2 Samuel 6
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Samuel 6
Utley - the ark" Notice how this sacred covenant box is named and characterized. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT of God (the Elohim, vv. 3,4,6,7; of YHWH, v. 9) called by the Name of YHWH of hosts who enthroned above the cherubim Notice how "the Name" is emphasized (cf. Deut. 28:10; 1 Kgs. 8:43) capitalized in NASB called "the very name of YHWH of Hosts" This awe and respect due to God's name is seen in the Ten Commandments, Exodus. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; 24:16. 2 Samuel 6:3 And they placed the Ark (aron) of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. BGT 2 Samuel 6:3 καὶ ἐπεβίβασεν τὴν κιβωτὸν κυρίου ἐφ᾽ ἅμαξαν καινὴν καὶ ἦρεν αὐτὴν ἐξ οἴκου Αμιναδαβ τοῦ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ καὶ Οζα καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ υἱοὶ Αμιναδαβ ἦγον τὴν ἅμαξαν LXE 2 Samuel 6:3 And they put the ark of the Lord on a new waggon, and took it out of the house of Aminadab who lived on the hill, and Oza and his brethren the sons of Aminadab drove the waggon with the ark. KJV 2 Samuel 6:3 And 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. NET 2 Samuel 6:3 They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. CSB 2 Samuel 6:3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab's house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart ESV 2 Samuel 6:3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, NIV 2 Samuel 6:3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart NLT 2 Samuel 6:3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's sons, were guiding the cart as it left the house, NRS 2 Samuel 6:3 They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart NJB 2 Samuel 6:3 They transported the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of Abinadab's house which is on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the cart, NAB 2 Samuel 6:3 The ark of God was placed on a new cart and taken away from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, guided the cart, they placed the Ark (aron) of God on a new cart Hebrew literally =. made the ark of God to ride, Nu 4:5-12 Nu 7:9 1Sa 6:7 Related Passage: 1 Samuel 6:7 “Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. Comment - Why did the Philistines get away with putting the ark on a cart? They got away with it because they were ignorant. Light creates responsibility: “To whom much is given; much is required.” Exodus 25:14+ “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. Numbers 4:5-6, 15+ “When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles.....15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. Numbers 3:10, 38+ “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman (UZZAH WAS A LAYMAN) who comes near shall be put to death.”....38 Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death. Psalm 132:8-10+ Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength (NLT = the symbol of your power). 9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your godly ones sing for joy. 10 For the sake of David Your servant, Do not turn away the face of Your anointed. Frank White on The ark of thy strength. - The historical records of the ark are numerous, and deeply interesting. Miracles were often wrought at its presence. At the passage of the Jordan, no sooner were the feet of the priests which bare this holy vessel dipped in the brim of the river, than the waters rose up upon an heap, and the people of God passed over on dry ground—"clean over Jordan": Josh 3:14-17+. At the siege of Jericho, the ark occupied a most prominent position in the daily procession of the tribes around the doomed city. (Josh 6:4+) Poles for Carrying Ark on Shoulders And they placed the Ark (aron) of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart - Note the emphasis on "new cart," so it was at least not an old one which had carried "profane" objects, and therefore might seem satisfactory to transport the Ark. One might reason that God's Ark deserves a new cart, but clearly they are ignorant of the stipulations in Nu 4:5-6+ on how the Ark of God was to be transported. One has to wonder what they were thinking as they saw the rings on the sides of the box and the staves (poles) inserted. And one has to ask how did they place the Ark on the new cart unless they used the poles? Clearly the poles were surely still inserted because this is the only way they could they have transported the Ark to the cart without dying! And had they already forgotten the tragedy that had occurred with mishandling the Ark in 1Sa 6:13-21+ where a number of the men were struck down simply because they gazed at the Ark, forgetting Nu 4:20+ that "they shall not go in to see the holy objects (SEE what men of Beth-shemesh did in 1Sa 6:13+) even for a moment, or they will die.” Finally, Uzzah was a son of Abinadab where the Ark had been housed for probably from 50-70 years (See Note on Time). Had familiarity bred contempt or at least indifference or ignorance (I fear that we are all forgetful people when it comes to the holiness of the LORD)? THOUGHT - It worked for the Philistines so it should be good enough for us! There is a subtle lesson here that believers (churches) need to be very cautious when imitating other programs,etc just because they seem to work. What works is not always God ordained or God pleasing. Too often saints are drawn to a particular movement, a particular personality, a particular popular book, because it seems to work. Too often the church imitates the world by selecting successful men in the world to be their leaders and elders, to the exclusion of the less well known saint who is saturated with God's Word and Spirit and would be exactly the kind of leader/elder the church desperately needs. Just thinking out loud here. Mackintosh - who would have even thought that an Israelite would have deposited the ark of the God of Israel upon a wooden cart to be drawn by oxen. Yet, such is ever the sad effect of departing from the written word to follow human traditions. What's the lesson here? Don't follow the example of the Philistines! (they used a cart) but instead "Read the Directions" before you put it together! The instructions of Ex 25:12–15; Nu 4:5–6, 15, required that the Ark be carried on the shoulders of the Levites (1Ch 15:13–15). “It is not new things we need, but new fire.” --John Wesley Youngblood on sons of Abinadab - If Abinadab had not already died, he was surely an elderly man by this time. It is therefore possible that Uzzah and Ahio were Abinadab’s grandsons rather than his “sons” (v. 3; the Heb. word for “son” often means “grandson,” as in 2Sa 9:9–10; 19:24). (Ibid) Alan Redpath - “We want God’s presence very much, don’t we? But we like to hitch His presence to some of our new carts. We like to add Him to our list of organizations, to load Him on top of the mechanics of a busy life, and then drive. How much of our service is really in the energy of the flesh, I wonder! So often we put forth our hands, but not our hearts.” (Pdf - The Making of a Man of God Life of David) A M Hodgkin comments that "For twenty years the Ark with its mercy-seat, God's appointed meeting-place with His people, was neglected and almost forgotten-- a true picture of a heart out of communion with God. God ordained that the Ark should always be carried on the shoulders of the Levites, but they seem to have thought they could improve on God's plan, and the result of disobedience was death." David Guzik makes an interesting observation - Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart: The meaning of the names of these sons of Abinadab paint a meaningful picture. Uzzah means “strength” and Ahio means “friendly.”. Much service for the LORD is like this—a new cart, a big production, with strength leading and friendly out front—yet all done without inquiring of God or looking to His will. Surely David prayed for God’s blessing on this big production, but he didn’t inquire of God regarding the production itself. This was a good thing done the wrong way. This serious oversight by David also brings into question whether David was obeying the clear instructions for the king in Dt 17:18-20+... Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God (NOTE DAVID'S REACTION IN 2Sa 6:9! TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE AS THEY SAY!), by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel. Ark (0727)(aron means a chest, a box (first use was coffin for Joseph's body - Ge 50:26), a container for funds to repair the Temple in (2 Ki 12:10-11, 2 Chr 24:8, 10-11). It is used most often of the Ark in the Holy of Holies and is first called the Ark of the Covenant in Nu 10:33. Jack Lewis writes "As described in Exodus, Bezaleel made the ark of acacia wood. There were gold rings on the corners through which staves were placed for carrying it (Exodus 25:10-21; Exodus 37:1-9). In size the ark was 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 cubits, and was overlaid inside and out with gold (Exodus 25:11). It was surmounted by the mercy seat (kappōret) and cherubim with outstretched wings. The ark contained the tables of stone with the law (Deut. 10:1-5; Exodus 40:20), a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod which budded (Hebrews 9:4). The Damascus Document, fragments of which were found at Qumran, has the peculiar tradition that a copy of the Law was in the ark and it was sealed, which explains why David had not read it! (C.D.C. 5, 3). The ark was set in the most holy place in the tabernacle. In the wilderness the ark was carried by the Levites (Deut. 10:8) before the line of march. A liturgical formula was recited when it was transported (Numbers 10:35-36). The ark was prominent at the crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3-4) and in the capture of Jericho (Joshua 6-7). It was at Gilgal (Joshua 7:6), Shechem (Joshua 8:33), Bethel (Judges 20:27-28), and later Shiloh (1 Samuel 3:3). It was carried into battle against the Philistines at Aphek. They captured it (1 Samuel 4:3-11) but it caused plagues in the Philistine cities (1 Samuel 6:3-4). It was returned to Israel and for twenty years remained in the house of Abinadab at Kiriath jearim. Finally David brought it up to Jerusalem (1Sa 7:1-2; 2 Samuel 6:1ff.; Ps 132:8). Helping move the ark, Uzzah fell dead for touching it (2 Samuel 6:6-11). After that incident, it remained three months at the house of Obed edom. Later it was carried on a military expedition