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2Samuel 6:1–23 |
David Moves the Ark to Jerusalem |
vv. 1–8 David Moves the Ark of God, Part I
vv. 9–11 The Ark is Temporarily Stored Again
vv. 12–19 David Moves the Ark of God into Jerusalem, Part II
vv. 20–23 David’s Wife, Michal, in Anger Confronts David after the Ark has been Moved
Charts, Maps and Short Doctrines:
Introduction A Modification of Matthew Henry’s Outline of 2Samuel 6
Introduction 2Samuel 6 in Parallel with 1Chronicles 13, 15, 16
v. 1 Introduction to 2Samuel 6:2
v. 2 Scripture Related to Baale-Judah and Kiriath-Jearim
v. 2 Where and What is Baale-Judah?
v. 2 2Samuel 6:1–2: Two Translations
v. 2 Summary of the Ark of God
v. 2 Recent History of the Ark and the Tabernacle of God
v. 2 Why Didn’t Samuel Restore Tabernacle Worship?
v. 2 From God’s Point of View: Why the Ark and Tabernacle Fell into Disuse
v. 2 Why Are there Cherubim Sitting Upon the Ark of God?
v. 2 David Begins to Move the Ark: 2Sam. 6:1–2 and Its Parallel Passage in Chronicles
v. 4 Alternative Readings of 2Sam. 6:3–4
v. 5 Pictures of Sistrums
v. 6 Nacon or Chidon?
v. 6 Theories as to What Happened with the Oxen and the Ark
v. 7 Keil and Delitzsch Explain what David Did that was Wrong
v. 7 The Veneration of Religious Relics
v. 7 Why Did God Allow the Ark to be Removed from the Holy of Holies?
v. 9 Failure of the Commentators
v. 10 Various Interpretations of 2Sam. 6:10a
v. 11 Problems Moving the Ark: 2Sam. 6:3–11 and Its Parallel Passage in Chronicles
v. 13 Different Takes on Sacrificing Animals every Six Steps
v. 16 Just What Did David Do to Upset Michal?
v. 16 Second Transport of the Ark: 2Sam. 6:12–16 and 1Chron. 15
v. 17 Why Didn’t David also Set up the Tabernacle of God in Jerusalem?
v. 17 Why Will Solomon and not David Build the Temple of God?
v. 19 A Summary of the Symbols in the Narrative
v. 19 The Celebration: 2Sam. 6:17–20a and 1Chronicles 16:1–3, 43
v. 22 Several Translations of what David said to Michal
v. 22 Several Interpretations of what David said to Michal
v. 23 Theories as to Why Michal Dies Childless
Addendum Some Interpretations are Completely Wrong
Addendum The 1Chronicle Chapters which Parallel 1Samuel 6
Addendum A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 6
Scriptural Excursions |
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Doctrines Covered |
Doctrines Alluded To |
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Psalms Alluded To |
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Psalms Appropriately Exegeted at the end of this Chapter |
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I ntroduction: 2Sam. 6 is the chapter where David brings the Ark of God to Jerusalem (which is, herein, called the City of David). At the first, there is a misstep, and Uzzah, one of the men who brought the Ark, tried to steady the Ark, and God kills him on the spot. David is upset, but also, he did not want to see anyone else die, so the Ark is kept for a few months in the home of Obed-edom. When David finds that Obed-edom is blessed for keeping the Ark, then David tries again to bring the Ark into Jerusalem, which is done with burnt offerings and dancing. In fact, David dances naked in public before the Ark, and his wife Michal, hates him for these actions, and, as a result, has no children by David.
David begins by gathering 30,000 of the chosen men of Israel (v. 1) and then going to, as the text says, Baale-judah, in order to bring the Ark of God out (v. 2). First, we see Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, lead the Ark out from the house of Abinadab (vv. 4–5), and then we go to the celebration that David and the men of Israel are enjoying (v. 6—which may be occurring near the Ark or back in Jerusalem). While the Ark is being moved, it appears that it might topple out of the cart, and Uzzah reaches out to steady it, and God kills him for his impertinence (vv. 6–7). David is both angry and afraid, and the Ark is taken to the house of Obed-edom instead of into Jerusalem (vv. 8–10). When David finds out the Obed-edom’s house is blessed for having the Ark, he makes another attempt to move it, this time with great care and many sacrifices (vv. 12–15). David is running about the Ark while this is going on, and it is unclear whether he is dancing or being careful that nothing is in the way of the wagon, and he apparently is wearing very little, which upsets his wife, Michal, greatly (vv. 14, 16). The Ark is taken to the tent which David had prepared for it (v. 17a) and David continues to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings, and blesses the people of Israel (vv. 17b–18). David distributes food to each person there (v. 19) and then returns home to find Michal waiting, who is filled with anger, and she unloads on him (vv. 20–22). Her anger is so great, and this fight so significant, that she has no children by David (v. 23).
Gordon writes a good introduction to this chapter, although a portion of this is speculation (but
reasonable speculation): Now that the kingdom is united and the Philistines have been expelled from
the land, the time has come for it to be conveyed to a more worthy resting-place in David’s capital city.
It was, moreover, a politically astute move on David’s part, since the presence of the ark in Jerusalem
would help to ensure thta tribal loyalties, despite their centrifugal tendencies, focused on the capital
and the ruling house.
There are a number of things which we learn in this chapter. The most important is, man, in his fallen state, cannot have direct contact with God. When Uzzah, Abinadab’s son, reaches out to steady the Ark, he will have, in a sense, direct contact with God. The Ark, according to the Law, was not to be touched, and touching it results in the death of this young man, even though he was probably a moral, religious man.
The second thing which we learn in this chapter is about marriage and anger. Although the wisdom of the day is, if you have a strong emotion, you just let it out, otherwise it will just fester up inside of you and, I suppose, do all kinds of bad things to your psyche. Michel has some anger and she needed to let it stay inside. When she unloads on David over his behavior around the Ark, she, in effect, ends their marriage. They will remain married, but, apparently, it will be a loveless marriage. Application: it is not necessary for you to inform your opposite number of each and every emotion that you feel. In many cases, you ought to simply ignore and forget a lot of your emotional reactions.
I like including the outline as presented by another theologian, as long as it varies somewhat from mine. Although Matthew Henry’s outline, from a glance, looked like it would fill the bill, the way he separated topics and sub-topics made little sense, so I fixed and expanded his outline. |
I. David makes an attempt to move the Ark, which failed and miscarried. 1. The design was well laid (2Sam. 6:1–2). 2. They were guilty of an error in carrying it in a cart (2Sam. 6:3–5). |
II. This attempt to move the Ark fails. 1. They were punished for that error by the sudden death of Uzzah (2Sam. 6:6–7). 2. This death was a great terror to David (2Sam. 6:8–9). 3.. His death put a stop to his proceedings (2Sam. 6:10–11). |
III. The great joy and satisfaction with which it was at last done 1. There was great joy and happiness at moving the Ark successfully (2Sam. 6:12–15). 2. There was a good understanding between David and his people (2Sam. 6:17–19). 3. There was an uneasiness between David and his wife upon that occasion (2Sam. 6:16, 20–23). |
Taken from Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; from e-Sword, 2Sam. 6 introduction. |
In 2Sam. 5, we found parallel passages in 1Chronicles which were almost identical. 2Sam. 6 also has parallel passages in 1Chronicles, but they are, most of the time, much different than those found here. |
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Because 2Sam. 6 parallels, more or less, 1Chron. 13, 15–16, it might be better to see this broken down into specific verses and incidents. Since there are 29 verses in 2Sam. 6 and 86 in those 3 chapters of 1Chronicles, the account in Chronicles is going to contain additional information and incidents. Therefore, I will compare them below. |
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2Samuel |
1Chronicles |
Summary |
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13:1–4 |
David consults with his lead generals about bringing the Ark into Jerusalem. |
13:5–7 |
Provisions are made and the transportation of the Ark begins. |
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13:8 |
David and all Israel are celebrating the moving of the Ark |
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13:9–11 |
The Ark appears to be off-balance, Uzza reaches out to steady it, and he is killed by God for his impertinence. |
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13:12–14 |
David is afraid because of Uzza’s death, and the Ark is stored for 3 months with the family of Obed-edom. Obed-edom and his family are greatly blessed because of this. |
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15:1 |
David builds houses for himself and pitches a tent for the Ark of God. |
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15:2–24 |
David determines that Levites should be the ones to transport the Ark of God, and the Levites are gathered and prepared for this venture. |
15:25–28 |
David and the Levites bring the Ark up to Jerusalem with sacrifices and celebration. |
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15:29 |
Michel, David’s wife, observes this procession, and despises David in her heart because of his behavior. |
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16:1–2 |
The Ark arrives in Jerusalem, and is placed in the tent that David had prepared for it. There are great celebrations which follow. |
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16:4–7 |
The celebration of the Levites who are involved in this. |
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16:8–36 |
A psalm of thanksgiving offered when the Ark is placed in the Tent and during the celebrations which follow. |
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16:37–42 |
Those who are principally involved in this celebration are named. |
16:3, 43 |
David distributes food to all who attend and they return home. |
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There is hell to pay when David returns to his home; Michel is waiting and is very critical of his behavior. As a result, they apparently never have sex again, as they have no children throughout their marriage. Note that this is the only portion of the narrative which is not covered in 1Chronicles. |
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You will notice that Chronicles tends to deal primarily with things which have spiritual impact; Samuel deals more with the events and adds the human interest aspect of Michel, her anger, and the results. |
Unlike the previous chapter, where we found almost a word-for-word parallel account in 1Chronicles, here, it is just not quite the same. Even the parallel verses, from time to time, will be very different. I think that the best approach, from time to time, will be to compare a passage in 2Sam. 6 with its exactly parallel passage as we exegete this chapter. |
Keil and Delitzsch make some interesting comments about this chapter as a whole: After David had
selected the citadel of Zion, or rather Jerusalem, as the capital of the kingdom, he directed his
attention to the organization and improvement of the legally established worship of the congregation,
which had fallen grievously into decay since the death of Eli, in consequence of the separation of the
ark from the tabernacle. He therefore resolved first of all to fetch out the ark of the covenant, as the
true centre of the Mosaic sanctuary, from its obscurity and bring it up to Zion; and having deposited
it in a tent previously prepared to receive it, to make this a place of worship where the regular worship
of God might be carried on in accordance with the instructions of the law. That he should make the
capital of his kingdom the central point of the worship of the whole congregation of Israel, followed so
naturally from the nature of the kingdom of God, and the relation in which David stood, as the earthly
monarch of that kingdom, towards Jehovah the God-king, that there is no necessity whatever to seek
for even a partial explanation in the fact that David felt it desirable to have the high priest with the Urim
and Thummim always close at hand.
