David Moves the Ark

David again assembled all the fit young men in Israel:(A) thirty thousand. He and all his troops set out(B) to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.[a] The ark bears the Name, the name of the Lord of Armies who is enthroned between the cherubim.(C) They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,[b] sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart(D) and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. David and the whole house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all kinds of fir wood instruments,[c] lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums,[d] and cymbals.(E)

When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah,(F) and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence,(G) and he died there next to the ark of God. David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah,[e] as it is today. David feared the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 So he was not willing to bring the ark of the Lord to the city of David;(H) instead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in his house three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom(I) and his whole family.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:2 = Kiriath-jearim in 1Sm 7:1; 1Ch 13:6; 2Ch 1:4
  2. 6:3 Or And his brothers
  3. 6:5 DSS, LXX read with tuned instruments with strength, with songs; 1Ch 13:8
  4. 6:5 = an Egyptian percussion instrument
  5. 6:8 Or Perez-uzzah; 2Sm 5:20

Troubles in Mishandling the Ark(A)

After this, David gathered together again 30,000 men from all of the choicest men of Israel. Then David and all the people with him set out from Baal-judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, who is called the Name, the name of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, and who is enthroned on the cherubim. They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s home in Gibeah,[a] with Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio[b] driving the new cart. As they left Abinadab’s house in Gibeah accompanied by the Ark of God, Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. David and the entire assembly[c] of Israel were dancing in the presence of the Lord with all of their strength, accompanied by all sorts of wood instruments,[d] harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

When they arrived at Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark of God because the oxen had stumbled. Just then, the anger of the Lord blazed against Uzzah, and God struck him down right there because of his failure, and he died there beside the Ark of God.

David flew into a rage because the Lord had killed[e] Uzzah. That’s why that place is called Perez-uzzah[f] to this day. But David feared the Lord that day, and asked, “How can the Ark of God come to me?” 10 As a result, David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the City of David. Instead, David left it at the home of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 So the ark of the Lord remained for three months in the household of Obed-edom the Gittite while the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:3 Or was on the hill
  2. 2 Samuel 6:3 Or and his brother
  3. 2 Samuel 6:5 Lit. house
  4. 2 Samuel 6:5 Cf. 1Chr 13:8, where MT letters of the word cypress may be transposed as MT word song
  5. 2 Samuel 6:8 Lit. had burst out against
  6. 2 Samuel 6:8 The Heb. name Perez-uzzah means Overwhelming Uzzah; cf. 2Sam 5:20