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Friday, July 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 8 / Ordinary 13
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Chronicles 15:16

David told the Levite leaders to get their brothers, the singers. The singers were to take their lyres, harps, and cymbals and sing happy songs.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Art;   Asaph;   Cymbal;   David;   Joy;   Music;   Tact;   Temple;   Thompson Chain Reference - Choirs, Ancient;   Cymbals;   Instruments, Chosen;   Music;   Musical Instruments;   Singers;   Singing;   Worship;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arts of the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Music;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Levite;   Music;   Psalms, book of;   Singing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Chronicles, Books of;   Cymbals;   Kirjath-Jearim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - David;   Heman;   Music;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amminadab;   Instrument;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Asaph;   Chronicles, I;   Music and Musical Instruments;   Priests and Levites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Music (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Cymbals;   Levites ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Music;   Smith Bible Dictionary - He'man;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Appoint;   Asaph;   King;   Music;   Obed-Edom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cymbals;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.
Hebrew Names Version
David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
King James Version
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
English Standard Version
David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
New Century Version
David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to play their lyres, harps, and cymbals and to sing happy songs.
New English Translation
David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as musicians; they were to play various instruments, including stringed instruments and cymbals, and to sing loudly and joyfully.
Amplified Bible
Then David told the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives as the singers, with instruments of music—harps, lyres, and cymbals—to play loudly and to raise sounds of joy [with their voices].
New American Standard Bible
Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives as the singers, with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing to raise sounds of joy.
World English Bible
David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid spake to the chiefe of the Leuites, that they should appoint certaine of their brethren to sing with instruments of musike, with violes and harpes, and cymbales, that they might make a sounde, and lift vp their voyce with ioye.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then David said to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise a sound of gladness.
Berean Standard Bible
David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to raise their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments-harps, lyres, and cymbals.
Contemporary English Version
David then told the leaders to choose some Levites to sing and play music on small harps, other stringed instruments, and cymbals.
Complete Jewish Bible
David spoke to the chief of the L'vi'im to appoint their kinsmen to be singers making use of musical instruments — lutes, lyres and cymbals — to play loudly and raise sounds of joy.
Darby Translation
And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren, the singers, with instruments of music, lutes, and harps, and cymbals, that they should sound aloud, lifting up the voice with joy.
George Lamsa Translation
And David spoke to the elders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding by raising up their voices in joy.
Good News Translation
David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals.
Lexham English Bible
Then David ordered the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers with instruments of song, musical instruments, stringed instruments, and cymbals, raising their voices for joy.
Literal Translation
And David commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers with instruments of song, psalteries, and harps, and sounding cymbals, to lift up the voice for joy.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid spake vnto ye rulers of ye Leuites, that they shulde ordeyne some of their brethren to be syngers with psalteries, harpes and loude instrumentes, and Cimbales, to synge loude with ioye.
American Standard Version
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
Bible in Basic English
And David gave orders to the chief of the Levites to put their brothers the music-makers in position, with instruments of music, corded instruments and brass, with glad voices making sounds of joy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid spake to the chiefe heades of the Leuites, that they should appoynt certaine of their brethren to sing with instrumentes of musicke, psalteries, harpes, and cymbales, that they might make a sounde, and to sing on hie with ioyfulnesse.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
King James Version (1611)
And Dauid spake to the chiefe of the Leuites, to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musicke, Psalteries, and Harpes, and Cymbales, sounding, by lifting vp the voice with ioy.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David said to the chiefs of the Levites, Set your brethren the singers with musical instruments, lutes, harps, and cymbals, to sound aloud with a voice of joy.
English Revised Version
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid seide to the princes of dekenes, that thei schulden ordeyne of her britheren syngeris in orguns of musikis, that is, in giternes, and harpis, and symbalis; that the sown of gladnesse schulde sowne an hiy.
Update Bible Version
And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
Webster's Bible Translation
And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren [to be] the singers with instruments of music, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
New King James Version
Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.
New Living Translation
David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, and cymbals.
New Life Bible
Then David told the heads of the Levites to choose their brothers who sing and play music. They were to play harps and timbrels and make sounds of joy.
New Revised Standard
David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their kindred as the singers to play on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise loud sounds of joy.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David spake to the chiefs of the Levites, to station their brethren the singers, with instruments of song, harps and lyres, and cymbals, - sounding aloud at the lifting up of the voice, for joy.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brethren as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
Young's Literal Translation
And David saith to the heads of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of song, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals, sounding, to lift up with the voice for joy.
THE MESSAGE
David ordered the heads of the Levites to assign their relatives to sing in the choir, accompanied by a well-equipped marching band, and fill the air with joyful sound.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.

