Reference: Asaph
Hastings
1. The father of Joah, the 'recorder' or chronicler at the court of Hezekiah (2Ki 18:18,37 etc.). 2. The 'keeper of the king's forest,' to whom king Artaxerxes addressed a letter directing him to supply Nehemiah with timber (Ne 2:8). 3. A Korahite (1Ch 26:1), same as Abiasaph (wh. see). 4. The eponym of one of the three guilds which conducted the musical services of the Temple in the time of the Chronicler (1Ch 15:16 f., etc.). The latter traces this arrangement to the appointment of David, in whose reign Asaph, who is called 'the seer' (2Ch 29:30), is supposed to have lived. At first the Asaphites alone seemed to have formed the Temple choir, and in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (wherever we have the memoirs of the latter in their original form) they are not yet reckoned among the Levites. At a later period they share the musical service with the 'sons of Korah' (see Korahites). Ps 50; 73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 80; 81; 82; 83 have the superscription le-Asaph, which means in all probability that they once belonged to the hymn-book of the Asaphite choir (see Psalms).