1 Chronicles 25

The musicians are prophets. It looks as if each such prophet is being conducted by the leaders, Asaph and David. These leads are by hand signals, so the phrase by the hand(s) of  x. It may be no accident that we have such hand signals in the Aleppo Codex and its subsequent tradition. But no one seems to know where these signs sprung from, like Athena fully formed out of the head of Zeus.

These are the signs that my program reads to produce the music on the music pages. You can read about them and see them all here. You can sing them all but it will take you a long time. There are 929 chapters and each chapter has many pages depending of course on page size. Psalms (150 of those chapters) have just over 13,553 measures (bars) of music. 1 Kings (22 chapters) for example, has 7,459 measures. At an average of 3 seconds per measure, that's 10 hours of music for just those two books. These are not representative. Every piece of the music is unique. At 2 seconds per bar, Torah would take approximately 27 hours to recite. I just discovered that all this data can be dug out of my Music program. It seems there are 185,111 bars of music. About 20 8-hour days of recitation at an average of 3 seconds per bar. (Some bars are very long.)

The sons and the daughters sang (verses 5 and 6) and they had plenty to sing about.

What would it be like to recite all the names in 1 Chronicles? The music of verses 3 and 4 is astonishingly florid!

The rest of the music is here, We can also remember the psalms dedicated to Jeduthun (39, 62, 77). Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days, as so aptly put by Coverdale. (Psalms 39 is at the link with a comparison to Job 10. I will put up the other two psalms for the next two Sunday psalms.) So here is one name to whom much is attached in the way of music.

JB makes the host sound like an army. I wouldn't imply that. Traditional translations use army for a host of stems. I don't. I am beginning to collect together these words signifying a group of people, gang, camp, army, host, family, etc under a single banner. Might turn out to be a useful domain. It is a small list at present: גדד raiding party (20), גוי nation (516), חנה army (36), טיר domicile (4), מטה branch (177), מלך kingdom (174), משׁפחה family (191), עדר troop (34), עם people (1,703), שׁבט band (48). Many of these stems have other glosses in other domains. I have not included animal groups like flock and herd. These are often the same stem as their individual members.

Our hope cannot be in the host or the army or its leader, however charismatic. Our hope cannot be in our own in-group. Such would be and is idolatry. If anyone says to you, Only I can do this, remember 1 John. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Remember Tyre, the crown, whose vendors are nobility, whose shopkeepers were the glorious of earth, and Babylon, A cup of gold, Babel in the hand of Yahweh, intoxicating all the earth. Chants of adulation will turn to dust in your mouth.

Verse 6 - five teachers and conductors. Music is the work of many in cooperation. No tariffs required.

And there were of course 24 groups of 12, chosen by lot, the lesser and the greater, teacher and learner together in cooperation.