David Moves the Ark of God, Part I
1Chronicles 13:1–11
And so adds again David all chosen in Israel—thirty-thousand. |
2Samuel |
Again, David [gathered] all the chosen [men] of Israel—30,000. |
David again gathered the chosen men of Israel—30,000 men. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so adds again David all chosen in Israel—thirty-thousand.
Septuagint And David again gathered all the young men of Israel, about seventy thousand.
Significant differences: The Greek adds the verb to gather, which seems to be reasonable. There is also a difference in the number of those that David gathers. The Latin and Syriac are in agreement with the Hebrew, which is common.
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV David brought together thirty thousand of Israel's best soldiers and...
The Message David mustered the pick of the troops of Israel--thirty divisions of them.
NLT Then David mobilized thirty thousand special troops.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David again assembled all the best soldiers in Israel, 30,000 men.
HCSB David again assembled all the choice men in Israel, 30,000.
JPS (Tanakh) David again assembled all the picked men of Israel, thirty thousand strong.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
WEB David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
Young's Updated LT And David gathered again every chosen one in Israel, thirty thousand.
What is the gist of this verse? David gathers together 30,000 men in Israel, who are called his chosen men in this verse.
2Samuel 6:1 |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
yâçaph (ף ַס ָי) [pronounced yaw-SAHPH] |
to add, to augment, to continue to do a thing |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #3254 BDB #414 |
׳ôwd (דע) [pronounced ģohd] |
still, yet, again, besides, in addition to, even yet |
adverb |
Strong’s #5750 BDB #728 |
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
kôl (לֹ) [pronounced kohl] |
every, each, all of, all; any of, any |
masculine singular construct not followed by a definite article |
Strong’s #3605 BDB #481 |
bâchar (ר ַח ָ) [pronounced baw-KHAHR] |
to choose; Gesenius also lists to prove, to try, to examine, to approve, to choose, to select; to love, to delight in [something], to desire |
Qal passive participle |
Strong's #977 BDB #103 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
No Strong’s # BDB #88 |
Yiserâêl (לֵאָר ׃̣י) [pronounced yis-raw-ALE] |
transliterated Israel |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #3478 BDB #975 |
shelôshîym (םי.שֹלש) [pronounced shelow-SHEEM] |
thirty |
plural numeral |
Strong’s #7970 BDB #1026 |
eleph (ף ∵ל ∵א) pronounced EH-lef] |
thousand, family, (500?); military unit |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #505 (and #504) BDB #48 |
The Septuagint has 70,000; the Hebrew, Latin and Syriac all have 30,000.
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Translation: Again, David [gathered] all the chosen [men] of Israel—30,000. David gathered men in the previous chapter to fight against the Philistines. This was the ancient equivalent to the draft today. David has a purpose, and that is to bring the Ark of God into Jerusalem, taking it out of disuse. The use of the word again simply indicates that David has gathered large groups of men previous to this (2Sam. 5:1–3, 17–25 1Chron. 12:23–40). It appears as though the gathering of these men was the advice of the leaders in Israel (the parallel passage, 1Chron. 13:1 reads: And David consulted the chiefs of the thousands and of the hundreds, to every leader).
Some people may say that this was David merely consolidating his power;
and particularly from human viewpoint,
it may seem that way. Human viewpoint might think, okay, let’s see how many we can get together for a religious
thing; we’ve already gathered people for battle (2Sam. 5:17–25) and we’ve gathered a large group of Israelites
to David’s coronation (2Sam. 5:1–3); so now let’s see if we can flush out the religious types to support him as well.
However, I don’t think that David was thinking of any such thing; the greatest religious artifact in the history of
Israel (actually, in the history of mankind) is the Ark of God. David is well-aware of this Ark, and correctly
understands that bringing it to Jerusalem is a great event in the history of Israel. Therefore, he is going to call
together all Israel to celebrate this historic event with him. Let me be more specific: David is actually calling
together a relatively small group to celebrate this event, as I assume that hundreds of thousands might have
attended had David so asked.
Let me give you an example: at this point in time, the US Navy has decided to move some of its ships from a very inhospitable, anti-military San Francisco, to San Diego. Therefore, we can expect, when the ships roll into San Diego, that there is going to be some sort of celebration; that is exactly what we have here, except that it is a more significant event.
The parallel passage in 1Chronicles is not much of a parallel; in 1Chron. 13:1–3, we have David consulting with the captains of thousands and of hundreds in order to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. I will wait until the completion of v. 2 before putting the passages side-by-side, but our verse 1 here is merely a summary of the preparations. However it is important to recognize that, David, prior to making this or that important decision, often consulted the Ephod of God; he would go to the High Priest and ask pointed questions about what he should do. Here, David speaks with the assembly of men which he had gathered, and they willingly agree to go with him to move the Ark (1Chron. 13:4). You cannot ignore God’s truth and you cannot substitute human wisdom or human consensus for God’s revealed Word, which is what David is doing.
As is my approach, I examine and discuss each verse in as much detail as I believe the verse warrants, and then I refer to several very good commentators to see if I left anything out. After seeing what others have said, you need to know that in this verse alone, you are going to get more information and doctrine than most exegetes pack into an entire chapter. There is a great deal of significance to the Ark and Tabernacle not being used at this time; there is a great deal of significance to David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem; and to the fact that God has David’s son—not David—build a permanent home for the Ark. If you are the average reader, than I can guarantee you that you have no idea how meaningful these events are; they are not simply random, historical events, but carefully guided and integrated into the plan of God. |
Before we get into this verse, you need to know that, what David does here and what Solomon his son does, is a matter of their freewill choices. God may have guided them, and God knew from eternity past what they were going to do, but the choice to do what they did is a matter of their free will. God’s plan is perfect, and, throughout the Bible, when you are properly guided through the Bible, we get glimpses of just how perfect His plan is. God’s plan includes the free will decisions of believers in fellowship, believers out of fellowship, and unbelievers. All of these are factors in His plan. |
If you raise up a family, you make plans for that family as time goes on. You take into consideration the personality and character of each child, and you, as a responsible parent, try to determine the best course of action for that child. For instance, I attended public schools all of my life; one of my younger brothers attended a private school for a time. Based upon the personality and character of my brother and I, they determined that this would be the best course of action for each one of us. My parents did their best to keep our upbringing equal, but they also had to take into account that we were all very different people, and therefore required some differences in the way that they dealt with us, and the choices that they made for us. God does the same thing, except that He deals with billions of people, and the billions of decisions that each person makes, and God determines all that would occur in eternity past—with the billions of free will decisions as being a part of His plan. |
Most of the time, when we read the Bible—particularly narrative portions of the Bible—we think, this happened, then this happened, and then something else happened; but, too often, we only recognize the most fundamental relationships of these various events. However, what occurs in history and, particularly, what we find in Scripture, is fraught with meaning. These are real historical events, which really happened, and really involved the free will of the people involved; but, these events have meaning; these events are not simply random. We do not live in a random universe. What I hope to do is, in the next verse alone, is to unearth the meaning and import of these historical events which we are studying. |
We’ll spend a dozen pages on the next verse alone. |
And so rises up and so goes David and all the people who [are] with him from Baale-Judah to bring up from there an Ark of the Elohim, which was named a name, a name of Yehowah of Armies dwelling the cherubim upon him. |
2Samuel 6:2 |
David then arose and departed with all the people with him [and they went] from Baale-Judah [or, from the lords of Judah] to bring up from there the Ark of Elohim, which was called a name, the name of Yehowah of the Armies, the cherubim sitting upon it. |
David and the people with him arose and departed from Baal-Judah to bring up the Ark of God, whose name and reputation are proclaimed by the Ark where the Lord of hosts dwells between the cherubim. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Latin Vulgate And David arose and went, with all the people that were with him of the men of Juda to fetch the ark of God, upon which the name of the Lord of Hosts is invoked, who sits over it upon the cherubims.
Masoretic Text And so rises up and so goes David and all the people who [are] with him from Baale-Judah to bring up from the an Ark of the Elohim, which was named a name, a name of Yehowah of Armies dwelling the cherubim upon him.
Septuagint And David arose, and went, he and all the people that were with him, and some of the rulers of Juda, on an expedition to a distant place, to bring back thence the ark of God, on which the name of the Lord of Host who dwells between the cherubs upon it is called.
