2 Samuel 6:5-15

Uzzah and the Ark

5 And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the LORD, with ¹songs^[a] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

6 And when they came to the threshing floor of ²Nacon, Uzzah ³put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and ⁴God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.

8 And David was angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah,^[b] to this day.

9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"

10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside ⁵to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ⁶and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

12 And it was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God."⁷So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ⁸to the city of David with rejoicing.

13 And when ⁹those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, ¹⁰he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.

14 And David ¹¹danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was ¹²wearing a linen ephod.

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

2 Samuel 6:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 6

In this chapter we are told that David fetched the ark from Baale of Judah, with an intent to bring it to his own city, 2Sa 6:1-5; but Uzzah being smitten for his error concerning it, David was displeased, and left it at the house of Obededom, where it remained three months, and proved a blessing to his house, 2Sa 6:6-11; which David hearing of, went and brought it from thence with great expressions of joy before it as it came along, and offered offerings to the Lord at the setting it in its place, and gave gifts to the people, 2Sa 6:12-19; but Michal his wife was displeased with some of his gestures on that occasion, which made some difference between them, and which, on Michal's part, was resented by the Lord himself; for she became barren for it to the time of her death, 2Sa 6:20-23.

Cross References

• 1. [1 Chronicles 13:8]; See Psalms 150:3-5
• 2. [1 Chronicles 13:9]
• 3. [Numbers 4:15; 1 Chronicles 15:2]
• 4. [1 Samuel 6:19]
• 5. [1 Chronicles 15:25]
• 6. 1 Chronicles 26:5
• 7. For ver. 12-19, see 1 Chronicles 15:25 - 16:3
• 8. [1 Kings 8:1]
• 9. [Numbers 4:15; Numbers 7:9; Joshua 3:3; 1 Chronicles 15:2, 15]
• 10. [1 Kings 8:5]
• 11. [Exodus 15:20; Psalms 30:11; Psalms 150:4]
• 12. 1 Samuel 2:18

Footnotes

• [a]. Septuagint, 1 Chronicles 13:8; Hebrew fir trees
• [b]. Perez-uzzah means the bursting forth upon Uzzah