THE MASSA OR BURDEN OF THE CHIEF MUSICIAN-part 2

THE MASSA OR BURDEN OF THE CHIEF MUSICIAN-part 2

             Since the fifteenth chapter gives a detailed account of bringing the ark up to Jerusalem, some Bible exegetes have believed that Chenaniah was an expert in carrying the Ark of the Covenant. However, GBN, ACC, JFB, JWN, Poole, and TSK (among others) believe that Chenaniah’s expertise and function in this verse was of a musical nature. 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?"

            It seems that a much more tenable hypothesis would be that Chenaniah was a skillful singing instructor who had a great burden for song borne in upon him of God.  The word massa used here is found many times in the Old Testament.  This word used of Chenaniah is the same word which is burden in Isaiah 13:1 which states, "The burden massa (4853) of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see."  The Book of Nahum also uses the word massa (Nahum 1:1) when it mentions, "The burden (4853) of Nineveh.  The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite."  Also, Habakkuk 1:1 states, "The burden (4853) which Habakkuk the prophet did see."  So we can see that the word massa used of Chenaniah the chief singer was also used of the prophets Isaiah, Nahum and Habakkuk.