2 Chronicles 5:12
in 2 Chronicles 5all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres, accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets);
KJV
Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 5
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The station where the priests were sounding with trumpets was apart from that of the other musicians; for while the Levite singers occupied an orchestra east of the altar, the priests stood at the marble table on the southwest of the altar.
This site's exposition
all the Levitical singers
The singers are named, “Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives,” the founders of the choirs David set apart in 1 Chronicles 25. They stand with 120 priests sounding trumpets. The temple's music enters the dedication record here, a scene Kings never mentions.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
As there is one saying oftener repeated in scripture than this, his mercy endureth for ever (twenty-six times in one psalm, Ps. cxxxvi. , and often elsewhere), so there is none more signally owned from heaven; for it was not the expression of some rapturous flights that the priests were singing when the glory of God appeared, but this plain song, He is good, and his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the L ORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:97%@v2-3
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A hundred and twenty priests - Cymbals, psalteries, and harps, of any kind, in union with a hundred and twenty trumpets or horns, could not produce much harmony; as to melody, that must have been impossible, as the noise was too great.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And the trumpeters, etc. were as one The meaning is: And they were united - all the trumpeters together. Now for what purpose were they united? To make one sound together to praise and to thank the Lord.
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. 6 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
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהַלְוִיִּ֣ם | vehalviyim | and the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| הַמְשֹׁרֲרִ֣ים | hamshorarim | the singers | H7891 → | 86 times |
| לְכֻלָּ֡ם | lekhulam | <to> all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְאָסָ֡ף | leasaf | <to> Asaph | H623 → | 34 times |
| לְהֵימָ֣ן | leheiman | <to> Heman | H1968 → | 16 times |
| לִֽ֠ידֻתוּן | lidutun | <to> Jeduthun | H3038 → | 14 times |
| וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֨ם | velivneihem | and <to> sons their | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְלַאֲחֵיהֶ֜ם | velaacheihem | and <to> relatives their | H251 → | 630 times |
| מְלֻבָּשִׁ֣ים | melubashim | [were] fully clothed | H3847 → | 110 times |
| בּ֗וּץ | butz | fine linen | H948 → | 8 times |
| בִּמְצִלְתַּ֙יִם֙ | bimtziltayim | with cymbals | H4700 → | 13 times |
| וּבִנְבָלִ֣ים | uvinvalim | and with lyres | H5035 → | 38 times |
| וְכִנֹּר֔וֹת | vekhinorot | and harps | H3658 → | 42 times |
| עֹמְדִ֖ים | ʾomedim | [were] standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| מִזְרָ֣ח | mizrach | east | H4217 → | 74 times |
| לַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ | lamizbeach | of the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| וְעִמָּהֶ֤ם | veimahem | and [were] with them | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| כֹּֽהֲנִים֙ | kohanim | priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| לְמֵאָ֣ה | lemeah | of one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| וְעֶשְׂרִ֔ים | veesrim | and twenty | H6242 → | 315 times |
| מַחְצְרִ֖ים | machtzeririm | [who were] blowing a trumpet | H2690 → | 6 times |
| בַּחֲצֹֽצְרֽוֹת׃ | bachatzotzerot | on trumpets | H2689 → | 29 times |
וְהַלְוִיִּ֣םand the Levites
vehalviyimH3881 →291 times
הַמְשֹׁרֲרִ֣יםthe singers
hamshorarimH7891 →86 times
לְכֻלָּ֡ם<to> all of them
lekhulamH3605 →5413 times
לְאָסָ֡ף<to> Asaph
leasafH623 →34 times
לְהֵימָ֣ן<to> Heman
leheimanH1968 →16 times
לִֽ֠ידֻתוּן<to> Jeduthun
lidutunH3038 →14 times
וְלִבְנֵיהֶ֨םand <to> sons their
velivneihemH1121 →4930 times
וְלַאֲחֵיהֶ֜םand <to> relatives their
velaacheihemH251 →630 times
מְלֻבָּשִׁ֣ים[were] fully clothed
melubashimH3847 →110 times
בּ֗וּץfine linen
butzH948 →8 times
בִּמְצִלְתַּ֙יִם֙with cymbals
bimtziltayimH4700 →13 times
וּבִנְבָלִ֣יםand with lyres
uvinvalimH5035 →38 times
וְכִנֹּר֔וֹתand harps
vekhinorotH3658 →42 times
עֹמְדִ֖ים[were] standing
ʾomedimH5975 →521 times
מִזְרָ֣חeast
mizrachH4217 →74 times
לַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַof the altar
lamizbeachH4196 →401 times
וְעִמָּהֶ֤םand [were] with them
veimahemH5973 →1050 times
כֹּֽהֲנִים֙priests
kohanimH3548 →750 times
לְמֵאָ֣הof one hundred
lemeahH3967 →581 times
וְעֶשְׂרִ֔יםand twenty
veesrimH6242 →315 times
מַחְצְרִ֖ים[who were] blowing a trumpet
machtzeririmH2690 →6 times
בַּחֲצֹֽצְרֽוֹת׃on trumpets
bachatzotzerotH2689 →29 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
1 Chronicles 15:24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 16:6
and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
- 1 Chronicles 15:28
So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
- 1 Chronicles 16:6
Through
1 Chronicles 6:39Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand:
it leads to
- Nehemiah 7:44
The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 148.
- Ezra 2:41
The singers: the descendants of Asaph, 128.
- Psalms 77:1
I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.
- Psalms 81:1
Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.
- Psalms 73:1
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
- Nehemiah 7:44
Through
1 Chronicles 6:33These are the men who served, together with their sons. From the Kohathites:
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 6:28
The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.
- 1 Chronicles 6:28
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.