2 Samuel 6:9

9 David became fearful of God that day and said, "This Chest is too hot to handle. How can I ever get it back to the City of David?"

2 Samuel 6:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 6:9

And David was afraid of the Lord that day
Lest he should be smitten for his error also, and especially as he had discovered some resentment at the Lord's dealing with Uzzah; when he ought to have been still and quiet, and submitted to the will of God, and owned his justice in it, confessed his own error, and been thankful for his sparing mercy vouchsafed to him:

and said, how shall the ark of the Lord come to me?
the meaning of which is not, how it should be brought to the place provided by him in Jerusalem, now Uzzah was dead, for there were Levites enough to carry it, as they afterwards did; but as signifying that it would be either boldness and presumption in him to do it, since God had shown such a mark of his displeasure at their proceeding, that he might be in doubt whether it was the will of God it should come to him; or as fearing it would be dangerous to him to have it with him, since he might be guilty of such an error, of the same, or like it, that had been committed.

2 Samuel 6:9 In-Context

7 God blazed in anger against Uzzah and struck him hard because he had profaned the Chest. Uzzah died on the spot, right alongside the Chest.

8 Then David got angry because of God's deadly outburst against Uzzah. That place is still called Perez Uzzah (The-Explosion-Against-Uzzah).

9 David became fearful of God that day and said, "This Chest is too hot to handle. How can I ever get it back to the City of David?"

10 He refused to take the Chest of God a step farther. Instead, David removed it off the road and to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

11 The Chest of God stayed at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. And God prospered Obed-Edom and his entire household.