2 Samuel6
English Standard Version
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1 all the men of , .
2 And and with the were with him from to from the of , is by the of the Lord of who on the .
3 And they the of on a and it out of the of , which was on the . And and , the of , were the ,
4 the of , and the .
5 And and the of were the Lord, with and and and and and .
6 And when they to the of , his hand to the of and took of it, for the .
7 And the of the Lord was against , and him down there because of his , and he beside the of .
8 And was because the Lord had . And that is to this .
9 And was of the Lord that , and he , How can the of the Lord to me?
10 So was not to the of the Lord into the of . But to the of the .
11 And the of the Lord in the of the , and the Lord and his .
12 And it was , The Lord has the of and that belongs to him, because of the of . So and the of from the of to the of with .
13 And when those who the of the Lord had , he an and a .
14 And the Lord with his . And was a .
15 So and the of the of the Lord with and with the of the .
16 As the of the Lord into the of , the of of the and and the Lord, and she him in her .
17 And they in the of the Lord and it in its , the that had for it. And and the Lord.
18 And when had the and the , he the in the of the Lord of
19 and the , the of , and , of , a portion of , cake of to each . Then the , to his .
20 And to his . But the of to and , the of himself , himself before the of his ’ , as of the himself!
21 And to , It was the Lord, who me your and his , to me as over , the of the Lord —and I will the Lord.
22 I will make myself yet than , and I will be in your . But by the of you have , by them I shall be held in .
23 And the of no to the of her .
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2 Samuel 6Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 2 Samuel 6. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The ark removed from Kirjath-jearim. (1–5). Uzzah smitten for touching the ark, Obed-edom blessed. (6–11). David brings the ark to Zion. (12–19). Michal's ill conduct. (20–23).
vv1-5
God is present with the souls of his people, when they want the outward tokens of his presence; but now David is settled in the throne, the honour of the ark begins to revive. Let us learn hence, to think and to speak highly of God; and to think and speak honourably of holy ordinances, which are to us as the ark was unto Israel, the tokens of God's presence, Mt 28:20. Christ is our Ark; in and by him God manifests his favour, and accepts our prayers and praises. The ark especially typified Christ and his mediation, in which the name of Jehovah and all his glories are displayed. The priests should have carried the ark upon their shoulders. Philistines may carry the ark in a cart without suffering for it; but if Israelites do so, it is at their peril, because this was not what God appointed.
vv6-11
Uzzah was struck dead for touching the ark. God saw presumption and irreverence in Uzzah's heart. Familiarity, even with that which is most awful, is apt to breed contempt. If it were so great a crime for one to lay hold on the ark of the covenant who had no right to do so, what is it for those to lay claim to the privileges of the covenant that come not up to the terms of it? Obed-edom opened his doors without fear, knowing the ark was a savour of death unto death to those only who treated it wrong. The same hand that punished Uzzah's proud presumption, rewarded Obed-edom's humble boldness. Let none think the worse of the gospel for the judgments on those that reject it, but consider the blessings it brings to all who receive it. Let masters of families be encouraged to keep up religion in their families. It is good to live in a family that entertains the ark, for all about it will fare the better.
vv12-19
It became evident, that happy was the man who had the ark near him. Christ is indeed a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, to those that are disobedient; but to those that believe, he is a Corner-stone, elect, precious, 1Pe 2:6–8. Let us be religious. Is the ark a blessing to others' houses? We may have it, and the blessing of it, without fetching it away from our neighbours. David, at first setting out, offered sacrifices to God. We are likely to speed in our enterprises, when we begin with God, and give diligence to seek peace with him. And we are so unworthy, and our services are so defiled, that all our joy in God must be connected with repentance and faith in the Redeemer's atoning blood. David attended with high expressions of joy. We ought to serve God with our whole body and soul, and with every endowment and power we possess. On this occasion David laid aside his royal robes, and put on a plain linen dress. David prayed with and for the people, and as a prophet, solemnly blessed them in the name of the Lord.
Key Words
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
יָסַף: to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)
אָסַף: to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)
בָּחַר: properly, to try, i.e. (by implication) select
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
שְׁלוֹשִׁים: thirty; or (ordinal) thirtieth
אֶלֶף: hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand
קוּם: to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
יָלַךְ: to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Cross References
2 Samuel 6Parallel account detailing how they carried the ark of God in a new cart from Abinadab's house.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel record of Uzza reaching out his hand at Chidon's (Nachon's) threshingfloor.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account confirming the Lord smote Uzza so that he died before God.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David corrects the error, noting the breach occurred because they did not seek God after the due order.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Law forbidding Levites to touch holy things and commanding them to bear the ark on shoulders.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Statute directing that the service of the sanctuary belonged unto the sons of Kohath upon shoulders.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account recording that the ark remained with Obed-edom three months and was blessed.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel account describing Michal, Saul's daughter, looking through a window and despising David.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallel record of setting the ark in the tent David had pitched.
Supported by JFB
Parallel account of David blessing the people in the name of the Lord after offerings.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel of David distributing bread, meat, and wine to every Israelite.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The Philistines' use of a new cart, which Israel improperly imitated.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Prior fatal divine judgment on the men of Beth-shemesh for looking into the ark irreverently.
Supported by JFB
Parallel account of David's fear and his question of how to bring the ark to him.
Supported by JFB
David declares none ought to carry the ark but the Levites, rectifying the initial error.
Supported by JFB