Nehemiah 12:46

For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers,.... Persons appointed over the rest to instruct them, and see that they did their work aright, as besides Asaph, Haman, and

For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God. No JFB commentary on this verse.

David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, ; but Asaph only is mentioned here, as the most eminent and useful in that work. There were chief of the singers; there were some overseers, whose office it was to see that the singers were fit for and diligent in their work; and therefore they took care of it at this time.

(46) Of old.—Always there is a reverence shown for the old precedents.

46. in the days of David and Asaph of old] This combination of names may be illustrated by other examples in the writings of the Chronicler (2 Chronicles 29:30; 2 Chronicles 35:15). The LXX. omits the copula between the names, ἐνἡμέραιςΔαυὶδἈσὰφἀπʼ ? ἀρχῆςπρῶτοςτῶνᾀδόντων. This may represent the original reading. If so, it is the mention of David in the previous verse which occasions here the parenthetical statement that in those days the great Asaph was ‘overseer’ of the singers. We should then render ‘in the days of David Asaph was of old chief.’ there were chief] R.V. Marg. ‘Another reading is there were chiefs’. The plural ‘chiefs’ is the reading of the K’ri, which is also found in the Vulgate ‘erant principes constituti cantorum.’ If the reading of the first clause ‘in the days of David and Asaph’ be retained, the plural ‘chiefs’ with the allusion to a general custom, instead of to a particular example, is probably to be preferred. For the position of ‘chief’ of the singers associated with Asaph, see 1 Chronicles 16:5; 1 Chronicles 16:7; 1 Chronicles 25:1-2; 1 Chronicles 25:9. songs of praise and thanksgiving] In the English versions the punctuation gives the meaning as of a new clause ‘And there were songs of praise’ &c. Others make these words also dependent on ‘chief’ or ‘chiefs.’ There is no corresponding archζological reference to the position of the porters. The Chronicler throughout his work shows a marked preference for the interests of ‘the singers’ as compared with ‘the porters.’

46. For in the days of David and Asaph — So these Levitical appointments were no new invention of Nehemiah, but a restoration of a usage old as the times of David. The “and” before Asaph seems to be s clerical error.