Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Chronicles 15:16

"And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy." — 1 Chronicles 15:16 (ASV)

David spoke to the chief. — Ordered the chiefs (sârîm).

To appoint their brothers to be the singers. — To station or assign places to their clansmen, the minstrels.

Psalteries and harps. — Harps and lutes, or guitars (nĕbâlîm and kinnôrôth).

Sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy. — Grammatically, the participle sounding (Hebrew, causing to hear—that is, making a loud noise) might refer to the musicians, to all the instruments mentioned, or only to the last kind (the cymbals).

The third reference (to the cymbals) is best, because of the special meaning of the verb. (Compare 1 Chronicles 15:19 and Psalms 150:5: loud cymbals, that is, cymbals of sound or hearing.)

Translate: harps and lutes and clashing cymbals, in order to swell the sound for gladness: that is, to express and enhance the rejoicing. (Compare 2 Chronicles 5:13.)