1 Chronicles 25		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל דָּוִיד֩ וְשָׂרֵ֨י הַצָּבָ֜א לַעֲבֹדָ֗ה לִבְנֵ֤י אָסָף֙ וְהֵימָ֣ן וִֽידוּת֔וּן הַֽנִּבְּאִ֛ים בְּכִנֹּר֥וֹת בִּנְבָלִ֖ים וּבִמְצִלְתָּ֑יִם וַֽיְהִי֙ מִסְפָּרָ֔ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י מְלָאכָ֖ה לַעֲבֹדָתָֽם	1		And David and the chiefs of the host differentiated for the service of the children of Asaph and Heyman and Jeduthun, to prophesy with harps, with lutes and with cymbals, and the counts of the men of trade for their service were:	3d	4C	40 15
לִבְנֵ֣י אָסָ֗ף זַכּ֧וּר וְיוֹסֵ֛ף וּנְתַנְיָ֥ה וַאֲשַׂרְאֵ֖לָה בְּנֵ֣י אָסָ֑ף עַ֚ל יַד־אָסָ֔ף הַנִּבָּ֖א עַל־יְדֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ	2		Of the children of Asaph, Zakkur, and Joseph, Nathaniah and Asarelah, the children of Asaph, by the hand of Asaph, prophesying by the hands of the king.	3c	4C	21 13
לִידוּת֑וּן בְּנֵ֣י יְדוּת֡וּן גְּדַלְיָ֡הוּ וּצְרִ֡י וִֽ֠ישַׁעְיָהוּ חֲשַׁבְיָ֨הוּ וּמַתִּתְיָ֜הוּ שִׁשָּׁ֗ה עַל֩ יְדֵ֨י אֲבִיהֶ֤ם יְדוּתוּן֙ בַּכִּנּ֔וֹר הַנִּבָּ֕א עַל־הֹד֥וֹת וְהַלֵּ֖ל לַיהוָֽה	3		Of Jeduthun: the children of Jeduthun, Gedoliah, and Balm, and Isaiah, Xeshabyah and Mattithiah, six by the hands of their father Jeduthun on the harp, prophesy to give thanks and praise to Yahweh.	3e	4C	3 49
לְהֵימָ֑ן בְּנֵ֣י הֵימָ֡ן בֻּקִּיָּ֡הוּ מַתַּנְיָ֡הוּ עֻ֠זִּיאֵל שְׁבוּאֵ֨ל וִֽירִימ֜וֹת חֲנַנְיָ֣ה חֲנָ֗נִי אֱלִיאָ֤תָה גִדַּ֙לְתִּי֙ וְרֹמַ֣מְתִּי עֶ֔זֶר יָשְׁבְּקָ֣שָׁה מַלּ֔וֹתִי הוֹתִ֖יר מַחֲזִיאֽוֹת	4		Of Heyman: the children of Heyman, Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Yerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer, Yoshbeqashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.	3e	4C	3 53
כָּל־אֵ֨לֶּה בָנִ֜ים לְהֵימָ֗ן חֹזֵ֥ה הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ בְּדִבְרֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים לְהָרִ֣ים קָ֑רֶן וַיִּתֵּ֨ן הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים לְהֵימָ֗ן בָּנִ֛ים אַרְבָּעָ֥ה עָשָׂ֖ר וּבָנ֥וֹת שָׁלֽוֹשׁ	5		All these were children of Heyman, the visionary of the king, in the words of God to exalt the horn. And God gave to Heyman fourteen sons and three daughters.	3d	4B	25 22
כָּל־אֵ֣לֶּה עַל־יְדֵי֩ אֲבִיהֶ֨ם בַּשִּׁ֜יר בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֗ה בִּמְצִלְתַּ֙יִם֙ נְבָלִ֣ים וְכִנֹּר֔וֹת לַעֲבֹדַ֖ת בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים עַ֚ל יְדֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אָסָ֥ף וִידוּת֖וּן וְהֵימָֽן	6		All these were by the hands of their father in a song of the house of Yahweh. With cymbals, lutes and harps for the service of the house of God, by the hands of the king, Asaph, and Jeduthun, and Heyman.	3e	4C	33 14
וַיְהִ֤י מִסְפָּרָם֙ עִם־אֲחֵיהֶ֔ם מְלֻמְּדֵי־שִׁ֖יר לַיהוָ֑ה כָּל־הַ֨מֵּבִ֔ין מָאתַ֖יִם שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים וּשְׁמוֹנָֽה	7		And their counts with their kin expert in the song to Yahweh, all understanding, two hundred and eighty eight.	3e	4C	15 12
וַיַּפִּ֜ילוּ גּוֹרָל֣וֹת מִשְׁמֶ֗רֶת לְעֻמַּת֙ כַּקָּטֹ֣ן כַּגָּד֔וֹל מֵבִ֖ין עִם־תַּלְמִֽיד	8		And they let fall the dice to set up from the choir, whether the lesser or the greater, those with understanding with those who learn.	3e	4B	24
וַיֵּצֵ֞א הַגּוֹרָ֧ל הָרִאשׁ֛וֹן לְאָסָ֖ף לְיוֹסֵ֑ף גְּדַלְיָ֙הוּ֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י הֽוּא־וְאֶחָ֥יו וּבָנָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	9		And the first lot came out to Asaph for Joseph, Gedoliah the second, he and his kin and his children, twelve.	3c	4A	15 18
הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֣י זַכּ֔וּר בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	10		The third Zakkur, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	14
הָרְבִיעִי֙ לַיִּצְרִ֔י בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	11		The fourth to Yitsri, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	3g	15
הַחֲמִישִׁ֣י נְתַנְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	12		The fifth Nathaniah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	17
הַשִּׁשִּׁ֣י בֻקִּיָּ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	13		The sixth Bukkiah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	16
הַשְּׁבִעִ֣י יְשַׂרְאֵ֔לָה בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	14		The seventh Yeseralah, his children, and his kin twelve.	3e	4B	16
הַשְּׁמִינִ֣י יְשַֽׁעְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	15		The eighth Isaiah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	16
הַתְּשִׁיעִ֣י מַתַּנְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	16		The ninth Mattaniah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	16
הָעֲשִׂירִ֣י שִׁמְעִ֔י בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	17		The tenth Shimei, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	15
עַשְׁתֵּֽי־עָשָׂ֣ר עֲזַרְאֵ֔ל בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	18		The eleventh Azarel, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4B	15
הַשְּׁנֵ֤ים עָשָׂר֙ לַחֲשַׁבְיָ֔ה בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	19		The twelfth for Xeshabyah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	17
לִשְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ שֽׁוּבָאֵ֔ל בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	20		For the thirteenth Shubael, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	17
לְאַרְבָּעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ מַתִּתְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	21		For the fourteenth Mattithiah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	19
לַחֲמִשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לִֽירֵמ֔וֹת בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	22		For the fifteenth for Yarmut, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	18
לְשִׁשָּׁ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לַחֲנַנְיָ֔הוּ בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	23		For the sixteenth for Hananiah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	19
לְשִׁבְעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לְיָשְׁבְּקָ֔שָׁה בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	24		For the seventeenth for Yoshbeqashah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	19
לִשְׁמוֹנָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לַחֲנָ֔נִי בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	25		For the eighteenth for Hanani, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	18
לְתִשְׁעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לְמַלּ֔וֹתִי בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	26		For the nineteenth for Mallothi, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	18
לְעֶשְׂרִים֙ לֶֽאֱלִיָּ֔תָה בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	27		For the twentieth for Eliathah, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	3g	17
לְאֶחָ֤ד וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ לְהוֹתִ֔יר בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	28		For the twenty first for Hothir, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	18
לִשְׁנַ֤יִם וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ לְגִדַּ֔לְתִּי בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	29		For the twenty second for Giddalti, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	18
לִשְׁלֹשָׁ֤ה וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ לְמַ֣חֲזִיא֔וֹת בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	30		For the twenty third for Mahazioth, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	20
לְאַרְבָּעָ֤ה וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ לְרוֹמַ֣מְתִּי עָ֔זֶר בָּנָ֥יו וְאֶחָ֖יו שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר	31		For the twenty fourth for Romamti-Ezer, his children and his kin, twelve.	3e	4C	22