And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen. — Samuel reads, “And David was dancing before Jehovah with all might” (Heb.). The Hebrew of our text may be a corruption or intentional alteration of this. The word for “clothed” is the Aramaic (Daniel 3:21, mĕkurbâl), which might easily be, by inadvertence or design, substituted for the rare word mĕkarkçr (Sam.), “dancing.”
A robe of fine linen. — Heb., a me’il of byssus. The me’il was an upper garment worn by persons of rank (2 Samuel 12:18; 1 Samuel 15:27; Job 29:14).
And all the Levites... and the singers, and Chenaniah. — Scil., were clothed with a me‘îl of byssus.
The master of the song. — Rather, the chief (overseer) of the bearing. (Comp. 1 Chronicles 15:22.)
With the singers. — Omit, as an accidental repetition. The word “with” is wanting in the Hebrew, which is ungrammatical as it stands. The entire clause, “and all the Levites... with the singers,” is not read in the parallel account.
David also had upon him an ephod of linen. — Literally, and upon David (was) an ephod of linen. (See 2 Samuel 6:14.) The ephod, a sort of cope, was distinctive of the priests (1 Samuel 22:18).