Bible Dictionaries
Asaph

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ay' ssaf) Personal name meaning, “he collected.” 1. Father of court official under King Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.), who in sadness reported the threats of Assyria to the king (2 Kings 18:1 ). 2 . Levite musician David appointed to serve in the tabernacle until the Temple was completed (1 Chronicles 6:39 ). Asaph was the father of the clan of Temple musicians who served through the history of the Temple. A member of the clan was among the first to return from Exile in 537 B.C. (1 Chronicles 9:15 ). Part of the musical responsibility included sounding the cymbal (1 Chronicles 15:19 ). David established the tradition of delivering psalms to Asaph for the Temple singers to sing (1 Chronicles 16:7 ). Asaph and the singers ministered daily (1 Chronicles 16:37 ). Their musical service could be called “prophesying” (1 Chronicles 25:1-7 ). Descendants of Asaph delivered prophetic messages under God's Spirit (2 Chronicles 20:14-19 ). Later generations sang the songs of Asaph “the seer” (2 Chronicles 29:30 ). Psalm 50:1 , Psalm 73-83 are titled “Psalms of Asaph” or similar titles. This may refer to authorship, the singers who used the Psalms in worship, or to a special collection of Psalms. See Psalm 73-83 .