1 Chronicles 16
ECF1 Chronicles 16:8
Origen of Alexandria: The sixth song is in 1 Chronicles, where David first established Asaph and his brothers for praising the Lord. The beginning of the song is as follows, “Praise the Lord, give thanks to him, and call on his name; make known his purposes among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works, which the Lord has done,” and so forth. It should, however, be known that the song in 2 Samuel is very much like Psalms 18. Furthermore, the first part of the text in 1 Chronicles, up to the place where it says “and do my prophets no harm,” is like Psalms 105, and the latter part of it, following the verse just mentioned, bears a likeness to the first part of Psalm 96, where it says, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth,” up to the place where it says “for he comes to judge the earth.” — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS, PROLOGUE 4
Origen of Alexandria: In the first book of Chronicles the psalm praising the Lord attributed to Asaph and his brothers, which begins “O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,” is, for the most part, the same as Psalms 104, down to the words “Do my prophets no harm!” After that it is almost identical to Psalms 95 from the beginning, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth!” — LETTER TO JULIUS AFRICANUS 21
1 Chronicles 16:15
Eusebius of Caesarea: As it has been supposed by some that the book of Psalms merely consists of hymns to God and sacred songs and that we shall look in vain in it for predictions and prophecies of the future, let us realize distinctly that it contains many prophecies, far too many to be quoted now, and it must suffice for proof of what Isaiah to make use of two psalms ascribed to Asaph, written in the time of David. For Asaph was one of the temple musicians then, as is stated in the book of Chronicles, and was inspired by the divine Spirit to speak the psalms inscribed with his name. — PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 10.1
1 Chronicles 16:22
Cassiodorus: How splendidly joined to each other are the sections proceeding from the same source to achieve the salvation of the human race. Who would not be amazed that what is said earlier in different psalms is clearly assembled so harmoniously here? Similarly David himself in the Chronicles is filled with the holy Spirit and made the Lord’s praises resound with great expressions of joy by assembling sections of Psalms 95; 104 and 105, so that incense compounded of different aromas could happily rise to the Lord’s presence; for sentiments that are clear, in no sense at odds with each other are united without difficulty.… My judgment is that there is another apt feature in the present instance: the action of the Lord made one church out of the two peoples. — EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS, CONCLUSION
Origen of Alexandria: There was no need that there should everywhere exist many bodies and many spirits like Jesus, in order that the entire humankind might be enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough, having arisen as the “Sun of righteousness,” to send forth from Judea his coming rays into the souls of all who were willing to receive him. But if anyone desires to see many bodies filled with a divine Spirit, similar to the one Christ, ministering to the salvation of people everywhere, let him take note of those who teach the Gospel of Jesus in all lands in soundness of doctrine and uprightness of life and who are themselves termed “christs” by the holy Scriptures in the passage “Do not touch my anointed, and do not harm my prophets.” For as we have heard that Antichrist comes and yet have learned that there are many antichrists in the world, in the same way, knowing that Christ has come, we see that, owing to him, there are many christs in the world, who, like him, have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and therefore God, the God of Christ, anointed them also with the “oil of gladness.” — AGAINST CELSUS 6.79
1 Chronicles 16:23
Augustine of Hippo: “O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.” If all the earth sings a new song, it is thus building while it sings; the very act of singing is building, but only if it sings not the old song. The lust of the flesh sings the old song; the love of God sings the new. Hear why it is a new song: the Lord says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” The whole earth then sings a new song: there the house of God is built. All the earth is the house of God. If all the earth is the house of God, he who clings not to all the earth is a ruin, not a house; that old ruin whose shadow that ancient temple represented. For there what was old was destroyed, that what was new might be built up. — EXPOSITIONS OF THE Psalms 96.2
Justin Martyr: And again, in another prophecy, the Spirit of prophecy, through the same David, intimated that Christ, after He had been crucified, should reign, and spoke as follows: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and day by day declare His salvation. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols of devils; but God made the heavens. Glory and praise are before His face, strength and glorying are in the habitation of His holiness. Give Glory to the Lord, the Father everlasting. Receive grace, and enter His presence, and worship in His holy courts. Let all the earth fear before His face; let it be established, and not shaken. Let them rejoice among the nations. The Lord hath reigned from the tree.”
But when the Spirit of prophecy speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place,-as may be observed even in the passages already cited by me,-that this circumstance may afford no excuse to readers [for misinterpreting them], we will make even this also quite plain. The things which He absolutely knows will take place, He predicts as if already they had taken place. And that the utterances must be thus received, you will perceive, if you give your attention to them. The words cited above, David uttered 1500 years before Christ became a man and was crucified; and no one of those who lived before Him, nor yet of His contemporaries, afforded joy to the Gentiles by being crucified. But our Jesus Christ, being crucified and dead, rose again, and having ascended to heaven, reigned; and by those things which were published in His name among all nations by the apostles, there is joy afforded to those who expect the immortality promised by Him. — The First Apology, Chapters XLI-XLII
1 Chronicles 16:31
Justin Martyr: And again, in another prophecy, the Spirit of prophecy, through the same David, intimated that Christ, after He had been crucified, should reign, and spoke as follows: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and day by day declare His salvation. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols of devils; but God made the heavens. Glory and praise are before His face, strength and glorying are in the habitation of His holiness. Give Glory to the Lord, the Father everlasting. Receive grace, and enter His presence, and worship in His holy courts. Let all the earth fear before His face; let it be established, and not shaken. Let them rejoice among the nations. The Lord has reigned from the tree.”
But when the Spirit of prophecy speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place, — as may be observed even in the passages already cited by me, — that this circumstance may afford no excuse to readers [for misinterpreting them], we will make even this also quite plain. The things which He absolutely knows will take place, He predicts as if already they had taken place. And that the utterances must be thus received, you will perceive, if you give your attention to them. The words cited above, David uttered 1500 years before Christ became a man and was crucified; and no one of those who lived before Him, nor yet of His contemporaries, afforded joy to the Gentiles by being crucified. But our Jesus Christ, being crucified and dead, rose again, and having ascended to heaven, reigned; and by those things which were published in His name among all nations by the apostles, there is joy afforded to those who expect the immortality promised by Him. — The First Apology, Chapters XLI-XLII
1 Chronicles 16:41
Basil of Caesarea: We know two psalms with the title “For Idithun,” the sixty-first and the thirty-eighth. We think that the composition of the work is owed to David; that was given to Idithun for his use that he might correct the passions of his soul and also as a choral song to be sung in the presence of the people. Through it, also, God was glorified, and those who heard it amended their habits. Now, Idithun was a singer in the temple, as the history of the Paralipomenon testifies to us, saying, “And after them Heman and Idithun sounded the trumpets and played on the cymbals and all kinds of musical instruments to sing praises to God.” And a little later it says, “Moreover David the king and the chief officers of the army separated for the ministry the sons of Asaph, and of Heman and of Idithun: to prophesy with harps, and with psalteries and with tympana.” — HOMILIES ON THE Psalms 21:1 (Psalms 61)