Probably
the most important thought in I Chronicles 15:22, and another concept that has
not fared well in most translations, is the importance of the words "was
for song" (massa 4853) The
Hebrew word massa is often
misunderstood here as meaning "carriage." Therefore, some translators and commentators
have believed that this verse is explaining that he was an expert in handling
the Ark of the Covenant, since the fifteenth chapter gives a detailed account
of bringing the ark up to Jerusalem.
However, it is important to note that the
portion of that chapter, including verses sixteen through twenty-four, is a
musical discourse concerning the Levites that King David placed in charge of
pre-Temple music at the time of the moving of the ark and placing it in the tent. We know from verse fifteen that Levites did
in fact carry the ark after the due order of Moses, but if Chenaniah was a
teacher of ark carriage then why was he mentioned in the middle of the list of
Levite musicians in verses 19-21 and why was the so-called teacher of
"handling the ark" walking with the singers? Why was he not walking as verse twenty-seven
states, with ". . . the Levites that bare the ark?" We will discuss these questions in tomorrow’s
post.
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