against the Ammonites (on one interpretation of 2 Samuel 11:11), but it remained in Jerusalem at Absalom's revolt (2 Samuel 15:24f.). Solomon placed it in the holy of holies of the temple (1 Kings 8). The ultimate fate of the ark is a mystery. Jeremiah 3:16-17 may imply its existence as late as the time of Nebuchadnezzar. It was the subject of later Jewish legend (2 Macc. 2:4f.; T. Sota 13:1; The Lives of the Prophets, ed. Torrey, I, p. 36). There was no ark in either Zerubbabel's or Herod's temple (cf. Josephus, Wars 5.5.5). Often designated "the ark" (hā-ʾārôn), it is also "the ark of the Lord" (Joshua 4:11, etc.) and "the ark of God" (1 Samuel 3:3, etc.). It is called "the ark of the God of Israel" by the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:2-11, etc.). The ark is most often "the ark of the covenant" (’ārôn habberît, Numbers 10:33, etc., 184 times), "the ark of the testimony" (ʾārôn ha-ʿēdût, Exodus 25:22, etc.; 13 times); "the ark of thy might" (Psalm 132:8), and once "the holy ark" (ʾārôn haqqōdesh; 2 Chron. 35:3). (See Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) 2 Samuel 6:4 So they brought it with the Ark (aron) of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. GT 2 Samuel 6:4 σὺν τῇ κιβωτῷ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπορεύοντο ἔμπροσθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ LXE 2 Samuel 6:4 And his brethren went before the ark. KJV 2 Samuel 6:4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. NET 2 Samuel 6:4 They brought it with the ark of God up from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, CSB 2 Samuel 6:4 and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab's house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. ESV 2 Samuel 6:4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. NIV 2 Samuel 6:4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. NLT 2 Samuel 6:4 carrying the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. NRS 2 Samuel 6:4 with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. 1Sa 7:1,2 1Ch 13:7 Related Passages: 1 Chronicles 13:7+ They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ARK ON NEW CART BOUND FOR JERUSALEM So they brought it with the Ark (aron) of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill - Apparently the Ark was actually in Abinadab's house! And for probably more than 50 years (SEE NOTE ON TIME)! This is crazy! The hill may be significant because it could account for the Ark sliding if they were going up or down an incline. And Ahio was walking ahead of the Ark (aron) - 1Ch 13:7+ says Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.. While the text does not specifically say, the NJB assumes "Uzzah walked alongside the ark of God and Ahio went in front." 2 Samuel 6:5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. BGT 2 Samuel 6:5 καὶ Δαυιδ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ παίζοντες ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἐν ὀργάνοις ἡρμοσμένοις ἐν ἰσχύι καὶ ἐν ᾠδαῖς καὶ ἐν κινύραις καὶ ἐν νάβλαις καὶ ἐν τυμπάνοις καὶ ἐν κυμβάλοις καὶ ἐν αὐλοῖς LXE 2 Samuel 6:5 And David and the children of Israel were playing before the Lord on well-tuned instruments mightily, and with songs, and with harps, and with lutes, and with drums, and with cymbals, and with pipes. KJV 2 Samuel 6:5 And 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. NET 2 Samuel 6:5 while David and all Israel were energetically celebrating before the LORD, singing and playing various stringed instruments, tambourines, rattles, and cymbals. CSB 2 Samuel 6:5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. ESV 2 Samuel 6:5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. NIV 2 Samuel 6:5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. NLT 2 Samuel 6:5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments-- lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David: 1Sa 10:5 16:16 2Ki 3:15 1Ch 13:8 15:10-24 Ps 47:5 68:25-27 Ps 150:3-5 Da 3:5,7,10,15 Am 5:23 6:5 Related Passage: 1 Chronicles 13:8+ David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets. DAVID IS CELEBRATING ARK'S RETURN Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals - adds their celebration was intense for it was with all their might. David the sweet psalmist of Israel would soon sound a very off key note, a sad "sour note!" Paul Apple - Premature Response of Exuberant Celebration. Obedience and holy reverence must come first. Then there is appropriate opportunity for exuberant celebration. The Lord cannot accept our worship when it is not in the context of obedience. Youngblood on sistrum (castanets) - The “sistrum,” mentioned only here in the OT, was used widely throughout the ancient Near East, especially in Egypt. It consisted of a handle fitted to “a metal loop with holes through which pieces of wire were inserted and bent at the ends. Since the holes were larger than the wire, the instrument produced a jingling sound when shaken. The Hebrew word comes from a verb which means ‘shake;’ so it is reasonable to suppose that the menaʿanʿim were sistra” (Sellers, 44–45). (Ibid) David
2 Samuel 6
