Asaph and the Psalms

Q. Some of the psalms have the word or person Asaph at the beginning. What and/or who is Asaph?

A. Asaph was a prominent Levite singer and seer in David’s court and was the son of Berachiah of the tribe of Levi. (1Chr 6:39, 1Chr 15:17, 1Chr 15:19; 1Chr 16:4-7; 2Chr 29:30). He is the ancestor of the Sons of Asaph, one of the great family guilds of temple musicians.

Asaph is featured prominently in Chronicles. He is described as the chief of the Levites appointed to minister before the ark of the Lord, and he and his brothers are appointed to sing the songs of thanksgiving to the Lord (1Chr 16:4-7). His description as a seer (2Chr 29:30) also suggests a connection with cultic prophecy. Asaph’s descendants formed an important guild of temple singers in the reconstruction following the exile. In Ezra 2:41 and Neh 7:44, the temple singers are simply referred to as the “sons of Asaph.” It is also an Asaphite, Uzzi, who is established as the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem during the temple’s reconstruction (Neh 11:22-24).

The importance of Asaph and his descendants in the cult probably contributes to the preservation of the psalms bearing their name. Twelve psalms (50, 73-83) are introduced with the phrase le’asaf in the superscription. This phrase, most often translated in English “of Asaph,” can indicate authorship: that it was Asaph himself or one of his descendants who wrote these psalms. It can also indicate a group of psalms associated with Asaph and his family, or psalms that are sung in the style associated with Asaph’s guild of musicians. For further discussion of the themes of the collection, see M. J. Buss, “The Psalms of Asaph and Korah,” Journal of Biblical Literature 82 (1963): 382-91.