousand praised the Lord . . .—Rather, and four thousand (are to be) praising the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praising. (On “praising,” see 1Chronicles 16:4.) We have here an interesting reference to the fact that David was not only a minstrel and inspired psalmist, but also an inventor of stringed instruments. So the prophet Amos (1Chronicles 6:5) speaks of the effeminate nobles of Israel, “who prattle on the mouth of the nebel, that invent themselves instruments of music, like David.” The reference is repeated in Nehemiah 12:36.

Which I have made.—This expression proves that 1Chronicles 23:4-5 should be within inverted commas, as representing a spoken decree of David. Ewald thinks that the narrative is interrupted in 1Chronicles 23:5 by a fragmentary quotation from an ancient poet who speaks in the name of Jehovah, characterising the musicians as “those whom I have formed to sing my praise.” (But see 2Chronicles 7:6.)

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 23:5. Four thousand were porters — Whose office it was to take the charge of all the gates of the temple, and its courts, that no forbidden or unclean person might enter there, and of the courts themselves, and of the several chambers and buildings belonging to the temple and the service thereof. These also were to do their work by turns. Praised the Lord with instruments — Whereof two hundred and eighty-eight persons were of greater skill than their brethren, and instructed them, and had some authority over them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

23:1-23 David, having given charge concerning the building of the temple, settles the method of the temple service, and orders the officers of it. When those of the same family were employed together, it would engage them to love and assist one another.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the marginal references and notes. 1 Chronicles 23:28-32 give the most complete account in Scripture of the nature of the Levitical office.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

5. praised the Lord with the instruments which I made—David seems to have been an inventor of many of the musical instruments used in the temple (Am 6:5).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Porters; whose office was to take the charge of all the gates of the temple and its courts, that no forbidden or unclean person might enter there, and of the courts them selves, and of several chambers or buildings belonging to the temple and the service thereof: these also were to do their work by turns.

Four thousand praised the Lord with instruments; whereof two hundred and eighty-eight were persons of greater skill than their brethren, and did instruct them, and had some authority over them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Moreover four thousand were porters,.... At the east, north, and south gates of the temple, in their turns:

and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments; were singers in the temple, which in all made up 38,000:

which I made, said David, to praise therewith; which instruments he devised and ordered to be made to praise the Lord with; see 2 Chronicles 29:26.

Geneva Study Bible

Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. porters] R.V. doorkeepers. The courses and duties of these are given in 1 Chronicles 26:1-19.

four thousand praised the Lord] Cp. 1 Chronicles 25:1-31, from which it appears that there was also a picked choir consisting of 288 persons, divided into twenty-four courses, whose special duty was psalmody.

the instruments which I made] Cp. 2 Chronicles 29:26.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - Porters (Hebrew שֹׁעְרִים); doorkeepers. The word is so translated in 1 Chronicles 15:23, 24. It was the duty of these to keep the entrances of the sanctuary, by day and night, in their courses (see also 2 Kings 7:10, 11). The Chaldaic equivalent of this word is תָּרָע (Ezra 7:24; Daniel 2:49). There is no connection between either the word or idea we have here, and those of Psalm 84:11, where the Hithp. conjugation of סָפפ is used, and the sense of residence probably intended to be conveyed. The instruments which I made... to praise. Possibly the quotation of a short sentence often on David's lips. Men given to music may have been very conscious of it, in ancient days, as well as in modern. The language, however, does not necessarily assert that David claimed the inventing or in any similar sense the making of these musical instruments, but that he appointed them for the service of praise. What some of them were may be seen in 2 Chronicles 5:12 - "cymbals, psalteries, harps, trumpets" (see also 2 Chronicles 29:25-27; Nehemiah 12:35, 36; Amos 6:5). 1 Chronicles 23:5

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

1 Chronicles 23:4 and 1 Chronicles 23:5 contain words of David, as we learn from להלּל עשׂתי אשׁר (1 Chronicles 23:5, end), so that we must supply דויד ויּאמר before 1 Chronicles 23:4. מאלּה, of these (38,000) 24,000 shall be וגו לנצּח, to superintend the business, i.e., to conduct and carry on the business (the work) of the house of Jahve. This business is in 1 Chronicles 23:28-32 more nearly defined, and embraces all the business that was to be carried on about the sanctuary, except the specifically priestly functions, the keeping of the doors, and the performance of the sacred music. For these two latter offices special sections were appointed, 4000 for the porters' services, and the same number for the sacred music (1 Chronicles 23:5). Besides these, 5000 men were appointed Shoterim and judges. "The instruments which I have made to sing praise" are the stringed instruments which David had introduced into the service to accompany the singing of the psalms; cf. 2 Chronicles 29:26; Nehemiah 12:36.