Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 2:41
The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred twenty and eight.
41. The singers ] The Levitical order of singers was instituted in David’s time (1Ch 15:17-24). There seem to have been 24 classes of singers (1Ch 25:9-31). But the three great guilds of singers were called after the names of Heman the Kohathite, Asaph the Gershomite, and Jeduthun the Merarite (1Ch 6:33-47; 1Ch 25:1-7).
Asaph ] No members of the Heman and Jeduthun guilds seem to have returned. Four of the 24 classes of singers were called after the sons of Asaph, i.e. the first, Joseph: the third, Zaccur: the fifth, Nethaniah: the seventh, Jesharelah (1Ch 25:2; 1Ch 25:9-10 ; 1Ch 25:12; 1Ch 25:14). Asaph himself enjoyed a great reputation as a Psalmist (cf. 2Ch 29:30, Neh 12:46). The inscriptions of certain Psalms attribute their composition to Asaph (Psalms 50, 73-83).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
[See comments on Ezr 2:40].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
41. Singers See notes on 1Ch 15:16-22.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Enrolling Of The Singers/Musicians ( Ezr 2:41 ).
The singers were a special order of Levites (seen as such in Ezr 3:10-11; Neh 11:15-17, but seemingly not designated as such here) who according to 1Ch 6:31-32 had been responsible for leading the singing and musical accompaniment in Tabernacle and Temple worship. Asaph is mentioned in 1Ch 6:39. It would appear that of the singers/musicians, only the sons of Asaph, i.e. members of the musical group of Asaph, returned at this stage. Thus in Ezr 3:10-11 we read that at the laying of foundations of the new Temple ‘they set — the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals to praise YHWH, after the order of David the King of Israel’ (see 1Ch 15:16-22).
In Neh 11:17 three singers are mentioned, Mattaniah, a ‘son of Asaph’, who was the leading one to give thanksgiving in prayer, Bakbukiah, who was the second, and Abda, a ‘son of Jeduthun’. Many see this as indicating that there were by that stage three orders of singers in view of the fact that in 2Ch 5:12 in the time of Solomon the three orders of musicians were stated to be Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. This would make Bakbukiah a ‘son of Heman’, although in 1Ch 9:15 his ancestry is ignored, as here. So as with the later twenty fours orders of priests this may well have been an artificial arrangement. In Israel/Judah adoption was a common form of descent (indeed a large proportion of Israel and Judah were only children of Abraham by adoption).
Ezr 2:41
‘The Singers.’
Possibly more accurately we must see them as the musicians, for part of their privilege was to play the cymbals and other instruments (1Ch 15:16).
Ezr 2:41
‘The sons of Asaph, one hundred and twenty eight.’
It would appears that of the three orders in the time of Solomon (2Ch 5:12) only ‘sons of Asaph’ had returned at this stage. It is, of course, always possible that of the musicians only sons of Asaph had been exiled. In Ezr 3:10-11 the lead in singing and playing was taken by Mattaniah, a ‘son of Asaph’. In Neh 11:22-23 we learn of ‘the sons of Asaph, the singers, over the house of God’, and they were seen as so important that ‘the king’ gave commandment concerning them, and they had a settled provision as every day required.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Asaph: 1Ch 6:39, 1Ch 15:17, 1Ch 25:1, 1Ch 25:2, Neh 7:44, Neh 11:17
Reciprocal: Ezr 7:7 – the Levites