31–47. The three singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan (= Jeduthun elsewhere except xv. 17 ff.) were the reputed founders of the three choral guilds of the post-exilic period. That these guilds were very gradually formed and in the form known to the Chronicler were a late post-exilic development is certain, but the precise stages of their growth are obscure, see Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible IV. 36 end–37. Possibly the singers for a considerable time were not necessarily Levites, but eventually they all claimed Levitical origin, and the pedigrees here given are the supposed justification of the claim. As the elaborated system of the Temple service (xxiii. ff.) was thought to have been instituted by David, the genealogies of the three singers are so arranged as to make them contemporaries of David. Comparing these verses with verses 4–15, it is evident that the genealogy from Korah has been used for constructing the pedigree of Heman (33–38), that of Gershom (20–22) for Asaph (39–43), and to a less extent that of Merari (29, 30) for Ethan (44–47). But in the line of Gershom and in that of Merari further names were required, five in the former and eight in the latter case, in order to make the genealogies sufficiently long to reach down to the time of David and thus make Asaph and Ethan his contemporaries. When these further names are examined they are found to be of a definitely post-exilic character; and it is evident that the Chronicler or whoever constructed the pedigrees utilised recent genealogies of the singers, which for some reason seemed to him suitable. The identity of a single name in the two lists was apparently deemed sufficient cause for making the connection (see note on verses 44–47).
³¹And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.
31. the ark had rest] i.e. was brought into the city of David for a permanent resting-place, compare Psalms cxxxii. 8, 14.
³²And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and they waited[¹] on their office according to their order.
[¹] Hebrew stood.
32. they waited ... order] a phrase characteristic of the Chronicler. For waited render rather, as margin, stood (compare Psalms cxxxv. 2): i.e. Heman the leader stood in the central position, Asaph on his right hand (verse 39) and Ethan on his left (verse 44).
33–38.
The descent of Heman, David’s singer, through Kohath from Levi.
³³And these are they that waited[¹], and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel; ³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah[²]; ³⁵the son of Zuph[³], the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai; ³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel[⁴], the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah;
[¹] Hebrew stood.
[²] In verse 26, Nahath.