Significant differences: We begin with texts which are very similar until we come to Baal-Judah, which is often interpreted as being a city or place, but which some (Jerome and the seventy) tried to translate instead, indicating that lords of Judah accompanied David. This indicates that the text from which Jerome and the seventy worked was the same as the masoretic text, but simply interpreted differently than I have.
The remainder of the text also seems to be very similar, and, it is moderately clunky in the Hebrew (where name is repeated), but it seems that it is either the name of the Lord of the army or Jehovah of the army is the one who is dwelling between the cherubim.
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV ...led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They were going there to get the sacred chest and bring it back to Jerusalem. The throne of the LORD All-Powerful is above the winged creatures on top of this chest, and he is worshiped there.
NJB Setting off with the whole force then with him, David went to Baalah of Judah, from there to bring up the ark of God, who bears the title ‘Yahweh Sabaoth, enthroned on the winged creatures’.
NLT He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring home the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ He and all the people with him left Baalah in Judah to bring God's ark to Jerusalem. (The ark is called by the name of the LORD of Armies, who is enthroned over the angels.)
HCSB He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah. The ark is called by the Name, the name of the LORD of Hosts who dwells between the cherubim.
JPS (Tanakh) Then David and all the troops that were with him set out from Baalim of Judah to bring up from there the Ark of God to which the Name was attached, the name Lord of Hosts Enthroned on the Cherubim.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
MKJV And David arose and went with all the people with him from beyond Baale of Judah, to bring up the ark of God from there, which is called by the Name, the Name of Jehovah of Hosts who dwells above the cherubs.
NKJV And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah
to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name [LXX,
Targums and Vulgate omit by the Name; many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac
there]
, the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.
Young’s Updated LT And David rises and goes, and all the people who are with him, from Baale-Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God, whose name has been called—the name of Jehovah of Hosts, inhabiting the cherubs—upon it.
What is the gist of this verse? Although the sentence is a little clunky (to me at least), the idea is that David takes all the people with him up from Baal-Judah to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. The Ark of God is further identified as that where Jehovah of Hosts name is invoked, Jehovah Who lives between the cherubim upon the Ark.
2Samuel 6:2a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
qûwm (םק) [pronounced koom] |
to stand, to rise up, to get up; to establish, to establish a vow, to cause a vow to stand, to confirm or to fulfill a vow |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #6965 BDB #877 |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
hâlake ( ַל ָה) [pronounced haw-LAHKe] |
to go, to come, to depart, to walk; to advance |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 |
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
kôl (לֹ) [pronounced kohl] |
the whole, all of, the entirety of, all; can also be rendered any of |
masculine singular construct followed by a definite article |
Strong’s #3605 BDB #481 |
׳am (ם ַע) [pronounced ģahm] |
people; race, tribe; family, relatives; citizens, common people; companions, servants; entire human race; herd [of animals] |
masculine singular collective noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #5971 BDB #766 |
ăsher (אֲֹשֶר) [pronounced uh-SHER] |
that, which, when, who, whom |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
with, at, near, by, among, directly from |
preposition (which is identical to the sign of the direct object); with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #854 BDB #85 |
Translation: David then arose and departed with all the people with him... David is in Jerusalem and he arises and departs, taking all the people with him. It seems obvious that not everyone from Jerusalem accompanies David, so we might understand this as all the people referring to those from the lords of Judah go with David. Although I don’t think that this is the full 30,000, I would guess that this would be a significant number of men.
2Samuel 6:2b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
Ba׳ălêy (י̤ל ֲע-ב) [pronounced bah-guh-LAY] |
aristocracy, leaders, baal’s, lords, landowners, movers and shakers, supervisors, administrators, citizens, inhabitants |
masculine plural construct |
Strong’s #1181 BDB #127 |
Yehûwdâh (הָדהי) [pronounced yehoo-DAW] |
possibly means to praise, to be praised; and is transliterated Judah |
masculine proper noun/location |
Strong’s #3063 BDB #397 |
Together, these are often transliterated Baal-Judah. Strong’s #1184 BDB #127. |
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If this is not the name of a city, then we would render this verse, so far, David then arose and departed with all the people with him from the lords of Judah to bring up the Ark of Elohim... |
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Translation:...[and they went] from Baale-Judah [or, from the lords of Judah]... There are two primary ways to understand this phrase: David and all the people are going up from Baale-Judah, a place not named before, but which some identify with Kiriath Jearim (more on this below). The second interpretation is, all the people are taken out of the lords (or leaders) of Judah. Therefore, we are talking about all the 30,000 which David assembled and all those who are leaders out of Judah as well.
According to a footnote in the Tanakh: Baalim [Baale] is identical with Baalah, another name for
Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark had been kept (compare 1Sam. 6:21 1Chron. 13:6 Joshua 15:9).
There are two big problems with interpreting this as above (which is how the majority interprets this verse): (1) from Baale-Judah is a weird way to express their destination. 99% of the time, when we have men rising up and departing and [going] from this or that city; we are speaking of their city of origin—but they did not originate in Baale-Judah, they are going to go to Baale-Judah (assuming this is the name of a city). Almost all translations render this verse in this way, and, if you check your translation, it does not read from, as the MT reads, but they use the preposition to instead. (2) We do not find Baale used in conjunction with a city anywhere; we do find Baalam used in that way, but not Baale. Baale is the masculine plural construct of baal, and it refers to lords, suggesting that we are speaking of the lords of Judah here.
It would be a good idea to determine the relationship between Baale-Judah and Kiriath-Jearim, so below are several texts which are related to those names. |
|
Scripture |
Text |
Joshua 15:9 |
Then the boundary extends from the top of the mountain to the spring of the waters of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron. Then the boundary bends around to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). |
Joshua 15:60 |
Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah: two cities with their villages. |
Joshua 18:14 |
Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-horon, and it ends at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city belonging to the people of Judah. This forms the western side. |
1Sam. 7:1–2 |
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD. From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. |
2Sam. 6:2 |
And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. Our passage is the only time where we find this name. This could be Lords of Judah or it could refer to a place called Baale of Judah. |
1Chron. 13:5–6 |
So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD who sits enthroned above the cherubim. |
From the verses we find here, it is clear that Baalah, Kiriath-jearim, and Kiriath-baal are equivalent to one another. The name Baale-Judah is found only in our passage, and it would be an easy conclusion to say that it is simply another name for Kiriath-jearim, as Kiriath-jearim is on the border of Judah and Benjamin. However, that is not necessarily how we should view this. |
There are several theories as to where Baale-Judah is, and how it relates to Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark has been kept the past several decades. It might be better if I list the various approaches here. |
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Proponent (s) |
Theory |
Discussion |
Clarke, the Tanakh, and many others |
Baale-Judah is another name for
Kirjah–baal (Joshua 15:60) or
Kirjath–jearim (1Chron. 13:6); or Baalah
(Joshua 15:9).
|
A simple reading of the Hebrew text sounds as though these men went from Baale-Judah in order to go to where the Ark is being kept. The preposition found prior to Baale-Judah here means out of, out from, from, away from. It is important to note that the Dead Sea
Scrolls read to Baalah—that is, Kir [yath-jearim] of Judah at this point.
|
Kimchi |
He is in agreement with the above, and
indicates that there must be something
missing in the text; he offers: “And
David went, and all the people who were
with him, out of Baale-Jehudah, to
which they had gone up to fetch the ark
of God”
|
Kimchi is one of the few who recognizes that there is a problem with the preposition used in this verse. Other exegetes either do not realize that there is a problem, or they do, and choose to ignore it. Obviously, we must read a little into the verse, but there is nothing wrong with doing that, as long as that does not lead us to some extreme position. We have run into a large number of passages where the passage itself does not give us the complete story (for instance, in this passage, do these 30,000 men go with David? Do they remain in Jerusalem, while some of them accompany David? This information is not given to us). |
Luther, Chaldee, Vulgate and Septuagint |
That what is being said is, David goes up from those leaders to Kiriath-Jearim. The translation which I have from the Latin is: And David arose and went, with all the people that were with him of the men of Juda to fetch the ark of God, upon which the name of the Lord of Hosts is invoked, who sits over it upon the cherubim. Luther renders this from the citizens of Judah. |
The word is in the plural construct form (Baalim) which lends credence to this. Most of the other times we find Baal associated with another noun to form the name of a city, it is singular in number. I may have missed one, but I don’t find any cities listed with this form of Baal, although I do find a couple of names of people using this form of Baal (see Strong’s #1182, #1183, #1185). Keil and Delitzsch argue against this theory, saying that it does not hold water because of the short phrase from there which is not found in the Latin, but it is found in the Hebrew and Syriac (the Greek leaves out the preposition). |
A third view |
These cities are nearby and these men went from Baale-Judah to Kiriath-Jearim. These would be twin cities, Kiriath-Jearim in Benjamin and Baale-Judah in Judah. |
The problem is, we just have no other support for this, apart from our passage saying from Baale-Judah. Kiriath-Jearim is on the border of Judah and Benjamin, but primarily associated with Judah. |
Although I originally went with the most common view here, I think that we are dealing with the lords of Judah, and that David chose certain men out of that group (however, my confidence level is about a 60% here). |
This is a very tough call. Since the other ancient versions appear to differ so much, my guess is, they struggled with this as well. The LXX may have left out the preposition simply to make their translation smoother. |
Note that this solves the problem of who goes with David; some of the leaders of Judah, which is going to be a subset of this 30,000, which is what we would reasonably deduce. |
Now, bear in mind, despite that fact that I took way too long examining these few words, no matter which we way interpret it, our interpretation will not affect any doctrine that we hold to. |
Therefore, let us view the two different translations, depending upon the way we want to interpret this: |
|
This phrase should read lords of Judah |
Baale-Judah is a city equivalent to Kiriath-jearim |
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David then arose and departed with all the people with him from the lords of Judah to bring up from there the Ark of Elohim, which was called a name, the name of Yehowah of the Armies, the cherubim sitting upon it. |
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David then arose and departed with all the people with him [and they went] from Baale-Judah to bring up from there the Ark of Elohim, which was called a name, the name of Yehowah of the Armies, the cherubim sitting upon it. |
What is italicized simply indicates how these interpretations vary. |
Arguments For |
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We do not need to add any words in order to make this verse hold together. We do not find Baale elsewhere in connection with a city. However, we do find it used regularly as a masculine plural construct. |
The name here is very similar to names which are synonymous with Kiriath-jearim. This gives the phrase from there a place to point back to. |
Arguments Against |
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We have this tiny phrase from there which has no antecedent. However, not every author of Scripture has a master’s degree in English (well, in Greek or Hebrew). That is, we should not expect every sentence to be in perfect Hebrew from every author. |
We need to add a few extra words in order to make this come out right. Usually when a group of men rise up to go anywhere to do anything, when we have the phrase from this or that city; we are generally referring to a point of origin. Their destination is first the city where the Ark is being kept, and then they will leave from that city. We do not find Baale used in conjunction with the names of other cities, but we do find it used to mean lords of. |
I realize that I have spent far to long on this little point; I tend to be very analytical in that way. I think that I have beat this horse to death. |
Okay, let’s say that you are teaching this verse, either in church or to a Sunday school class. Now, I have beaten this verse to death, particularly this little portion of it, looking at it from several different angles; and, in the end, I state, it does not affect any real doctrine. My opinion is, a pastor, in most cases, should give what he feels is the correct understanding of this verse, given the alternate quickly, and indicate, as I have, that no doctrine rests upon the interpretation of this verse. I cover it in great detail, primarily so that a pastor who looks at this, does not need to.
