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2 Samuel 6

KJV · Chapter 6/24

1Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

2And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

3And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

4And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

5And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

6And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

7And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

8And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perez–uzzah to this day.

9And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?

10So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed–edom the Gittite.

11And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed–edom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obed–edom, and all his household.

12And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed–edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed–edom into the city of David with gladness.

13And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

14And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

16And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

17And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

18And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

19And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

20Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

21And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.

22And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

23Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David brings the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Along the way, Uzzah touches the ark to steady it and dies instantly, frightening David, who leaves the ark in the house of Obed-Edom for three months before finally bringing it into the city with great celebration.

Explanation

The ark represented God's presence among the people, and there were specific instructions for how it was to be carried (with poles, borne by Levite priests, never touched directly — see Numbers 4). Uzzah's death, though disturbing, teaches that God's holiness is not something to be handled casually, even with good intentions. When David finally follows the correct procedure, the celebration is enormous. Michal's contempt for David's exuberant dancing shows the tension between genuine devotion and social appearances — David chooses to honor God even at the risk of his royal dignity.

Fun facts

  • According to 1 Chronicles 15, the reason for Uzzah's death was precisely the improper transport of the ark on an ox cart (as the Philistines had done) instead of it being carried on the shoulders of Levites, as God had commanded.
  • Michal, Saul's daughter and David's first wife, never had children — a detail Jewish tradition interprets as a consequence of her contempt for David's exuberant worship.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Samuel 6:1David again gathers the best men of Israel, about thirty thousand, for an important mission that follows.
  2. 2 Samuel 6:2David sets out with the people to bring back the ark of God, the symbol of the presence of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.
  3. 2 Samuel 6:3The ark is set on a new cart and brought out of the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drive the cart.
  4. 2 Samuel 6:4As the cart carries the ark out of Abinadab’s house, Ahio walks in front of it.
  5. 2 Samuel 6:5David and all the house of Israel celebrate before the LORD with every kind of instrument: harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets, and cymbals.
  6. 2 Samuel 6:6The ark was meant to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites by fixed poles, never touched directly or hauled on an ox-drawn cart—Uzzah is struck down precisely for touching it to steady it, breaking that rule in the middle of the journey, even with good intentions.
  7. 2 Samuel 6:7The anger of the LORD burns against Uzzah for this act, and he dies right there, beside the ark.
  8. 2 Samuel 6:8David is displeased over Uzzah’s death and calls that place Perez-uzzah, a name that remained to the day the text was written.
  9. 2 Samuel 6:9After what happened, David becomes afraid of the LORD and wonders whether he should really bring the ark near himself.
  10. 2 Samuel 6:10David decides not to bring the ark to the city of David for now, and leaves it at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
  11. 2 Samuel 6:11The ark stays three months at the house of Obed-edom, and the LORD blesses him and his whole household because of it.
  12. 2 Samuel 6:12On hearing that Obed-edom was blessed because of the ark, David decides at last to bring it up to the city of David, this time with joy.
  13. 2 Samuel 6:13As soon as those carrying the ark have gone six paces, David offers sacrifices of oxen and fatlings, marking the solemnity of the moment.
  14. 2 Samuel 6:14David dances, girded with “a linen ephod,” a garment normally worn by priests, rather than royal robes—a king dancing half-dressed before the people, without the usual symbols of power, is what shocks Michal later on.
  15. 2 Samuel 6:15David and all Israel bring up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
  16. 2 Samuel 6:16Watching David leaping and dancing before the LORD through the window, Michal, Saul’s daughter, despises him in her heart.
  17. 2 Samuel 6:17The ark is set in the tent David had pitched for it, and he offers burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
  18. 2 Samuel 6:18After offering the sacrifices, David blesses all the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
  19. 2 Samuel 6:19David gives every person in the crowd, men and women alike, a loaf of bread, a good piece of meat, and a cake of raisins, before everyone heads home.
  20. 2 Samuel 6:20Michal goes out to meet David, mocking him for dancing like “one of the vain fellows” in front of the servants’ eyes—to her, a king should keep up appearances; to David, joy before God mattered more than image.
  21. 2 Samuel 6:21David answers Michal that it was before the LORD he danced, the LORD who chose him over her father to be ruler over His people Israel—for him, the joy was before God, not a matter of royal image.
  22. 2 Samuel 6:22David goes further, saying he is willing to make himself even more lightly esteemed in his own eyes, and that it is precisely by the servants Michal mentioned that he would be held in honor.
  23. 2 Samuel 6:23The text closes Michal’s story by saying she had no child to the day of her death—without explaining whether this is a direct punishment for despising David or simply the natural result of a marriage that had by then gone cold; scholars read it differently.

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