enabling and urging the subject of it to utter psalms, hymns, important moral precepts or matters, civil, sacred, and divine. This occurred while the seer was awake. The inspiration or sacred impulse was of a calm and gentle nature, and not violent and furious as among the heathen. Such was the inspiration of Zacharias and Elizabeth (Luke i. 41, 42, 67-79), who are said to have "been filled with the Holy Ghost," and to have made some sublime predictions. The hymns uttered by inspired persons and preserved in our sacred volume, may be classed under various kinds of verse, one of which is lyric poetry, or that which is designed to be accompanied with music, vocal or instrumental, or both. Such, for instance, is the ode of Moses, uttered after the children of Israel had miraculously passed through the waters of the Red Sea (Ex. xv), and a prophetic ode of the same writer recorded in Deut. xxxii, which we have already considered (vid. Rem. on Ex. xv. 1, and Deut. xxxii. 44, supra). The prophets, and especially David, often uttered divine songs and played upon instruments of music while under the influence of inspiration. In the passage before us, we are informed that the king appointed persons for the temple service, to prophesy with instruments of music, indicating, it would seem, that it was common for those who prophesied to have musical accompaniments, or even to perform sometimes themselves on harps and other musical instruments.

Instructed in the songs of the Lord (v. 7).-It appears that great attention was paid to instruction in sacred songs, as vocal and instrumental music constituted an important part of religious worship. In I Chron. xxv. 7, we are informed that two hundred and eighty-eight who had thus been instructed were employed in the temple service.

II CHRONICLES v. 12, 13.

12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with

their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets: 13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord.

These passages refer to the august ceremony of moving the ark of the covenant from the place where it had been deposited in the "city of David" to the temple of Solomon. Three months before, it had been carried from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem, and placed in the tabernacle erected by David for that purpose. Then, as the temple had been completed by Solomon, and the sacred utensils and furniture, prepared by his father, David, had been arranged in their proper places, the king assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes and chief men of the nation to bring up the ark and deposit it within the inner veil in the Holy of Holies. The Levites, bearing this treasure, moved forward amid the smoking sacrifices of sheep and oxen which could not be told or numbered for multitude." After it had been deposited in the most holy place, and the priests had come out probably into the sanctuary where the altar of incense stood, the Levites, being array ed in white linen, and standing at the east end of the altar with various instruments of music, mingled their harmonious notes with the blast of a hundred and twenty trumpets in the hands of priests. As their songs of joy and praise

reverberated with solemnity and grandeur through the sacred edifice, and as the vocal choir raised their exalted strains in adoration of the great Creator, exclaiming: "For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever," the glory of God came down and a cloud filled the temple, so that the priests could not stand to minister. It is probable that the priests then came out of the sanctuary into the inner court of the temple, called the court of the priests, which encircled the altar of burnt offering. In this court we suppose Solomon stood, upon the brazen scaffold which he had erected, to offer his prayer in dedicating the temple. He was where he could see all of the people, and yet near the altar. He blessed them, and, kneeling down before all the congregation, spread out his hands towards heaven and uttered fervent supplications to God. As soon as he had ceased, fire from heaven descended and consumed the sacrificial victims upon the altar of burnt offering. The glory of God so filled the house that the priests could not again enter. When the multitudes, standing in the court of the Israelites, beheld the divine glory, they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshipped God, saying, "For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever." Then the king and the people offered an immense number of sacrifices to the Lord, continuing the ceremonies seven days in succession.

II CHRONICLES vii. 6.

And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of music of the Lord, which David the king had made to praise the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.

This passage refers to the closing ceremonies at the dedication of Solomon's temple. The performances of the Levites

on instruments of music, constituted an important part of those imposing ceremonies.

Instruments.—The general term (kley shir) for musical instruments, is here employed (vid. Rem. on I Chron. xvi. 5-36 supra). As complete a choir as could be raised, with a full band of instruments, undoubtedly performed on that

occasion.

Trumpets. These were the hhtsots rim() or silver trumpets, used by the priests only on important occasions (vid. Rem. on Num. x. 2, supra).

And all Israel stood.-None excepting the kings of the house of David were allowed, however weary they might be, to sit down in either the priests' or Israelites' court. During the solemn ceremonies of the dedication, the people stood in the courts and joined in the hymns of adoration which ascended as a sweet savor before the Lord.

II CHRONICLES ix. 11.

And the king made of the algum-trees terraces to the house of the Lord, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.

Harps and Psalteries.-These were the kinnōrs (15) and nebhels (37). The Septuagint uses cithara, to denote the former (vid. Rem. on Gen. iv. 21; II Sam. x. 5).

For singers.—It seems that the instruments were made for singers, indicating that those who sung, at the same time often performed on instruments. That practice was common from the earliest times. Poets sung their own productions, and sometimes also played an accompaniment at the same time, on some instrument of music.

And there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.This expression indicates an improvement in the construction. of musical instruments. The king had now made them superior to any which had been seen in the land. The improvements probably related more to ornaments than to the tone and capacity of the instruments.

II CHRONICLES xiii. 12-15.

12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. 13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

There is reference in these passages to a battle which occurred between Abijah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel. The latter had been rebellious, made images and worshipped them, forsaking the God of his fathers. He had raised an army of 800,000 men, and marched against one of 400,000 under Abijah, who warned Jeroboam not to contend against the Lord, as he would not prosper in so doing. He informed Jeroboam that God was with Judah, and had directed her captain and the priests of the Lord, to sound, with trumpets, the alarm