1David and the officers of the army also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was:
Description: Cymbals were a percussion instrument consisting of two metal discs that were struck together in order to make a shrill, clashing sound. There were two types of cymbals: (1) flat metal plates that were struck together, and (2) metal cones, one of which was brought down on top of the other, on the open end.
Translation: The equivalent of “cymbal” in many languages is a phrase such as “loud metal.”
Cymbals (source: Susan Mitford (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1986)
The musical instrument that is most often translated as “lyre” or “lute” in English is translated in the following ways:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016: pangwe (a musical instrument that is made from a hollow tube filled with pellets or small stones to create a rain-like sound) or “five stringed instrument” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “guitar” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “sitar ” (source: Newari Back Translation)
Description: The lyre consisted of a sound box out of the ends or sides of which projected two arms. The arms supported a crosspiece. Strings descended from the crosspiece over the sound box. As with the nevel, the number of strings could vary. Their varying thickness and tension gave the instrument a range of notes. The lyre was normally made of wood. The strings were made of animal intestines (perhaps from sheep).
Usage: The strings were normally plucked with the fingers. The kinor in particular is frequently depicted as an instrument that accompanied singing.
Job 21:12: For the stringed instrument (kinor in Hebrew) accompanying the tambourine, French Common Language Version has “guitar” and the French La Bible de Jérusalem has “zither,” which seems to be an instrument used in 1 Samuel 10:5. The first line of this verse may also be rendered “The children sing as people play the tambourine and the lyre.” In some languages these instruments will be a local drum and a stringed instrument; the latter may be a guitar. If no instruments can be found to render any of the instruments in this verse, the translator may have to express the whole verse differently; for example, “The children dance and sing and make joyful sounds/music.”
The identity of the instrument called sabka’ in Aramaic in Daniel (Hebrew) is uncertain. New Revised Standard Version, updated edition renders it “trigon,” which is a small triangular lyre-type instrument with four strings. Probably trigon is technically correct, but it is unknown to the average English reader. Good News Translation has attempted to find a better-known equivalent with “zither,” but the zither has far too many strings (over thirty). Some translations use “lyre” for sabka’ and render the Aramaic word qathros before it as “zither”. Revised English Bible has “triangle,” but most readers will wrongly identify that as a percussion instrument. Common English Version avoids the problem by rendering only the first three instruments in the list and grouping the last three together, including sabka’ as follows: “Trumpets, flutes, harps, and all other kinds of musical instruments.”
Lyre (source: Knowles, revised by Bass (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1994)
The musical instrument that is most often translated as “harp” or “large lyre” in English is translated in the following ways:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016: “two stringed instrument” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “instruments which have strings to praise you,” “beautiful to-be-listened-to instruments,” or kudyapi (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Description: The exact identification of the nevel is very problematic. Some take it to be a kind of harp. The harp consisted of a neck projecting out of a soundbox. Strings were stretched from the extremity of the neck down its length and into the sound box. The body of the harp was made of wood and its strings of animal intestines (perhaps from sheep). The number of strings varied.
Others place the nevel in the category of lyres, where the strings are stretched over top of and parallel to the soundbox. While this is the interpretation preferred here, we will discuss the harp-type of instrument, since the identification is problematic and many translations have preferred “harp” for nevel.
Usage: The strings were plucked either with the fingers or with a thin piece of ivory or metal to give a resonating sound, probably in a lower register than that made by the kinor.
Translation: In several Psalms (33.2; 92.3; 144.9), the nevel is linked to the Hebrew word ‘asor, which could indicate it was “ten-stringed.”
Some degree of cultural adaptation must be made in the translation of these stringed instruments since cultures differ from each other in the shape, the number of strings, and the function of their instruments. Translators will have to select an equivalent instrument in the receptor language. In most passages the most accurate translation for nevel will be “guitar” or some equivalent medium-sized stringed instrument on which the strings are stretched over a sound box and are plucked.
In those passages where nevel and kinor appear together it is recommended that the translator use an instrument that can vary in size and then render the two words as “large and small X,” for example, “large and small guitars.” Alternately, it may be possible to select two stringed instruments that are similar in construction but different in size, for example, “guitar and lute.” It is also possible to say “large and small stringed instruments” or to combine the two, saying “stringed instruments.”
Psalms 33:2: “Praise the LORD with the lyre” (New Revised Standard Version, updated edition) contains two major translation problems. The first problem is that in many languages, the phrase “with the lyre” must be changed into a verb phrase or clause; for example, the whole line may be rendered “Praise the LORD by playing music on the lyre” or “Make music with the lyre, and praise the LORD.” The second problem, which applies also to the second line of this verse, is the terms to be used for the musical instruments here. In languages in which there are several stringed instruments, translators may use one of the smaller ones for kinor (“lyre”) and a larger one for nevel (“harp” in New Revised Standard Version, updated edition). In languages where there is little or no choice, they should use the known local stringed instrument for the kinor, and a more generic expression for the nevel. Where there are no known stringed instruments, it will often be necessary to say “small instruments with strings” for kinor and “large instruments with strings” for nevel.