2Samuel 6:2c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
directional/relational preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
׳âlâh (ה ָל ָע) [pronounced ģaw-LAWH] |
to cause to go up, to lead up, to take up, to bring up |
Hiphil infinitive construct |
Strong's #5927 BDB #748 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
shâm (ם ָש) [pronounced shawm] |
there; at that time, then; therein, in that thing |
adverb |
Strong’s #8033 BDB #1027 |
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN] |
ark, chest; Ark |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #727 BDB #75 |
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM] |
gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim |
masculine plural construct |
Strong's #430 BDB #43 |
Translation: ...to bring up from there the Ark of Elohim,... The purpose of leading this large congregation of people was to move the Ark of God from point A to point B (from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem). This is the Ark of God which has not really been mentioned since it was moved to Kiriath-Jearim originally when Samuel essentially guided Israel. David has a fortified city; it appears as though the Ark has been in disuse for perhaps 50 years or so, and David is going to bring it into Jerusalem.
As discussed earlier, from there refers to Kiriath-Jearim, which is not named here, although there may be a synonym for Kiriath-Jearim here (Baale-Judah).
Matthew Henry: The obscurity of the ark, during the reign of Saul, had been as great a grievance to
Israel as the insults of the Philistines. David, having humbled the Philistines and mortified them in
gratitude for that favour, and in pursuance of his designs for the public welfare, is here bringing up the
ark to his own city, that it might be near him, and be an ornament and strength to his new foundation.
It might be a good idea to stop for a moment and get a few points from the Doctrine of the Ark of God (which doctrine was covered back in 1Sam. 4:11). |
1. The Ark of God was one of the furniture of the Tent of Meeting which represented the God-man, Christ Jesus. 2. It was built out of Acacia wood (which represented His humanity) and overlaid with gold (which represented His Deity). 3. Inside the Ark were three items: (1) the tablets of the Law, representing God’s perfect standards and our inability to reach these standards; (2) a golden pot of manna, representing God’s perfect provision for us (manna was a perfect food); and (3) Aaron’s rod which budded, which represents the resurrection from the dead (the rod was a dead staff on which buds came forth). 4. On the Ark was a mercy seat and on both sides of the mercy seat was two angels, or cherubim. The mercy seat represents our point of contact (which is upon the Ark itself, above the three items mentioned); and the cherubim represent the angelic conflict, of which we are a part. 5. The Ark was kept in the Holy of Holies, which was a room inside the Tent of Meeting. Only the High Priest went into this room once a year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat, which represents the blood of our Savior for our sins. |
The actual Doctrine of the Ark of God is 16 pages long, and therefore is much more detailed. The Ark is no longer in existence; however, several have attempted mockups of the Ark. |
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The picture comes from http://www.ebibleteacher.com/3DTaber/ark6.jpg; which was apparently created for the Passion Play, found at http://www.greatpassionplay.com/ |
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It might be instructive to know a little history behind the Ark. |
For those of us who know a little Old Testament history, this all seems somewhat surprising, not to know where the Tabernacle of God is, and to have the Ark of God kept elsewhere, unused. We associate these things with the nation Israel, we know that God mandated their construction and use, much of the ceremonial law of the Pentateuch revolved around these things, so it seems confusing that they would not be a part of Israel’s daily life. Therefore, let me remind you what has happened over the past century or so. |
Under Eli, the rotund High Priest, the Ark was in the Tabernacle of God, and these things were in use during his life. In fact, he raised up young Samuel in close association with the Tabernacle of God. However, Eli’s sons took over the Tabernacle worship and perverted it into BBQ-time for them. That this was tolerated by Eli and by the Israelites indicated that Israel was going into a spiritual down-cycle. This was confirmed later when the soldiers of Israel came to Eli and took the Ark of God with them into battle against the Philistines for good luck. The Philistines defeated the Israelites and took the Ark with them. However, wherever the Ark went in Philistia, there were plagues and many deaths, so that the Philistines finally brought the Ark back to Israel, unwilling to endure Its presence. |
When the Ark was brought back into Israel, the people, many of whom had not actually seen it before, knew what it was, but treated it with disrespect, and many Israelites died. Therefore, the Ark was moved to Kiriath-Jearim, to the house of Abinadab, where it remained until the time of this chapter (these events are laid out in 1Sam. 3–7). As a result, much of Samuel’s adult ministry, and all of Saul’s kingship take place while the Ark is at the house of Abinadab, not being used. |
Although Saul seemed to start out okay, he went awry as king. The Ark never appears to be an issue to him, and he goes so far as to assume Samuel’s position and he offers up sacrifices to God, something which is completely outside of his responsibilities. Therefore, we cannot look to him to rectify the situation with the Ark. Furthermore, Saul gets so crazy that he goes to where the Tabernacle is, to Nob, the city of priests (apparently at some point in time, the Tabernacle was moved here), and he kills all of the priests except for one, Abiathar, who escapes to David. What happened to the Tabernacle at this point is purely speculation, but, for years previous to Saul’s attack, it had been without the Ark of God, making it empty of Its soul, so to speak. Tabernacle worship probably declined severely under Saul, and probably stopped altogether after Saul killed the priests. |
Edersheim makes the assertion
|
Let me backtrack momentarily on Edersheim’s assertion that there are two Tabernacles; if, by the second tabernacle, Edersheim is referring to this tent which David’s sets up for the Ark, then yes, there were two Tabernacles. However, it is difficult to determine just to what extent the second tent was used. In 1Chron. 16, we see that there is a great religious celebration; and many sacrifices offered; however, it does not appear that David made any attempt to duplicate the Tabernacle in Jerusalem or to have parallel Tabernacle worship in Jerusalem. He will have a focus on building the Temple in Jerusalem (which his son Solomon will build), which may explain why David does not require the Tabernacle be set up in Jerusalem (furthermore, there is no indication that God wanted David to move the Tabernacle to Jerusalem). |
It is fairly easy to understand why Tabernacle worship did not thrive under Saul, but it is more difficult to explain why Samuel did not restore this function of the Tabernacle. |
Recall that Samuel, the High Priest and Prophet of God, was raised in the Tabernacle, yet he did nothing with regards to the Ark or Tabernacle. This is more difficult to explain, so let me do it in points: |
1. First of all, Samuel did have his head screwed on right, in contrast to Saul, and his actions appear to have divine approval throughout the book of 1Samuel. 2. Samuel would have been very young when the Ark was taken, and decision regarding the Ark were probably not a part of his responsibility at that time. 3. However, it is important to bear in mind that Samuel was raised by Eli in and around the Tabernacle of God, which was clearly functioning at this time (1Sam. 1–3). 4. When the Ark was taken, Eli and his sons died that very same day, leaving Samuel as the authority, although, again, he was probably very young at this point in time. 5. Let me offer some conjecture here: the Philistines soundly defeated the Israelites when they took the Ark, and it is likely that there were Philistine garrisons established in Israel and that the Philistines, for a time, collected tribute from the Israelites. This may have shut down Tabernacle worship; after all, if people bring offerings to the Tabernacle, the Philistines would think that these offerings should come to them, and they had the means to enforce this opinion. 6. For whatever, reasons—the Ark was in storage, the Philistines exercised some control over Israel, the Priest Eli and his sons were killed on the same day, or because the Ark had been taken originally—the Tabernacle was moved and/or fell into disuse. 7. Either because of Samuel’s young age or because God did not command him to do so, he did not restore Tabernacle worship. For the same reasons, Samuel did not move the Ark of God anywhere, or make an attempt to reunite the Ark with the Tabernacle. 8. God apparently kept Samuel busy with other things. He had to anoint Saul, he had to guide Saul, he had to advise Saul; and Samuel functioned as a judge and as a prophet, and as a priest, but outside of the Tabernacle. 9. Here is the most important point: the Tabernacle with the Ark within the Holy of Holies, represents Jesus Christ. When Samuel came on the scene, he was also a picture of Jesus Christ—in fact, the most complete picture of Jesus Christ to that date, as Samuel was a priest, prophet and judge. Therefore, the shadow image we are to see is, the ceremonial worship of God in the Tabernacle gave way to the person of Samuel, just as Temple worship will give way to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The parallels between Samuel and Jesus Christ were uncanny. 10. Therefore, we may reasonably assume that, God did not move Samuel to restore the Ark to the Tabernacle nor did God move Samuel to restore Tabernacle worship to Israel because this was all a picture of the shadow of the ceremonial law giving away to the person of Jesus Christ. |
In short, the key is, God uses the temporary disuse of the Tabernacle and Ark, and the preeminence of Samuel, to illustrate the fading away of the shadows (the ceremonial Law) when Jesus Christ comes to this earth. |
Heb. 10:1–23: For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. |
Let’s go with this illustration: your husband, the love of your life, is in Iraq, in a war zone, and all you have is a picture of him which you keep at your bedside and look at from time to time. When he returns from Iraq, you do not spent your time with the picture anymore. Why spend time with the shadow, if the reality is there? |
My point is, none of this is random—not even historical events; there are no accidents in the plan of God. God intended for Tabernacle worship to fade away with the advent of Samuel. Now that Samuel has been dead for awhile, the illustration of the ceremonial Law giving way to the reality of Samuel no longer makes sense. The historical parallel has come and gone. Therefore, Tabernacle worship must be restored, and the first step in this is the retrieval of the Ark. I want you to get the picture here: David, a picture of Jesus Christ; and, in many ways, a picture of our Lord at His 2nd Advent, brings the Ark of God, also a picture of Jesus Christ, to Jerusalem, which is where Jesus Christ will come to (His feet will come down on the Mount of Olives).
