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Let us take the covenant chest of our God from its exile in Kiriath-jearim and return it to our presence, making it our focus, since we did not keep it with us during Saul’s reign.

Having been established as the king over Israel, David’s first act is to ensure proper religious practice for his nation. He decides to make Jerusalem the center of both political and religious power in Israel by moving the chest containing Moses’ covenant there. Since God dwells wherever it is, moving the covenant chest to Jerusalem should move God’s presence to Jerusalem. As long as it remains in Jerusalem, Jerusalem is more than just the average national capital—it is God’s holy city. If anyone chooses to wage war against David and his city, then that person fights God.

Everyone agreed with David that this was right: the chest of the covenant should be among the people. So David assembled Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath in Aram, to take the covenant chest of God from Kiriath-jearim.

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Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,(A) for we did not inquire(B) of[a] it[b] during the reign of Saul.” The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

So David assembled all Israel,(C) from the Shihor River(D) in Egypt to Lebo Hamath,(E) to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 13:3 Or we neglected
  2. 1 Chronicles 13:3 Or him