Harp (source: Knowles, revised by Bass (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1994)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 25:1:
Kupsabiny: “David together with his big people picked Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun and their sons to be in charge of the songs that proclaim the words of God. They used lyres and sticks.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “David and his commanding generals set aside Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun to proclaim prophecy, [while] playing the lute, the lyre and brass cymbals. Here is the list –” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “David and the commanders of the people chose men from the children of Asaf, Heman, and Jedutun. They were-chosen to tell the message of God accompanied by harps, lyres, and cymbals. This is the list of their names and works:” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “David and some of the temple officials (OR, army commanders) chose some of the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to be in charge of proclaiming God’s messages, and to play harps and lyres and cymbals. This is a list of the men whom they chose for that work:” (Source: Translation for Translators)
David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun: Since this verse begins a new section, Good News Translation identifies David as “King David.” The two Hebrew nouns rendered the chiefs of the service both have a wide range of meanings, and the specific meaning must be determined from the context. It may be possible to leave the precise meaning ambiguous. Revised English Bible, for example, says “his chief officers.” But it is preferable to decide what the most likely meaning is and state that in the translation. The first noun refers to leaders, whether in the military, the government, or the religious life of a community. The second noun often refers to military service or military troops.
Revised Standard Version understands the sense of the expression the chiefs of the service to be religious leaders here. Some versions make this understanding explicit by saying “the leaders of the Levites” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), “the religious officials” (New Jerusalem Bible), “the cult officials” (American Bible), or “the leaders of the liturgical cult” (New American Bible). For this whole clause Bible en français courant reads “David, with the help of the leaders of the groups responsible for the worship service, set apart descendants of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun” (similarly La Bible du Semeur). This understanding of the Hebrew is most likely correct. In various passages in Numbers (4.3, 23, 30, 35; 8.24), the Hebrew noun translated service refers to the service performed by the Levites. According to this understanding, the Hebrew phrase rendered the chiefs of the service is synonymous with “the chiefs of the Levites” (1 Chr 15.16).
However, a number of versions, in agreement with the Septuagint, believe the Hebrew phrase for the chiefs of the service refers to military leaders, as it clearly does in 1 Chr 26.26 and 2 Chr 33.11. Translations following this understanding include “the officers of the army” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “the army officers” ( NET Bible, Knoppers), and “the commanders of the army” (New International Version, New Century Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Nueva Versión Internacional, alternative translation in Bible en français courant; similarly New Living Translation). If the reference is to army officers, then their presence was probably intended to add a sense of formality to the occasion; that is, the military leaders probably were present only for ceremonial purposes.
Regarding the meaning of set apart, see the comments on 1 Chr 23.13.
The words for the service refer to the Temple service, that is, service in the area of worship. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, uses the technical word “liturgy,” saying “For the liturgy.” The phrase for the service may be connected in either of two different ways with the rest of the sentence as follows:
• (1) It may be connected in meaning with David and the chiefs of the service in that they were responsible for the Temple service. This interpretation is found in Bible en français courant (see its rendering above).
• (2) Or this phrase may be connected in meaning with the verb set apart. This interpretation is found in El libro del Pueblo de Dios, which reads “David and the leaders of the army set apart for the worship service the sons of Asaph…” (so also Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
The following verses give the names of the members of the clans of Asaph (verse 2), Heman (verses 4), and Jeduthun (verse 3) who were set apart for the worship services.
Who should prophesy with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals: Revised Standard Version and most other versions follow the reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text, which says “who prophesy” rather than the text of itself, which says “the prophets.” The word prophesy means specifically “to foretell the future” in some languages, but the Hebrew verb here is better translated in this context as “proclaim God’s messages” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) or “preach God’s message” (International Children’s Bible). The exact nature of this prophecy is not clear, but there is no indication that it involved predicting the future. New Century Version says simply that David chose these men “to preach.” But “to preach” most likely suggests something different from what these Levite musicians did. Most likely their prophesying consisted of singing songs that were regarded as words of God through which he revealed himself. It is also possible that the musical arrangement was regarded as inspired by God. As in 1 Sam 10.5, this prophesying was done through singing and playing musical instruments. It is also possible, though less likely, that the music was played to help put the Levites into a prophetic trance. The translation of prophesy as “sang inspired hymns” (La Bible du Semeur) or “proclaim the praise of God” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) seems to express correctly what these musicians did.
Revised Standard Version lists three musical instruments (lyres, harps, and cymbals), while Good News Translation lists only two (“harps” and “cymbals”). Lyres and harps were instruments of a similar type (see the comments on 1 Chr 13.8), but since these instruments are used together elsewhere in Good News Translation, the omission of lyres must be considered an error in Good News Translation here and in verse 6. In languages that do not have lyres and harps, these instruments may be translated here and in verse 6 by a single word or phrase such as “stringed instruments” ( NET Bible). For cymbals see the comments on 1 Chr 13.8.
The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: The Hebrew words translated The list of those occur again in verse 7, where Revised Standard Version translates them as “the number of them.” Revised Standard Version has correctly translated them each time as the context requires. Revised Standard Version gives a fairly literal translation of this whole sentence. Another way of expressing the meaning is “Here is a list of their names and their work” (New Living Translation).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
25:1a Additionally, David and the commanders of the army
⌊King⌋ David and the officers of the army -or-
⌊King⌋ David and the army officers
25:1b set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun
chose men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (FBV) -or-
selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (NET Bible)
25:1c to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals.
to proclaim God’s message. They would do it by making music with instruments ⌊called⌋ harps, lyres, and cymbals. -or-
to sing songs about God. They could do this by using musical instruments with strings and percussion instruments.
25:1d The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
Here is a list of Levites that they chose for this work. -or-
The following men were chosen ⌊by David and and his officers⌋ .
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