Utley has a very insightful comment on why mention the threshing floor - Grain was placed in piles on hard grounded hills. Animals pulling heavy sleds were dragged over the grain to loosen the husk from the kernel. Then men with wooden forks lifted the grain into the air so that the wind would blow away the husks while the heavier grains fell back to earth. Apparently the oxen veered aside to eat the grains and the new cart almost fell over. Uzzah reached out toward the Ark (aron) of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it (shamat - let it drop) - Uzzah's name ironically means "strength"! NIV is a dynamic paraphrase (some literal, some added words for clarity) and says "because the oxen stumbled." The Septuagint says "because the bullock moved it from its place. (1Ch 13:9 LXE)" In sum, the text clearly implies not only did Uzzah touch the Ark but he actually grasped it, presumably to keep it from sliding off the cart (or at least he thought that was a possibility). To substantiate that he did not just touch it but actually grasped it, the Septuagint uses the verb krateo which means to take into one's possession or forcibly take hold of. The instruction in Nu 4:15+ to "not touch the holy objects and die" uses the verb naga which speaks of physical contact and is translated in the Septuagint with hapto/haptomai which conveys the sense handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon it or upon oneself. In sum, even the Kohathites, who were appointed to carry the Ark, after it was covered by the priests, were forbidden to touch it on pain of death. Uzzah was not a priest and may not have known the Ark was not to be touched by human hands, but there were no exception clauses for Israelites (there was an exception in that He did not kill the Philistines for handling the Ark)! Walter Kaiser - 6:6–7 Why Did God Destroy Uzzah? Over the years, many have complained that God was unfair to kill Uzzah when he tried to protect the ark of God from damage or shame when the oxen stumbled and the ark slipped. Should not Uzzah have been praised for lunging forward to protect the ark of God? There is no doubt that David’s intentions in bringing the ark to Jerusalem were noble and good. Now that his kingdom was established, he did not forget his earlier vow to return the ark to its rightful place of prominence. But what began as a joyful day quickly became a day of national grief and shame. Why? A significant omission in 2 Samuel 6:1–3 sets the scene for failure. Previously when David needed counsel, for example when he was attacked by the Philistines, the text records that David “inquired of the Lord” (2Sa 5:19, 23). But those words are sadly missing in 2 Samuel 6:1–3. Instead, we are told in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 13:1–14 that David “conferred with each of his officers.” There was no need to consult these men. God had already given clear instructions in Numbers 4:5–6 as to how to move the ark. It should be covered with a veil, to shield the holiness of God from any kind of rash intrusion, and then carried on poles on the shoulders of the Levites (Num 7:9). God had plainly revealed his will, but David had a better idea—one he had learned from the pagan Philistines. He would put it on a “new cart” (2 Sam 6:3). However, God had never said anything about using a new cart. This was a human invention contrary to the will and law of God. Thus David did things in the wrong way, following his own ideas or those of others instead of God’s ways. Surely this passage warns that it is not enough to have a worthy purpose and a proper spirit when we enter into the service of God; God’s work must also be performed in God’s way. Pursuing the right end does not automatically imply using the right means. But why did God’s anger break out against Uzzah if David was at fault? The Lord had plainly taught that even the Kohathites, the Levite family designated to carry the ark, “must not touch the holy things or they will die” (Num 4:15). Even if Uzzah were not a Kohathite or even a Levite, he still would know what the law taught in Numbers 4 and 7. God not only keeps his promises, but also fulfills his threats! When the Philistines, who had no access to the special revelation of God, sinned by touching the ark and using a new cart to transport it, God’s anger did not burn against them (1 Sam 6). God is more merciful toward those less knowledgeable of his will than toward those who are more knowledgeable. This is why it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than it will be for those who personally witnessed the great acts of the Savior in Capernaum (Mt 11:23–24). Uzzah’s motive, like David’s, was pure, but he disregarded the written Word of God, just as David did. Thus one sin led to another. Consulting one’s peers is no substitute for obeying God when he has spoken. Good intentions, with unsanctified minds, interfere with the kingdom of God. This is especially true of the worship of God and the concept of his holiness. Because God is holy, he is free of all moral imperfections. To help mortals understand this better, a sharp line of demarcation was drawn between holy things and the common or profane. Our word profane means “before” or “forth from the temple.” Thus all that was apart from the temple, where the holiness of God was linked, was by definition profane. However, Uzzah’s act made the holiness associated with the