Contextual Overview

1 David built houses for himself in the City of David. Then he built a place to put God's Holy Box. He set up a tent for it. 2 Then he said, "Only the Levites are permitted to carry God's Holy Box. The Lord chose them to carry it and to serve him forever." 3 David told all the Israelites to meet together at Jerusalem to see the Lord 's Holy Box carried to the place he had made for it. 4 He called together these descendants of Aaron and the Levites: 5 There were 120 people from the tribe of Kohath. Uriel was their leader. 6 There were 220 people from the tribe of Merari. Asaiah was their leader. 7 There were 130 people from the tribe of Gershon. Joel was their leader. 8 There were 200 people from the tribe of Elizaphan. Shemaiah was their leader. 9 There were 80 people from the tribe of Hebron. Eliel was their leader. 10 There were 112 people from the tribe of Uzziel. Amminadab was their leader.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And David: 2 Chronicles 30:12, Ezra 7:24-28, Isaiah 49:23

chief: 1 Chronicles 15:12, Acts 14:23, 1 Timothy 3:1-15, 2 Timothy 2:2, Titus 1:5

the singers: 1 Chronicles 15:27, 1 Chronicles 15:28, 1 Chronicles 6:31-38, 1 Chronicles 13:8, 1 Chronicles 16:42, 1 Chronicles 23:5, 1 Chronicles 25:1-6, 2 Chronicles 29:28-30, Nehemiah 12:36, Nehemiah 12:46, Psalms 87:7, Psalms 149:3, Psalms 150:3, Psalms 150:4

lifting up: 2 Chronicles 5:13, Ezra 3:10, Ezra 3:11, Nehemiah 12:43, Psalms 81:1, Psalms 92:1-3, Psalms 95:1, Psalms 100:1, Jeremiah 33:11

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 6:15 - with shouting 1 Chronicles 9:33 - the singers 1 Chronicles 15:19 - General 1 Chronicles 15:22 - song 1 Chronicles 16:5 - Asaph 2 Chronicles 5:12 - the Levites 2 Chronicles 7:6 - the Levites 2 Chronicles 8:14 - the Levites 2 Chronicles 20:19 - Levites 2 Chronicles 23:13 - the singers 2 Chronicles 29:25 - And he set 2 Chronicles 34:12 - all Nehemiah 12:27 - thanksgivings Psalms 33:2 - Praise Psalms 68:24 - even Psalms 92:3 - instrument Psalms 98:5 - General Psalms 150:5 - the loud cymbals Daniel 3:10 - the cornet

Cross-References

Genesis 15:5
Then God led Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many you cannot count them. Your family will be like that."
Genesis 15:8
But Abram said, "Lord God , how can I be sure that I will get this land?"
Genesis 15:9
God said to Abram, "We will make an agreement. Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."
Genesis 15:11
Later, large birds flew down to eat the animals, but Abram chased them away.
Exodus 12:40
The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
1 Kings 21:26
Ahab committed the terrible sin of worshiping those filthy idols, just as the Amorites did. And that is why the Lord took the land from them and gave it to the Israelites.
Daniel 8:23
"When the end is near for those kingdoms, there will be a very bold and cruel king who will be very tricky. This will happen when many people have turned against God.
1 Thessalonians 2:16
And they are trying to stop us from teaching those who are not Jews. They don't want them to be saved. But they are just adding more and more sins to the ones they already have. Now the time has come for them to suffer God's anger.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David spake to the chief of the Levites,.... The six before mentioned, 1 Chronicles 15:11

to appoint their brethren to be the singers; before the ark, as they brought it up:

with instruments of music, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals; which were used in those times, see 2 Samuel 6:5

sounding by lifting up the voice with joy; the instrumental music was to be attended with vocal music, and that very sonorous and loud, and performed with all tokens of inward joy and gladness, as the occasion required.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The singers - Singing had long been recognized as appropriate to religious ceremonies Exodus 15:21; Jdg 5:1; 1 Chronicles 13:8; but this is the first occasion on which we find the duty of conducting musical services expressly laid on the Levites. Henceforth, the services of the tabernacle and the temple were regularly choral, and a considerable section of the Levites was trained in musical knowledge, and set apart to conduct this portion of the national worship.


 
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