Preview of coming attractions: Can you figure out why God will allow Solomon to build a semi-permanent Temple but not David? Again, this is all a shadow of things to come. Samuel represents Jesus Christ in His 1st advent; David represents Jesus Christ in His 2nd advent, when He returns to this earth and destroys the armies who have attacked Israel. Solomon represents Jesus Christ in His Millennial rule. So, from the Law of Moses through the reign of Solomon, we see the future of God’s people laid out in shadow form.
2Samuel 6:2d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
ăsher (אֲֹשֶר) [pronounced uh-SHER] |
that, which, when, who, whom |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
qârâ (א ָר ָק) [pronounced kaw-RAW] |
to be named; to be called, to be proclaimed; to be called together [assembled, [summoned]; to be read aloud, to be recited |
3rd person masculine singular, Niphal perfect |
Strong's #7121 BDB #894 |
shêm (ם ֵש) [pronounced shame] |
name, reputation, character |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #8034 BDB #1027 |
shêm (ם ֵש) [pronounced shame] |
name, reputation, character |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #8034 BDB #1027 |
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] |
transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Yehowah |
proper noun |
Strong’s #3068 BDB #217 |
tsebâôwth (תאָבצ) [pronounced tzeb-vaw-OHTH] |
armies, hosts; wars |
masculine plural noun, simply the plural of Strong’s #6635, but often used in titles |
Strong’s #6635 BDB #838 |
Translation: ...which was called a name, the name of Yehowah of the Armies,... I think the final words of this
verse more or less pontificate on the Ark itself, identifying it, as it had not been spoken of for some time
(1Sam. 14:18 notwithstanding
). As I have previously indicated, in the history of the Ark, it has been in storage
for perhaps 50 or so years, during Saul’s reign and Samuel’s ministry. What this does is clearly identify the Ark
of God with Jehovah God. That is, David and the author of this portion of Samuel clearly understand that, of all
the articles of furniture of the Tabernacle, this Ark of God most closely gives us a picture of Jehovah God. Do not
misunderstand that this refers to some form of idolatry, because the Ark was not to be worshiped; nor was the Ark
to be seen as an idol of God. It represents God; it tells us about God; but the Ark is not God nor is it to be
worshiped as some form of God here on earth. In fact, recall that, when the Tabernacle is up and running, the
Ark is inside the Tabernacle, inside the Holy of Holies, and no one, save the High Priest on the Day of Atonement,
ever even sees the Ark. The text here identifies the Ark with God, but not in such a way as to encourage idolatry
in any form.
2Samuel 6:2e |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
yâshab (בַשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAHBV] |
inhabiting, staying, remaining, dwelling, sitting |
Qal active participle |
Strong's #3427 BDB #442 |
kerûwbîym (בר) [pronounced keroob-VEEM] |
transliterated cherubim; it means angels |
masculine plural noun the with definite article |
Strong’s #3742 (and #3743) BDB #500 |
׳al (לַע) [pronounced ģahl ] |
upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside |
preposition of proximity with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #5921 BDB #752 |
Translation: ...the cherubim sitting upon it. Given their closeness, we would think we are speaking of the two cherubim who are sitting on the Ark, each opposite the other. However, another interpretation is that, it is Jehovah of the Armies who dwells upon the Ark, between these cherubim (however, we do not have the prepositions required here which would mean between).
For the most part, God did not instruct Israel to construct anything which might be construed as idolatrous. There were no statues or idols constructed which attempted some sort of representation of the God of Heaven or anything else in heaven. However, here, and only here, we have carved Cherubim affixed to the Ark of God. A reasonable question to ask is,... |
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Exegete |
Explanation |
Barnes |
The cherubim, described by Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:10), have been regarded as representing
the whole creation engaged in the worship and service of God (compare Rev. 4:9–11
5:13); and it would be in harmony with this view to suppose that the more strictly human
shape of the cherubim of the mercy seat represented the highest form of created
intelligence engaged in the devout contemplation of the divine law of love and justice
(compare 1Peter 1:12).
|
Henry |
These cherubim were designed to represent the holy angels, who always attended the
shechinah, or divine Majesty, particularly at the giving of the law; not by any effigies of
an angel, but some emblem of the angelical nature, probably some one of those four
faces spoken of (Ezek. 1:10). Whatever the faces were, they looked one towards
another, and both downward towards the ark, while their wings were stretched out so as
to touch one another. The apostle calls them cherubim of glory shadowing the
mercy–seat, Heb. 9:5. It denotes their attendance upon the Redeemer, to whom they
were ministering spirits, their readiness to do his will, their special presence in the
assemblies of saints (Psalm 68:17 1Cor. 11:10), and their desire to look into the
mysteries of the gospel which they diligently contemplate (1Peter 1:12).
|
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown |
The prevailing opinion now is, that those splendid figures were symbolical not of angelic
but of earthly and human beings—the members of the Church of God interested in the
dispensation of grace, the redeemed in every age--and that these hieroglyphic forms
symbolized the qualities of the true people of God—courage, patience, intelligence, and
activity.
|
Kukis |
One of the most important aspects of the plan of God is that what occurs on earth is observed by angels—both elect and fallen angels. They see all that occurs, and they develop a complete appreciation and understanding for God’s wisdom, love, righteousness and perfection by observing us and our relationship to God day by day. One angel represents the elect angels and the other the fallen angels. |
R. B. Thieme Jr. |
These two angels represent righteousness and justice. It may be just as reasonable to propose that these two angels represent justice and love, which meet at the cross. |
Another theory |
Israel and the Church, which are made one in Christ.
|
Another theory |
They represent both human and angelic creation. This does not ring true, as they appear to be identical figures. |
Unnamed |
Gill indicates that some of the ancients believed these to stand for the Old and New
Testaments.
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Unnamed |
The two witnesses who dress in sackcloth during the Tribulation.
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After doing a relatively thorough search of the internet, I have not come across any other theories on this. |
That these Cherubim are found upon the Ark is alluded to many times in Scripture (Ex. 25:18–22 1Sam. 4:4 1Kings 8:6–7 Psalm 80:1). Peter tells us that they observe us: It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look (1Peter 1:12). |
Keil and Delitzsch: This account in the Chronicles is not an expansion of the brief notice given here; but the
account before us is a condensation of the fuller description given in the sources that were employed by both
authors.
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And so cause to ride upon an Ark of the Elohim unto a cart new; and so they bring him from a house of Abinadab which [is] in the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, are leading the cart new. |
2Samuel 6:3 |
They caused the Ark of Elohim to ride upon the new cart. They brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. |
They placed the Ark of Elohim in a new cart and they had brought it up from Abinadab’s home, which was on the hill. Abinadab’s two sons, Uzzah and Ahio, led the new cart. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic text And so cause to ride upon an Ark of the Elohim unto a cart new; and so they bring him from a house of Abinadab which [is] in the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, are leading the cart new.
Septuagint And they put the ark of the Lord on a new wagon, and took it out of the house of Aminadab on the hill, and Oza and his brethren the sons of Aminadab drove the wagon. [the Alexandrian LXX apparently adds the phrase with the ark Ark the end of this sentence]
Significant differences: The LXX has the Ark of the Lord; the MT, Vulgate and Peshitta all have the Ark of God [Elohim]. Another very minor difference is, we have Uzzah and Ahio in the Hebrew, Latin and Syriac; but Oza and his brothers in the Greek.
I should point out that Brenton’s translation does not always reflect what we find in the Greek, but occasionally takes some liberties with the Greek text (unfortunately). Sometimes I catch these liberties (as in this verse) and sometimes I don’t.
