ASAF (Hebr. “gatherer”). — Head of one of the three groups of Temple singers and a sacred poet in the time of David.
According to the genealogy in I Par. 6, 39-43, he was a Levite of the line of Gershon (v.). He first appears subordinate to the “brother” (relative) Heman the singer (I Par. 6, 39; 15, 19, order of the names: Heman, A., Ethan). Later A. was the leader and preceded Heman and Jeduthun (ibid. 6, 5; 25, 1). He was the chief of the musicians who, divided into three categories, were directly subordinate to David (ibid. 25, 5-6). The particular instrument assigned to A. and his group was the cymbal (mēṣiltajjīm, ibid. 15, 19; 16, 5; cf. 25, 1). The descendants of A. are remembered as the continuers of their father’s work (II Par. 20, 14; 29, 13; 35, 15; Esd. 2, 45 among those returning from exile; 3, 10; Neh. 7, 45; 11, 17, 22).
Besides being a musical performer of David’s psalms (I Par. 16, 7), A. was also an inspired composer: under Ezechias the Levites praised the Lord “with the words of David and of the seer A.” (II Par. 29, 30). His name appears psalms (v.) of a didactic and meditative character (Ps. 49 [50], followed by the homogeneous collection 72 [73]–82 [83]). But the subject matter of some of the “psalms of A.” betrays a later origin: 73 (74) and 78 (79) refer to the destruction of Jerusalem (587); 75 (76) suits the deliverance from the siege of Sennacherib (Is. 37, 36 ff.); 79 (80) reveals a supreme national tribulation; 82 (83) seems to allude to the coalition of Moab and Ammon against Josaphat, king of Judah (II Par. 20, 1). Perhaps these compositions belong to some descendant of A., who inherited his poetic genius along with his profession (cf. Neh. 11, 17, 22).
Three other persons named A. occur in the Old Testament: the father of Joab, the annalist of the court of Ezechias (II Reg. 18, 18, 37; Is. 36, 3, 22); a Levite who was head of the singers under Nehemias (Neh. 11, 17); and the chief keeper of the royal forests of Artaserse (ibid. 2, 8).