ark also profane and thereby brought disrepute to God as well. It is unthinkable that God could condone a confusion or a diffusion of the sacred and the profane. To take something holy and inject into it the realm of the profane was to confuse the orders of God. Thus in 1 Samuel 6:19 seventy men of Beth Shemesh were killed for peering into the ark. The situation with Uzzah can be contrasted with that of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 6:9. These uncircumcised Gentiles also handled the ark of God as they carted it from city to city in what is now called the Gaza Strip, as they did when they prepared to send the ark back home to Israel on a cart. But where the knowledge of holy things had not been taught, the responsibility to act differently was not as high as it was for Uzzah, who should have known better. In fact, in order to determine if the calamities that had struck each of the cities where the ark had gone (a calamity that was almost certainly an outbreak of the bubonic plague) was merely a chance happening unrelated to any divine wrath from the God of Israel, the Philistines rigged up an experiment that was totally against the grain of nature. They took two cows that had just borne calves, penned up the calves, and hitched these cows, who had never previously been hitched to a cart, to a new cart, and watched to see if against every maternal instinct in the animal kingdom the cows would be directed back to the territory of the Philistines. They were. The Philistines were convinced that what happened to them in the outbreak in each city during the seven months when the ark of God was in their midst was no chance or freak accident at all: it was the hand of God! And they had better not harden their hearts as the Egyptians did years ago (1 Sam 6:6). The Philistines had enough sense for the holiness of God to use a new cart and to send back offerings of reparation, to the degree that they had any knowledge, but they were not judged for what they did not know about the distinction between the sacred and the common. Another case of trivializing that which is holy can be seen in the brief reference to Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire on the altar of God (Lev 10:1–3). It is impossible to say whether the two sons of Aaron, the high priest, erred in the manner in which they lighted their fire-pans, the timing, or in the place of the offering. The connection with strong drink and the possibility of intoxication cannot be ruled out, given the proximity and discussion of that matter in the same context (Lev 10:8–11). If that was the problem, then the drink may have impeded the sons’ ability to think and to act responsibly in a task that called for the highest degree of alertness, caution and sensitivity. The offense, however, was no trivial matter. Nor was it accidental. There was some reversal of everything that had been taught, and what had been intended to be most holy and sacred was suddenly trivialized so as to make it common, trite and secular. Exodus 30:9 had warned that there was to be no “other incense” offered on the altar to the Lord. From the phrase at the end of Leviticus 10:1, “which he did not command them” (literal translation), what was done was a clear violation of God’s command. As a result fire comes from the presence of the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu. Again, the fact that they are ministers of God makes them doubly accountable and responsible. Moses then used this as an occasion to teach a powerful lesson on the holiness and worship of God (Lev 10:3). (Page 192 Hard Sayings of the Bible) QUESTION - Why did God strike Uzzah dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant? Watch the associated video. ANSWER - The story of Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant is found in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12. As the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a man named Uzzah took hold of the ark. God’s anger burned against Uzzah and He struck him down and he died. Uzzah’s punishment does appear to be extreme for what we might consider to be a good deed. However, there are the reasons why God took such severe action. First, God had given Moses and Aaron specific instructions about the Tent of Meeting and the movement of the Ark of the Covenant. "After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 4:15). No matter how innocently it was done, touching the ark was in direct violation of God’s law and was to result in death. This was a means of preserving the sense of God’s holiness and the fear of drawing near to Him without appropriate preparation. Notice how David took men with him to collect the ark, rather than allowing the Levites to bring it to him. That was a great mistake, since it ought never to have been put upon a cart, old or new. It was to be borne upon men’s shoulders, and carried by Levites only, and those of the family of Kohath (Exodus 25:12-14; Numbers 7:9), using the poles prescribed. Failing to follow God’s precise instructions would be seen as (a) not revering God’s words when He spoke them through those such as Moses, whom He had appointed; (b) having an independent attitude that might border on rebellion, i.e., seeing and acting on things from a