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV They put the sacred chest on a new ox cart and started bringing it down the hill from Abinadab's house. Abinadab's sons Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the ox cart,...
Good News Bible They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,...
NLT They placed he Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the hillside home of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinodab’s sons, were guiding the cart...
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David and his men put God's ark on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's home on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's sons, were guiding the new cart.
HCSB 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, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart...
JPS (Tanakh) They loaded the Ark of God onto a new cart and conveyed it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Abinadab’s sons, Uzza and Ahio, guided the new cart.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
ESV And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,...
LTHB And they caused the ark of God to ride on a new cart, and took it from the house of Abinadab, which is in the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab were leading the new cart.
Young's Updated LT And they cause the ark of God to ride on a new cart, and lift it up from the house of Abinadab, which is in the height, and Uzzah and Ahio sons of Abinadab are leading the new cart.
What is the gist of this verse? The author sets up the scene, where the sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, both lead the cart out of the house of Abinadab.
2Samuel 6:3a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
râkab (בַכָר) [pronounced raw-KAHBV] |
to cause to ride, to cause to [mount and] ride, to cause to draw, pull along]; to cause to ride upon; to place in a chariot [cart]; to fasten to [an animal] |
3rd person masculine plural, Hiphil imperfect |
Strong’s #7392 BDB #938 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN] |
ark, chest; Ark |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #727 BDB #75 |
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM] |
gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim |
masculine plural noun with the definite article |
Strong's #430 BDB #43 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concerning, regarding; besides, together with; as to |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
׳ăgâlâh (הָלָגֲע) [pronounced ģuh-gaw-LAW] |
[an ox-] cart, wagon; a chariot, a war vehicle |
feminine singular noun |
Strong’s #5699 BDB #722 |
châdâsh (שָדָח) [pronounced khaw-DAWSH] |
new, new thing; fresh |
feminine singular adjective |
Strong’s #2319 BDB #294 |
Translation: They caused the Ark of Elohim to ride upon the new cart. You may recall when the Philistines had taken the Ark of God in battle, they returned it to Israel on a new cart. There were specific laws in effect concerning the Ark of God. The most important one was that man could not come into direct contact with the Ark. In fact, the idea was, God is holy and man is not, and there cannot be any direct contact between man and God.
2Samuel 6:3b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
nâsâ (אָָנ) [pronounced naw-SAW] |
to lift up, to bear, to carry |
3rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect; with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #5375 (and #4984) BDB #669 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
bayith (ת̣י ַ) [pronounced BAH-yith] |
house, residence; household, habitation as well as inward |
masculine singular construct |
Strong's #1004 BDB #108 |
Ăbîynâdâb (בָדָני.בֲא) [pronounced ub-vee-naw-DAWB] |
my father is noble and is transliterated Abinadab |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #41 BDB #4 |
ăsher (אֲֹשֶר) [pronounced uh-SHER] |
that, which, when, who, whom |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
No Strong’s # BDB #88 |
gibe׳âh (הָע׃ב ̣) [pronounced gibve-ĢAW] |
hill; this same word is transliterated Gibeah |
feminine singular noun |
Strong’s #1389 BDB #148 |
Translation: They brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. The Ark had remained at the house of Abinadab since the Philistines had returned it to Israel. Some curiosity seekers had treated the Ark without the respect that it deserved, and they died from that. Therefore, instead of trying to set up the Ark again within the Tent of God, the Ark had been taken over to the home of Abinadab. You may recall the both Israelites and Philistines both died from coming into contact with the Ark.
Many authors and exegetes have assumed that Abinadab is a Levite, and therefore, his sons are all Levites. Whereas, I do not find direct evidence of this, it seems reasonable and logical that Levites, who were to be in charge of the Tabernacle and articles of furniture, would also be chosen to temporarily watch over the Ark of God. It would also seem reasonable and logical that these Levites would know what is allowed and what is not allowed with reference to the Ark.
2Samuel 6:3c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
׳Ûzzâ (אָע) [pronounced ģooz-ZAW] |
strength; transliterated Uzza |
masculine proper singular noun |
Strong’s #5798 BDB #539 |
Also written ׳Ûzzâh (הָע) [pronounced ģooz-ZAW]. |
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we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
acheyôw (י ח-א) [pronounced ahkhe-YOH] |
brotherly, fraternal; transliterated Ahio |
masculine proper singular noun |
Strong’s #283 BDB #26 |
bên (ן ֵ) [pronounced bane] |
son, descendant |
masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #1121 BDB #119 |
Ăbîynâdâb (בָדָני.בֲא) [pronounced ub-vee-naw-DAWB] |
my father is noble and is transliterated Abinadab |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #41 BDB #4 |
nâhag (גַהָנ) [pronounced naw-HAHG] |
to bring, to lead, to urge on a course, to drive [animals] along, to drive away, to lead away [as a captive] |
masculine plural, Qal active participle |
Strong’s #5090 BDB #624 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated; occasionally to, toward |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
׳ăgâlâh (הָלָגֲע) [pronounced ģuh-gaw-LAW] |
[an ox-] cart, wagon; a chariot, a war vehicle |
feminine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #5699 BDB #722 |
châdâsh (שָדָח) [pronounced khaw-DAWSH] |
new, new thing; fresh |
feminine singular adjective |
Strong’s #2319 BDB #294 |
Translation: Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. Abinadab had two sons (more
properly, descendants), Ahio and Uzzah, who guided the cart. If you will look back in 1Sam. 7:1, you will note that
Eleazar, a son of Abinadab, was entrusted with the Ark of God. However, bear in mind, that was about 50–70
years ago.
Although we do not know what happened to Eleazar, my guess is, he is either very old or dead at
this time. In some cultures, children do not leave the home at age 18 or 21, as we generally have here in the
States. Some remain at home until married; some remain there even after marriage. When we speak of a son,
this does not mean that we are dealing with a boy or a teen; Abinadab’s son, Eleazar, may have been 50 years
old at the time of taking custodianship of the Ark (his father being, perhaps, 70). So, 50 years later, both Abinadab
and Eleazar are probably both dead, but Eleazar’s sons (called Abinadab’s sons here) are probably Uzzah and
Ahio.
Barnes concurs, writing: It does not at all follow that Abinadab was still alive, nor can we conclude
from Uzzah and Ahio being called sons of Abinadab, that they were literally his children. They may well
have been sons of Eleazar and grandsons of Abinadab, or yet more remote descendants; since there
is no distinct evidence that Abinadab was alive even when the ark was brought to Kirjath-jearim. The
house may have retained the name of “the house of Abinadab” long after his death.
I spend a little time with this for two reasons: (1) Some fool might think that there is some sort of a contradiction here, that the Ark is first taken care of by Eleazar, but, in a later passage, by someone else; and (2) It is reasonable that Eleazar may have had a better understanding of the Ark and its holiness; he may have known not to have any direct contact with the Ark under any circumstances.
We also have a problem here. The Philistines sent the Ark back to the Israelites in a new cart, and David is essentially following suit here. The Philistines were not punished for this, as they simply wanted to be rid of the Ark, and there is no reason that they should know how it is to be transferred. You may recall that they kept their distance, nonetheless. They watched the Ark being moved from afar. Now, Scripture tells us that the Ark is supposed to be moved on the shoulders of Levites (Num. 4:15 7:9), and there is nothing in the Mosaic Law which indicates that alternate methods of transportation are acceptable.
There is a great deal of information to be found in the Law of God—in the Mosaic Law. David obviously studied the Law, but, just as obviously, he did not study this portion of the Law. This will be David’s first attempt to move the Ark; the second time, he will go with Levites and it will be clear that men are bearing the Ark, rather than a cart (2Sam. 6:13).
Along the sides of the Ark are rings, through which a pole could be placed, and this pole could ride upon the shoulders of (probably) 4 Kohathite Levites. These Levites never came into contact with the Ark itself, but held it aloft with these poles. My guess would be that the rings would be near or at the bottom of the Ark, to lessen the likelihood of human contact with the Ark.
So, why does God the Holy Spirit record this in the historical record? Scofield explains: The story of
David's new cart and its results is a striking illustration of the spiritual truth that blessing does not
follow even the best intentions in the service of God except as that service is rendered in God's way.
It is a constant point of failure. God had given explicit directions how the ark should be borne
(Num. 4:1–15) but David adopted a Philistine expedient.
Application: You don’t get to simply pick and choose from life to do whatever you want to do. As a believer in Jesus Christ, God has made it clear as to how you need to approach your post-salvation life: you believe in Jesus Christ, and then your spiritual life consists of naming your sins to God and learning the Word of God. You may observe someone whose life is a mess, and they become a scientologist, say; and their life improves. This does not mean that you can follow the scientologist program as a part of your Christian life. You may observe someone else whose life improves after attending self-improvement lectures, spiritual yoga sessions (where more than the exercise is dispersed), or going to some cult, like the Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses. No doubt, you know someone whose life has improved by going off on some weird (or even, not so weird) path; however, this does not mean that you get to traipse down that path with them or after them. On the other hand, this does not mean that you can’t change your diet or join an exercise group of some sort; but when it comes to the guidance of your soul, it is by the filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine in the soul. The mechanics of the spiritual life are relatively simple, and they are the only approach that we are allowed to the spiritual life; just as, the only way for David to move the Ark of God is the way prescribed in the Law.
David will later realize this, the second time that he moves the Ark, and he will say, “No one is to carry the Ark of God but the Levites; for Jehovah has chosen them to carry the Ark of God and to minister to Him forever.” (1Chron. 15:2).
