(27) And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen.--Samuel reads, "And David was dancing before Jehovah with all might" (Heb.). The Hebrew of our text may be a corruption or intentional alteration of this. The word for "clothed" is the Aramaic (Daniel 3:21, m?kurb?l), which might easily be, by inadvertence or design, substituted for the rare word m?kark?r (Sam.), "dancing."

A robe of fine linen.--Heb., a me'il of byssus. The me'il was an upper garment worn by persons of rank (2Samuel 12:18; 1Samuel 15:27; Job 29:14).

And all the Levites . . . and the singers, and Chenaniah.--Scil., were clothed with a me'il of byssus.

The master of the song.--Rather, the chief (overseer) of the bearing. (Comp. 1Chronicles 15:22.)

With the singers.--Omit, as an accidental repetition. The word "with" is wanting in the Hebrew, which is ungrammatical as it stands. The entire clause, "and all the Levites . . . with the singers," is not read in the parallel account.

David also had upon him an ephod of linen.--Literally, and upon David (was) an ephod of linen. (See 2Samuel 6:14.) The ephod, a sort of cope, was distinctive of the priests (1Samuel 22:18).

Verse 27. - Several things in this verse indicate a somewhat uncertain and unsteady selection of particulars by the compiler from his original sources. The natural reading of the verse would seem to say that David and all those Levites who bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, all wore the robe of byssus, while David had, in addition, the ephod of linen. Yet it is unlikely that all did wear the robe. Again, the Hebrew text exhibits no preposition before the singers, on the second occasion of the occurrence of the expression in this verse. Yet little sense can be found without a preposition. The robe was not distinctively a priest's garment (1 Samuel 18:4; 1 Samuel 24:5, 12; 2 Samuel 13:18; Job 1:20; Job 2:12), though priests did wear it. The robe of byssus is spoken of only here; 2 Chronicles 5:12; and Esther 8:15. Byssus, however, is spoken of as material for other purposes in 1 Chronicles 4:21; 2 Chronicles 2:14; 2 Chronicles 3:14; Esther 1:6; Ezekiel 27:16. The ephod, on the other hand, was no doubt distinctively a high priest's garment (Exodus 28:4-12), though we read of Samuel wearing one (1 Samuel 2:18, 28), and of David doing the same, as on this occasion. The fine linen (בּוצ), in the first clause of this verse, is not the same with that (בָּך) in the last clause. The first clause of this verse (which makes the last clause somewhat redundant) bears some resemblance in letters to the 2 Samuel 6:14 fourteenth verse of 2 Samuel 6. first clause, which means, "and David danced with all his might," and the two clauses exactly answer to one another in position - another suggestion of an uncertain text here.

15:25-29 It is good to notice the assistance of Divine Providence, even in things which fall within the compass of our natural powers; if God did not help us, we could not stir a step. If we do our religious duties in any degree aright, we must own it was God that helped us; had we been left to ourselves, we should have been guilty of some fatal errors. And every thing in which we engage, must be done in dependence on the mercy of God through the sacrifice of the Redeemer.And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen,.... For though a king, he, being among the singers, was clothed as they; for so it follows:

and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song; or of those that bore the burden, the ark, as the Targum:

with the singers; all were clothed in robes of fine linen:

David also had upon him an ephod of linen; which he had besides his linen robe, and was over it; and being a shorter and tighter garment, it bound the other closer to him; though some think this is explanative of the former, and designs the same, and is what others, besides priests, were, on occasion, allowed to wear, see 1 Samuel 2:18.