1 Chronicles 16:5 (ASV)

Passage

Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud;

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins.

1 Chronicles 16:4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Jehovah, the God of Israel:

1 Chronicles 16:5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud;

1 Chronicles 16:6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

1 Chronicles 16:7 Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto Jehovah, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asaph", "chief", "second", "zechariah", "jeiel", "shemiramoth", "jehiel", and "mattithiah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asaph" and "chief", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And he appointed certain of the Levites..." into verse 6's "and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with...", so "asaph" and "chief" belong inside that flow. In 1 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "asaph" and "chief" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.