Application: You may screw up a lot; God is going to give you more second chances than I would. David messed up here. He should have examined the Word of God until he found the proper way to move the Ark. Instead, he got so caught up in the moment, that he simply did what he Philistines did. As we will find out, that is not good enough. But, as we find out, God gives him another chance as well.
Application: In some Christian circles, there is pressure for you do get involved in some sort of Christian service; do stuff around the church, give your testimony, hosts Bible sharing sessions, etc. If you are a baby Christian, then you cannot put the cart before the horse. Christian service is a natural outgrowth of spiritual growth; and make no mistake about it—Christian growth must occur before Christian service.
Application: Although it is impossible to put a time line to this, there are some bare minimums in order to begin any sort of spiritual service. You must know how to rebound (name your sins to God) and you must rebound regularly. You must have some source of Bible doctrine, and you must take in Bible doctrine regularly (daily is the proper approach, even if it is only 30-60 minutes a day). In most cases, you should know the gospel like it is the back of your hand. You should understand the need for the intake of Bible doctrine (as Thieme calls it, epistemological rehabilitation). After that point, it might take 6 months and it might take 10 years or more to determine what your reasonable spiritual service is; and, until then, you just keep taking in doctrine.
Application: You might be 6 months old as a Christian, and realize that your spiritual gift is teaching the Word of God. This does not mean that you go out and teach the Word of God. David realized that the Ark of God needed to be moved. That does not mean that he should just go out and move it, as he is doing here. Most spiritual gifts require some kind of training. At the church I attend, we have an outstanding female vocalist; however, she wasn’t saved one day, and then the next day, singing before the congregation. There was a time of training involved, as well as time for spiritual growth. The greatest pianist in the world does not go out on stage to play a few months after he realizes he likes to play piano. There will be thousands upon thousands of hours of practice before they come forward and perform in public. A little gal around the corner from where I live plays the violin; when I had her as a high school student, she practiced 4–5 hours a day, according to her parents; along with all of her other duties as a high school student. I have no idea where she is today, whether she performs, or even if she still plays; however, she began at a young age with great dedication to her training. We need to do the same thing. And, there are reasonable steps. A prospective pastor doesn’t go from 2 years of being taught the Bible in church to becoming a pastor teacher; any believer who does that insults the Word of God and insults Jesus Christ. A pastor is going to require years of intense training; and, 99% of the time, training as provided by an excellent seminary.
Application: In short, there is a right way and a wrong way to proceed in our lives as believers in Jesus Christ;
we don’t simply get to meander off in any direction doing whatever strikes our fancy. We cannot even go in the
right direction using the wrong means, which is what David is at fault for in this context. Scofield calls this, the
Philistine way of doing things.
And so they lift him from a house of Abinadab, which [is] in a hill, with an Ark of the Elohim, and Ahio is going to faces of the Ark. |
2Samuel 6:4 |
They took [lit., lifted] it from the house of Abinadab, which [is] on the hill, with the Ark of Elohim, while Ahio walked in front of the Ark. |
They took the cart with the Ark of God from the hillside house of Abinadab and Ahio walked out in front of the Ark. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Latin Vulgate And when they had taken it out of the house of Abinadab, who was in Gabaa, Ahio having care of the ark of God went before the ark.
Masoretic Text And so they lift him from a house of Abinadab, which [is] in a hill, with an Ark of the Elohim, and Ahio is going to faces of the Ark.
Peshitta And they brought the Ark of God out of the house of Abinadab, which was in Gibeah, and Ahia went before the Ark.
Septuagint And his brethren went before the ark.
Significant differences: Much of this verse matches v. 3 exactly, suggesting that portions of v. 3 may have been inadvertently copied into the text a second time. Note that the LXX text is much briefer, and note that the text of the Vulgate is a bit more expansive.
In any case, the Latin, Syriac and Hebrew all match up (the word for hill is Gibea); the LXX text is much shorter.
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV ...with Ahio walking in front of it.
Good News Bible ...with Ahio walking in front.
NLT ...with the Ark of God on it, with Ahio walking in front.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ They brought it from Abinadab's home, with Ahio walking ahead of the ark.
HCSB ...and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab's house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
LTHB And they took it from the house of Abinadab, which is in the hill, with the ark of God. And Ahio was going before the ark.
MKJV And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab at Gibeah, going with the ark of God. And Ahio went before the ark.
Young's Updated LT And they lift it up from the house of Abinadab, which is in the height, with the ark of God, and Ahio is going before the ark.
What is the gist of this verse? Ahio walks before the cart which is carrying the Ark (portions of this verse are in doubt).
2Samuel 6:4a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (וַ) [pronounced wah] |
and so, and then, then, and; so, that, yet, therefore; because |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
nâsâ (אָָנ) [pronounced naw-SAW] |
to lift up, to bear, to carry |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect; with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #5375 (and #4984) BDB #669 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
bayith (ת̣י ַ) [pronounced BAH-yith] |
house, residence; household, habitation as well as inward |
masculine singular construct |
Strong's #1004 BDB #108 |
Ăbîynâdâb (בָדָני.בֲא) [pronounced ub-vee-naw-DAWB] |
my father is noble and is transliterated Abinadab |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #41 BDB #4 |
ăsher (אֲֹשֶר) [pronounced uh-SHER] |
that, which, when, who, whom |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
No Strong’s # BDB #88 |
gibe׳âh (הָע׃ב ̣) [pronounced gibve-ĢAW] |
hill; this same word is transliterated Gibeah |
feminine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #1389 BDB #148 |
Translation: They took [lit., lifted] it from the house of Abinadab, which [is] on the hill,... What they appear to be lifting, based up the second part of this sentence, is the cart, and in the cart is the Ark of God. However, you will note that this portion of v. 4 matches exactly a portion of v. 3, which suggests that a tired scribe, at some point in time, looked up to v. 3, while copying v. 4, and included these words (there are other possible explanations). Note the comparative brevity of the LXX. In other words, we may have one or two phrases in this verse which do not belong here. Now, despite the textual problems, there is no loss or change of meaning.
2Samuel 6:4b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
׳îm (ם ̣ע) [pronounced ģeem] |
with, at, by, near; like; from |
preposition of nearness and vicinity |
Strong’s #5973 BDB #767 |
ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN] |
ark, chest; Ark |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #727 BDB #75 |
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM] |
gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim |
masculine plural noun with the definite article |
Strong's #430 BDB #43 |
Translation: ...with the Ark of Elohim,... What the brothers appear to be lifting is the cart, and with that cart (apparently, on the cart), is the Ark of God. Recall that no man is to come into direct contact with the Ark of God; the idea is, God is holy, God is righteous; we are not. There can be no contact between a holy God and sinful man. Man cannot in any way have direct contact with God. Now, you may think, well, I don’t like that very much; after all, God made me! However, let me give you an analogous example: we receive our very life from the sun, in many ways. Without it, all life on earth would cease. However, any direct contact with us and the sun would result in us instantly being vaporized. Even though we depend upon the sun for our life and our very existence, we are unable to come into direct contact with the sun, as there are attributes of the sun which we are unable to be in contact with (i.e., heat which is beyond human comprehension).
2Samuel 6:4c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
acheyôw (י ח-א) [pronounced ahkhe-YOH] |
brotherly, fraternal; transliterated Ahio |
masculine proper singular noun |
Strong’s #283 BDB #26 |
hâlake ( ַל ָה) [pronounced haw-LAHKe] |
to go, to come, to depart, to walk; to advance |
Qal active participle |
Strong’s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
directional/relational preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces, countenance; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, they mean upon the face of, before, before the face of, in the presence of, in the sight of, in front of. When used with God, it can take on the more figurative meaning in the judgment of. This can also mean forwards; the front part [or, the edge of a sword]. Lepânîym (םי.נָפל) can take on a temporal sense as well: before, of old, formerly, in the past, in past times. |
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ărôwn (ןר ֲא) [pronounced uh-ROHN] |
ark, chest; Ark |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #727 BDB #75 |
Translation: ...while Ahio walked in front of the Ark. The writer of this narrative is setting us up; giving us enough details so that we can see what is going on. What appears to be the case (and I am basing this on v. 4), is that the brothers are carrying a cart, and upon the cart is the Ark of God. Since this just does not really seem practical, it is possible that the lifting involved is lifting the Ark on the cart to set it so that mules can transport the Ark.
Now, if we leave the first portion of v. 4 out of our understanding, it more appears as though these brothers have carefully loaded the Ark upon a cart, and, at this point, are guiding the movement of the cart (the work being done by mules), with Ahio walking in front of the Ark.