worldly, rather than a spiritual, perspective; or (c) disobedience. Second, the ark had stayed for a period of time at Abinadab’s house (2 Samuel 6:3), where his sons, Uzzah and Ahio, may well have become accustomed to its presence. There’s an old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt,” that could apply in this case. Uzzah, having been around the ark in his own home, could very likely forget the holiness that it represented. There are times when we, too, fail to recognize the holiness of God, becoming too familiar with Him with an irreverent attitude. Third, the account tells us the oxen stumbled. The cart didn’t fall and neither did the Ark, just as the boat carrying Jesus and the disciples rocked fiercely in the storm, though it wasn’t necessarily in danger of sinking (Matthew 8:24-27). And yet, just as with the disciples who failed to put their faith in their Master, Uzzah, for a moment, felt it was his responsibility to save the integrity of God, and that our almighty God somehow needed Uzzah’s assistance. He presumed that, without his intervention, God’s presence would be dealt a blow. As Job asks, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?” (Job 11:7). “His greatness no one can fathom” (Psalm 145:3). “His understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28). Moses lost his right to enter the promised land because he felt his intervention was needed when he struck the rock, instead of speaking to it as God had commanded (Numbers 20:7-12). We need to listen carefully to what God has to say to us, and in obedience strive to do all He commands. Yes, God is loving and merciful, but He is also holy and He defends His holiness with His power, and affronts to His holiness sometimes bring about His holy wrath. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Something of God’s presence in the Ark of the Covenant seems to be lost in the church today. In the time of Moses, the people knew the awesomeness of God’s absolute holiness. They had witnessed great miracles when the ark was with them. They respected that God’s ways and thoughts are much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). In truth, the more we try to bring God down to our worldly way of thinking or reasoning, the further away He will seem to us. Those who would draw near to God and have Him draw near to them are those who approach Him in reverence and holy fear. Uzzah forgot that lesson, and the consequences were tragic.GotQuestions.org 2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the Ark (aron) of God. BGT 2 Samuel 6:7 καὶ ἐθυμώθη κύριος τῷ Οζα καὶ ἔπαισεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ ὁ θεός καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἐκεῖ παρὰ τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ κυρίου ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ LXE 2 Samuel 6:7 And the Lord was very angry with Oza; and God smote him there: and he died there by the ark of the Lord before God. KJV 2 Samuel 6:7 And 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. NET 2 Samuel 6:7 The LORD was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him on the spot for his negligence. He died right there beside the ark of God. CSB 2 Samuel 6:7 Then the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. ESV 2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. NIV 2 Samuel 6:7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. NLT 2 Samuel 6:7 Then the LORD's anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God. God smote: Lev 10:1-3 1Sa 6:19 1Ch 13:10 15:2,13 1Co 11:30-32 error: or, rashness Related Passages: 1 Chronicles 13:10 The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. Exodus 25:14 “You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. Numbers 4:5; 15; 20 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry....15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.....20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.” 1 Samuel 6:19; 20 He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 The men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?” Exodus 19:22; 24 “Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” (19:24) Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them.” 1 Chronicles 14:11 So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim. SHAZAM! THE BURNING ANGER OF YAWHEH And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence and he died there by the Ark (aron)of God - The writer explains the reason Yahweh's anger burned and He killed Uzzah was because of his irreverence (NET "negligence" ESV - "error" NJB - "crime", NJB = "this crime" REV ="his imprudent action" JPSOA, Targums = "his indiscretion") The parallel in 1Ch 13:10 says God was angry David
2 Samuel 6
