The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

151 David made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. 2 Then David said, “No one ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites. For Yahweh has chosen them to carry the ark of God, and to minister to him forever.” 3 David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place, which he had prepared for it. 4 David gathered together the sons of Aaron, and the Levites: 5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and his brothers one hundred twenty; 6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred twenty; 7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and his brothers one hundred thirty; 8 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred; 9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and his brothers eighty; 10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and his brothers one hundred twelve. 11 David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab, 12 and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brothers, that you may bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. 13 For because you didn’t carry it at first, Yahweh our God made broke out against us, because we didn’t seek him according to the ordinance.” 14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 The children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of Yahweh. 16 David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, stringed instruments and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brothers of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers. 19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed with cymbals of brass to sound aloud; 20 and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with stringed instruments set to Alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps tuned to the eight-stringed lyre, to lead. 22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song: he instructed about the song, because he was skillful. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 15:1-24

Commentary on 1 Chronicles 15:1-24

(Read 1 Chronicles 15:1-24)

Wise and good men may be guilty of oversights, which they will correct, as soon as they are aware of them. David does not try to justify what had been done amiss, nor to lay the blame on others; but he owns himself guilty, with others, of not seeking God in due order