The Tanakh offers a radical alternative to their own reading of vv. 3–4 taken from the LXX and 4QSama. |
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Tanakh |
Moderately Literal Reading without the Excess |
Alternate Reading of LXX and 4QSama |
They loaded the Ark of God onto a new cart and conveyed it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Abinadab’s sons, Uzzah and Ahio, guided the new cart. They conveyed it from Abinadab’s house on the hill, [Uzzah] walking alongside the Ark of God and Ahio walking in front of the Ark. |
They caused the Ark of Elohim to ride upon the new cart. They brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, lead the new cart, with the Ark of Elohim, and Ahio is walking before the Ark. |
They loaded the Ark of God onto a new cart and conveyed it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Abinadab’s sons, Uzzah and Ahio, guided the new cart alongside the Ark of God and Ahio walking in front of the Ark. |
The excess portion of the Tanakh is in a darker blue. Although the biggest problem with the excess text is dealt with in the Tanakh, it requires a careful placing of commas in order to keep everything straight: So they took [lit., lifted] it from the house of Abinadab, which [is] on the hill, with the Ark of Elohim, and Ahio is walking before the Ark. |
Textual criticism must deal with a couple of approaches here: first of all, it is rare for someone to add text without some sort of ulterior motive. The additional text in the MT here really adds nothing to the narrative. |
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a copyist to look up, copy a bit of text, then look back up, see the same word that he just copied (but a little lower down) and begin copying, leaving out what is in between. That is an option in this verse. |
What appears to be the case is, the MT has additional text which is repeated; a tired scribe looks up at the original and recopies some words which he copied a few seconds ago (or, from the day before). Although this probably explains the alternative reading, keeping or dropping the text has no effect upon the overall narrative. |
The proper reading of these past two verses should probably be: They caused the Ark of Elohim to ride upon the new cart. They brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, lead the new cart, with the Ark of Elohim, and Ahio is walking before the Ark. |
Now bear in mind, as we have already discussed, this is probably a family of Levites who are taking care of the Ark; and, we would expect that they would know the Scripture in this particular area at least. Some of the relevant passages are: Num. 4:15: And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. Num. 7:9: But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder. Num. 18:3: They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. See also Ex. 25:12–15 Num. 4:5–6, 15. When it was decided that someone would take care of the Ark, it was not simply taken to the nearest farm, and dropped off with the note, your problem now. No doubt the Ark had been taken to a nearby residence, but not an arbitrary one; and, it is reasonable to suppose that this was the home of Levites. We do not know exactly how a person would come to have Scripture for themselves. The king was to transcribe a Bible for himself; the books of Moses had been written on some public stones; and, no doubt, scribes functioned to maintain the Scriptures at this time. However, not everyone would have access to these writings. However, given that this family prospered, having taken responsibility for the Ark, one would reasonably assume that they have at least portions of Scripture relevant to their responsibility here.
As mentioned, David should have a copy of God’s inspired Word as well. My point is, the Ark is not being moved as God requires it be moved. There are consequences for doing a right thing in a wrong way.
And David and all a house of Israel are playing [laughing, dancing?] to faces of Yehowah in all trees of cedar and in lyres and in harps and in and in timbrels and in castanets and in cymbals. |
2Samuel |
David and all the house of Israel were playing [musical instruments] before Yehowah, [those made of] cedar wood [lit., by all woods of cedar]; with lyres, harps, timbrels, castanets [or, sistrums] and cymbals. |
David and all the house of Israel celebrated and played musical instruments before Jehovah; instruments made of cedar; along with lyres, harps, timbrels, castanets and cymbals. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Latin Vulgate But David and all Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of wood, on harps and lutes and timbrels and cornets and cymbals.
Masoretic Text And David and all a house of Israel are playing [laughing, dancing?] to faces of Yehowah in all trees of cedar and in lyres and in harps and in and in timbrels and in castanets and in cymbals.
Septuagint And David and the children of Israel were playing before the Lord on well–tuned instruments mightily, and with songs, and with harps, and with lutes, and with drums, and with cymbals, and with pipes.
Significant differences: The differences are minor; we have the house of Israel in the MT; the sons of Israel in the LXX; the first phrase after playing before the Lord is in question, and it might simply be a matter of translation rather than dealing with different words in the original manuscripts used by the Greeks. As usual, the Latin and Syriac are more in line with the Hebrew than with the Greek.
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV Some of the people of Israel were playing music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David and the others were happy, and they danced for the LORD with all their might.
Good News Bible David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might to honor the LORD. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals.
NLT David and all the people eof Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all their might, singing songs [as in Greek version (see also 1Chron. 13:8); Hebrew reads cypress trees] and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David and the entire nation of Israel were celebrating in the LORD'S presence with all kinds of instruments made from cypress wood and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
HCSB David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
ESV And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
WEB David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all manner of instruments made of fir wood, and with harps, and with stringed instruments, and with tambourines, and with castanets, and with cymbals.
Young's Updated LT And David and all the house of Israel are playing before Jehovah, with all kinds of instruments of fir-wood, even with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cornets, and with cymbals.
What is the gist of this verse? David and the people of Israel celebrate by making music as the Ark is moved toward Jerusalem. A listing of the instruments used here is given.
2Samuel 6:5a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
Dâvid (ד ̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
kôl (לֹ) [pronounced kohl] |
every, each, all of, all; any of, any |
masculine singular construct not followed by a definite article |
Strong’s #3605 BDB #481 |
bayith (ת̣י ַ) [pronounced BAH-yith] |
house, residence; household, habitation as well as inward |
masculine singular construct |
Strong's #1004 BDB #108 |
Yiserâêl (לֵאָר ׃̣י) [pronounced yis-raw-ALE] |
transliterated Israel |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #3478 BDB #975 |
sâchaq (קַחָ) [pronounced saw-KHAHK] |
to joke, to jest, to laugh repeatedly, to play, to amuse, to dance |
masculine plural, Piel participle |
Strong’s #7832 BDB #965 |
Perhaps this means to celebrate with musical instruments? |
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lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
directional/relational preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces, countenance; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, they mean upon the face of, before, before the face of, in the presence of, in the sight of, in front of. When used with God, it can take on the more figurative meaning in the judgment of. This can also mean forwards; the front part [or, the edge of a sword]. Lepânîym (םי.נָפל) can take on a temporal sense as well: before, of old, formerly, in the past, in past times. |
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YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] |
transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Yehowah |
proper noun |
Strong’s #3068 BDB #217 |
Translation: David and all the house of Israel were playing [musical instruments] before Yehowah,... We are unsure of the meaning of the verb found here, but it seems to indicate that they are celebrating by playing musical instruments. Based upon the context of this verse alone, I would submit that this is a legitimate meaning for this verb.
2Samuel 6:5b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s# none BDB #88 |
kôl (לֹ) [pronounced kohl] |
with a plural noun, it is rendered all of, all; any of |
masculine singular construct with a masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #3605 BDB #481 |
Literally, in all. Although I don’t have this in the lexicons, it is rendered by the most literal translations as among all, through all, throughout all, with all. |
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׳êts (ץ ֵע) [pronounced ģayts] |
trees felled for building (1Kings 5:20, 32), lumber (Gen. 6:14 2Kings 12:13), sticks or logs for fuel (Gen. 22:3 Lev. 1:7) |
masculine plural construct |
Strong’s #6086 BDB #781 |
berôwsh (שר) [pronounced berohsh] |
cypress, fir; juniper; pine; a noble tree; stateliness, luxuriance; material for temple |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #1265 BDB #141 |
Possibly the idea behind luxuriance is, certain kinds of wood are used in a higher class of building; e.g., for us, a mahogany door would be seen as more luxurious than a pine door. |
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Translation:...[those made of] cedar wood [lit., by all woods of cedar];... This is literally in all woods of cedar. My logical guess would be, these are musical instruments fashioned out of cedar (or, possibly, any sort of wood), which is how many translators understand this. A list of these instruments will follow.
Although many translations treat this first portion of v. 5 as elliptical (i.e., we need to add a few words in order for
the verse to make sense to us), Dr. Ginsburg’s Hebrew Bible reads with all might and with songs, and cites the
Septuagint and 1Chron. 13:8 to back this up.
This would indicate a possible scribal error here. We might
modernize this somewhat to read: David and all the house of Israel were playing with great intensity before
Jehovah, with songs, lyres, harps, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. No matter how we understand this, it is
apparent that David is celebrating with all Israel with musical instruments, with song and with great fervor.
2Samuel 6:5c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s# none BDB #88 |
kînnôwr (ר ̣) [pronounced kin-NOHR] |
hand-harp, lyre |
masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #3658 BDB #490 |
Translation: ...with lyres,... This appears to be a hand-held harp.
2Samuel 6:5d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s# none BDB #88 |
nêbel (ל∵ב̤נ) [pronounced NAYB-vel] |
a portable harp, lute, guitar |
masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #5035 BDB #614 |
Translation: ...harps,... This is either a portable harp, a lute or a guitar.
2Samuel 6:5e |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s# none BDB #88 |
tôph (ףֹ) [pronounced tohf] |
timbrel, tambourine; it is sort of a drum or tambourine and it is generally held in the hands of dancing women |
masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #8596 BDB #1074 |
Translation: ...timbrels,... These are timbrels or tambourines carried by women and used in song.
2Samuel 6:5f |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s# none BDB #88 |
mane׳ane׳îym (םי.ענ-ענ-מ) [pronounced mahne-ģahn-ĢEEM] |
sistra, castanets, rattles; a percussive instrument which is shaken in order to make music |
masculine plural noun |
Strong’s #4517 BDB #631 |
This picture was taken from the following website:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/sistrum.htm
where there is a great deal of additional information
about it. The sisarum appears to be a percussive
instrument and that site covers this in great detail as an
Egyptian musical instrument. James Freeman also
covers this instrument in Manners and Customs of the
Bible; reprinted in 1972 by Logos International; p. 143.Translation: ...castanets [or, sistrums]... These are also percussive instruments which are carried and they are shaken in order to make music (like castanets). I’ve read in one place where they are wooden and in another where they are metal.
Taken from:http://alp.dillingen.de/faecher/kunstundtheater/galerie/Klangobjekte/Sistrum.jpg
and these might be a more accurate picture of the sistrums used at this celebration. 2Samuel 6:5g |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely; when; since, that, so that; though |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, through; at, by, near, on, upon; with, before, against; by means of; among; within </ | ||
