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David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

David again assembled[a] all the best[b] men in Israel, 30,000 in number. David and all the men who were with him traveled[c] to[d] Baalah[e] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name[f] of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. They brought[g] it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, while David and all Israel[h] were energetically celebrating before the Lord, singing[i] and playing various stringed instruments,[j] tambourines, rattles,[k] and cymbals.

When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon,[l] Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of[m] the ark of God,[n] because the oxen stumbled. The Lord was so furious with Uzzah,[o] he[p] killed him on the spot[q] for his negligence.[r] He died right there beside the ark of God.

David was angry because the Lord attacked[s] Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah,[t] which remains its name to this very day. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.[u]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 6:1 tn The translation understands the verb to be a defective spelling of וַיֶּאֱסֹף (vayyeʾesof) due to quiescence of the letter א (alef). The root therefore is אָסַף (ʾasaf, “to gather”). The Masoretes, however, pointed the verb as וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef), understanding it to be a form of יָסַף (yasaf, “to add”). This does not fit the context, which calls for a verb of gathering.
  2. 2 Samuel 6:1 tn Or “chosen.”
  3. 2 Samuel 6:2 tn Heb “arose and went.”
  4. 2 Samuel 6:2 tn Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.
  5. 2 Samuel 6:2 tn This is another name for Kiriath Jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).
  6. 2 Samuel 6:2 tc The MT has here a double reference to the name (שֵׁם שֵׁם, shem shem). Many medieval Hebrew mss in the first occurrence point the word differently and read the adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”). This is also the understanding of the Syriac Peshitta (Syr., taman). While this yields an acceptable understanding to the text, it is more likely that the MT reading results from dittography. If the word did occur twice, one might have expected the first occurrence to have the article. The present translation therefore reads שֵׁם only once.
  7. 2 Samuel 6:4 tn Heb “lifted.”
  8. 2 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “all the house of Israel.”
  9. 2 Samuel 6:5 tc Heb “were celebrating before the Lord with all woods of fir” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). If the text is retained, the last expression must be elliptical, referring to musical instruments made from fir wood. But it is preferable to emend the text in light of 1 Chr 13:8, which reads “were celebrating before the Lord with all strength and with songs.”
  10. 2 Samuel 6:5 tn Heb “with zithers [?] and with harps.”
  11. 2 Samuel 6:5 tn That is, “sistrums” (so NAB, NIV); ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT “castanets.”
  12. 2 Samuel 6:6 tn 1 Chr 13:9 has “Kidon.”
  13. 2 Samuel 6:6 tn Or “steadied.”
  14. 2 Samuel 6:6 tn Heb “and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it.”
  15. 2 Samuel 6:7 tn Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah.”
  16. 2 Samuel 6:7 tn Heb “God.”
  17. 2 Samuel 6:7 tc Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.
  18. 2 Samuel 6:7 tc The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the LXX.
  19. 2 Samuel 6:8 tn Heb “because the Lord broke out [with] a breaking out [i.e., an outburst] against Uzzah.”
  20. 2 Samuel 6:8 sn The name Perez Uzzah means in Hebrew “the outburst [against] Uzzah.”
  21. 2 Samuel 6:11 tn Heb “house,” both here and in v. 12.

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