(5) All these were the sons of Heman.--Literally, Were sons to Heman.

The king's seer in the words of God.--Or, in the things of God, in Divine (that is, liturgical) matters. Heman was a prophet as well as a minstrel. (For the connection between music and prophecy, comp. 1Samuel 10:5-6; 2Kings 3:15; Exodus 15:20.) Comp. also Note on 1Chronicles 25:1, above.

Seer.--Heb., h?zeh. Literally, gazer. The word rendered "seer" in 1Chronicles 26:28 and 1Samuel 9:9 is different (r?'eh). Gad was called "David's seer" (1Chronicles 21:9); so also Jeduthun is "the king's seer" (2Chronicles 35:15).

To lift up the horn.--That is, according to Bertheau, "to blow the horns loudly." With this he connects the preceding phrase, which he renders "by God's commands." (Comp. 2Chronicles 29:15.) But the horn does not appear elsewhere among the instruments of the Temple musicians, and the phrase "to lift up the horn" of a person is a well-known Hebrew metaphor. (Comp. 1Samuel 2:10 : "May he give strength to his king, and lift up the horn of his anointed.") Thus it seems that the meaning is that God gave all these "sons"--i.e., proficient disciples--to Heman in order to strengthen him for his work by providing him with a strong body of able assistants.

And three daughters.--The mention of "three daughters" is interesting, as an indication that women sustained a part in the service of song. (Comp. Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1Samuel 18:6.) The Syriac omits the whole verse.

Verse 5. - For the expression, the king's seer, and as other instances of the office, see 1 Chronicles 21:9; 2 Chronicles 35:15, in neither of which places, however, have we the attendant phrase, in the words of God. Yet we have the same sense strictly implied in 1 Chronicles 21:9, 19. The expression needs not to be generalized into "in the matters of God," but evidently describes the seer (Heman, Gad, or Jeduthun) as the authorized medium of verbal communication between God and the king. There is difficulty in assigning the right place of the clause, to lift up the horn. There can be no doubt at all that it contains no allusion whatever to the horn as an instrument of sound (the almost solitary approach to which use of the word is found in Joshua 6:5), but that it falls in with the very frequent figurative use of the phrase as it occurs in the very same words (Psalm 75:5, 6; Psalm 89:18, 25; Psalm 92:12; Psalm 112:9; 1 Samuel 2:1, 10, etc.), and which means "to add to the strength" or "honour" of any one. The allusion is to the number of Heman's children being a mark of the honour God set on him. The words cannot go with the latter part of the verse, while the conjunction (vav) in וַיִּתֵּן opens it. The possible order may be, All these sons were to Heman, the king's seer, by the words of God, to lift up the horn. The absence of the third personal pronoun suffix to קֶרֶן is noticeable, place the clause where we will The statement of the fourteen sons and three daughters belonging to Heman, in this verse, shows that up to this point the word "sons" is used in its stricter sense, however true it may be that the sense is amplified in vers. 10-31.

25:1-31 The singers and musicians. - David put those in order who were appointed to be singers and musicians in the temple. To prophesy, in this place, means praising God with great earnestness and devout affections, under the influences of the Holy Spirit. In raising these affections, poetry and music were employed. If the Spirit of God do not put life and fervour into our devotions, they will, however ordered, be a lifeless, worthless form.All these were the sons of Heman, the king's seer,.... The prophet of the king, as the Targum, who was frequently with him, assisting him

in the words of God: in divine things:

to lift up the horn; to blow with the hornpipe or trumpet, and to magnify and set forth the greatness of the kingdom of Israel, and especially of the King Messiah, the horn of salvation, that would be raised up in the house of David:

and God gave to Heman fourteen sons; whose names are before mentioned:

and three daughters; of whom we have no more account, only may observe, that both are the gifts of God, and an heritage from him, Psalm 127:3.