1 Chronicles 25:3
in 1 Chronicles 25From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah.
KJV
Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the Lord.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 25
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe sons of Jeduthun - six - That is, six with their father, otherwise, there are but five. Hence it is said, they were under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, etc.
This site's exposition
the commanders of the army set apart
on 1 Chronicles 25:1-3
David and the army commanders set apart three families, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, “to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals”. The verb is the one the book uses of the prophets. Clarke notes the Targum reads the verb as prophesying by the Holy Spirit.
This site's exposition
From the sons of Jeduthun
Jeduthun's six sons served under their father. Adam Clarke's text named only five, so he counted Jeduthun himself as the sixth; the Berean list names Shimei in that place. Matthew Henry held that these three fathers were once pupils of Samuel and were now masters.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
It is probable that Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun, were bred up under Samuel, and had their education in the schools of the prophets which he was the founder and president of; then they were pupils, now they came to be masters.
), who were all qualified for the service and called to it. But the question was, In what order must they serve? This was determined by lot, to prevent strife for precedency, a sin which most easily besets many that otherwise are good people.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
), not that all those who were employed in this service were honoured with the visions of God, or could foretel things to come. Heman indeed is said to be the king's seer in the words of God (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
Of Jeduthun,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
and Mattithiah - six But you will find only five. [The answer is that] his wife was pregnant with Shimei, and he saw through the holy spirit that he too was destined to be the chief of a watch; therefore he says “six.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Who prophesied by order of the king. This refers to the psalms that Asaph composed: he would compose them with Divine inspiration.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לִידוּת֑וּן | lidutun | for Jeduthun | H3038 → | 14 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יְדוּת֡וּן | yedutun | Jeduthun | H3038 → | 14 times |
| גְּדַלְיָ֡הוּ | gedalyahu | Gedaliah | H1436 → | |
| וּצְרִ֡י | utzeri | and Zeri | H6874 → | |
| וִֽ֠ישַׁעְיָהוּ | visha'yahu | and Jeshaiah | H3470 → | 39 times |
| חֲשַׁבְיָ֨הוּ | chashavyahu | Hashabiah | H2811 → | 15 times |
| וּמַתִּתְיָ֜הוּ | umatityahu | and Mattithiah | H4993 → | 8 times |
| שִׁשָּׁ֗ה | shishah | six | H8337 → | 216 times |
| עַל֩ | ʾal | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְדֵ֨י | yedei | [the] hands of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| אֲבִיהֶ֤ם | ʾavihem | father their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| יְדוּתוּן֙ | yedutun | Jeduthun | H3038 → | 14 times |
| בַּכִּנּ֔וֹר | bakinor | with <the> harp | H3658 → | 42 times |
| הַנִּבָּ֕א | haniba' | who prophesied | H5012 → | 115 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הֹד֥וֹת | hodot | to give thanks | H3034 → | 114 times |
| וְהַלֵּ֖ל | vehalel | and to praise | H1984 → | 165 times |
| לַיהוָֽה׃ ס | layahweh | <to> Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
לִידוּת֑וּןfor Jeduthun
lidutunH3038 →14 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יְדוּת֡וּןJeduthun
yedutunH3038 →14 times
גְּדַלְיָ֡הוּGedaliah
gedalyahuH1436 →
וּצְרִ֡יand Zeri
utzeriH6874 →
וִֽ֠ישַׁעְיָהוּand Jeshaiah
visha'yahuH3470 →39 times
חֲשַׁבְיָ֨הוּHashabiah
chashavyahuH2811 →15 times
וּמַתִּתְיָ֜הוּand Mattithiah
umatityahuH4993 →8 times
שִׁשָּׁ֗הsix
shishahH8337 →216 times
עַל֩on
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
יְדֵ֨י[the] hands of
yedeiH3027 →1618 times
אֲבִיהֶ֤םfather their
ʾavihemH1 →1212 times
יְדוּתוּן֙Jeduthun
yedutunH3038 →14 times
בַּכִּנּ֔וֹרwith <the> harp
bakinorH3658 →42 times
הַנִּבָּ֕אwho prophesied
haniba'H5012 →115 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הֹד֥וֹתto give thanks
hodotH3034 →114 times
וְהַלֵּ֖לand to praise
vehalelH1984 →165 times
לַיהוָֽה׃ ס<to> Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 92:1It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
it leads to
- Psalms 147:1
Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!
- Psalms 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Ephesians 5:19
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,
- Psalms 135:3
Hallelujah, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
- Psalms 107:21–22
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Psalms 147:1
Through
2 Chronicles 29:14Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 25:6
All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 6:33
These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites:
- 1 Chronicles 25:6
Through
1 Chronicles 9:16Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 12:28–30
The singers were also assembled from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,
- Nehemiah 12:28–30
About 1 Chronicles
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.