2 Samuel 6:1

1 Forsooth David gathered again all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. (Then David gathered together all the chosen, or all the best, out of Israel, yea, thirty thousand men.)

2 Samuel 6:1 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 6:1

Again, David gathered together all [the] chosen [men] of
Israel, thirty thousand.
] Which was done by the advice of his officers, ( 1 Chronicles 13:1 ) ; the word "again" refers either to the gathering of them when they made him king in Hebron, as the Jewish writers generally observe; but then they gathered themselves, and not David: or rather to his gathering them to fight the Philistines a little while ago; and as they were the choice and young men that were gathered for war, as being the fittest, so now to fetch up the ark with dancing and singing, and to protect it; the Septuagint version says they were about seventy thousand; but the Targum, Syriac, and Arabic versions, have thirty thousand, agreeably to the Hebrew text.

2 Samuel 6:1 In-Context

1 Forsooth David gathered again all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. (Then David gathered together all the chosen, or all the best, out of Israel, yea, thirty thousand men.)

2 And David rose, and went, and all the people that was with him of the men of Judah, to bring the ark of God, on which the name of the Lord of hosts, sitting in cherubim on that ark, was called. (And David rose up, and then he, and all the people who were with him, went to Baalath in Judah, to bring back from there the Ark of God, which beareth the name of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned upon, or above, the cherubim.)

3 And they putted the ark of God on a new wain, and they took it from the house of Abinadab, that was in Gibeah (And they put the Ark of God on a new wagon, and they took it from Abinadab's house, which was on the hill). And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new wain.

4 And when they had taken it from the house of Abinadab, that was in Gibeah, and kept the ark of God, Ahio went before the ark. (And so they took it from Abinadab's house, which was on the hill, who had kept the Ark of God safe; and Ahio went before the Ark.)

5 And David and all Israel played before the Lord, in all treen instruments of melody, and in harps, and citoles, and tympans, and trumps, and cymbals. (And David and all Israel played music before the Lord, on all the wooden instruments, and on harps, and lutes, and drums, or tambourines, and trumpets, and cymbals.)