Utley on Obed-edom the Gittite - This is probably the Levite mentioned in 1 Chr. 15:18,21, a descendant of Merarite. He is called a "Gittite" because he was from Gath (cf. Josh. 21:25). QUESTION - Who was Obed-Edom in the Bible? ANSWER - Obed-Edom was a man from the tribe of Levi. We first read about Obed-Edom in 2 Samuel 6:10 when David was bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem for a more permanent resting place. The ark had been in the home of Abinadab and his sons Eleazar, Uzzah, and Ahio for many years since being captured by the Philistines and returned to Israel (1 Samuel 5:1; 7:1–2). David and thirty thousand men arrived at Abinadab’s house to escort the ark to Jerusalem. The problems began when they placed the ark on a cart drawn by oxen instead of transporting it on the shoulders of the Levites as God had instructed in Numbers 7:9. It may have been that in the excitement David forgot the instruction about its transport. But, whatever the reason, Uzzah, Ahio and all David’s men were joyfully transporting the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem on a cart when the oxen stumbled. Fearing the ark was about to slide off, Uzzah reached out to steady it. When his hand touched the ark, the “the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:7). While this punishment may seem extreme to us, the Israelites had been warned for centuries that the ark of the covenant was holy to the Lord. Only Levites could carry it, only high priests could minister before it, and no one was to look inside it (Exodus 40:20–21; Numbers 4:15; 1 Samuel 6:19). David was angry over this incident and became afraid of the Lord, refusing to take the ark to Jerusalem himself. Instead of completing the journey to Jerusalem with the ark, David placed the ark in the home of a man named Obed-Edom the Gittite, and it remained there for three months (2 Samuel 6:10–11). During the three months that the ark was in the possession of Obed-Edom, the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household (1 Chronicles 13:13–14). We can infer from this that Obed-Edom was a God-fearing man and showed proper reverence for the ark, unlike Uzzah who may have become overly familiar with it while it remained in his father’s house for twenty years. Despite knowing about Uzzah’s fate, Obed-Edom welcomed the ark and seemed to have no misgivings. Indeed, as a godly man, Obed-Edom had nothing to fear: “The righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). It could be that he viewed having the ark in his home as a high honor rather than a nuisance, and God rewarded his attitude. When King David saw that God had blessed rather than cursed Obed-Edom, his fear of transporting the ark dissipated and he went once again to retrieve the ark (1 Chronicles 15:25). This time he did according to God’s law and brought Levites to carry the ark on their shoulders. He also showed utmost respect for the ark: “When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf” (2 Samuel 6:13). One of the ways God blessed Obed-Edom was in giving him many sons—eight to be exact. First Chronicles 26:4–6 lists them and their own sons, along with their father, as gatekeepers in God’s temple. Obed-Edom named each of his sons in honor of God’s blessing on his household. For example, he named one son Jehozabad (“The Lord Has Given”) and another Issachar (“Reward”). Obed-Edom had sixty-two strong male heirs, and it appears that all were faithful to the Lord. Although his was a minor role in Scripture, Obed-Edom is an example to us that God is fully aware of those whose hearts are wholly His (2 Chronicles 16:9), and He delights to bless those who honor Him (see 1 Samuel 2:30).GotQuestions.org 2 Samuel 6:11 Thus the Ark (aron) of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. BGT 2 Samuel 6:11 καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ κυρίου εἰς οἶκον Αβεδδαρα τοῦ Γεθθαίου μῆνας τρεῖς καὶ εὐλόγησεν κύριος ὅλον τὸν οἶκον Αβεδδαρα καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ LXE 2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the Lord lodged in the house of Abeddara the Gethite three months, and the Lord blessed all the house of Abeddara, and all his possessions. KJV 2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household. NET 2 Samuel 6:11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his family. CSB 2 Samuel 6:11 The ark of the LORD remained in his house three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his whole family. ESV 2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. NIV 2 Samuel 6:11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household. NLT 2 Samuel 6:11 The Ark of the LORD remained there in Obed-edom's house for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household. the Lord blessed: Ge 30:27 39:5,23 Pr 3:9,10 Mal 3:10 THE BLESSING OF OBED-EDOM Thus the Ark (aron) of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household - Was David afraid of the LORD all 3 months? We can't say, but the next verse shows the blessing blunted his former fear. John
2 Samuel 6
Utley on leaping - This is a rare VERB (BDB 808 II, KB 921, Piel PARTICIPLE) which denoted agility and here, excited dancing. Davis points out: “The removal of the ark to Jerusalem was no small affair in the eyes of David. He was overwhelmed with emotion, as he thought of the spiritual and practical implications of its presence in Jerusalem. The evidence of his joy is witnessed in the fact that he ‘danced before the Lord with all his might.’ The Hebrew word for ‘danced’ is a word which literally means ‘to whirl’ or ‘to whirl around.’ While the occasion was a thrilling one for David, it was somewhat less than that for David’s wife Michal.” (Borrow The Birth of a Kingdom : Studies in I-II Samuel and I Kings 1-11)