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2 SAMUEL 6

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:1-5
  ¹Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. ³They placed the ark 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. ⁴So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵Meanwhile, 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.

6:1 "all the chosen men" This was an especially chosen group of warriors (cf. 1 Sam. 26:2).

The JPSOA footnote says, "identical with Baalah, another name for Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark had been kept (cf. 1 Sa. 6:21; 1 Chr. 13:6)." Kiriath-jearim was also called "Kiriath-baal" (cf. Josh. 15:9,60; 18:14). Baalah is a FEMININE form and may have been a Canaanite name for Asherah, Astarte, Anath.

It is possible because of 1 Sam. 6:21, that "Baal" (see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 422-428) referred to YHWH's ark being in Kiriath-jearim. The word "baal" means "owner," "master," "lord." Originally it did not denote the male Canaanite fertility god and could be used of YHWH.

▣ "the ark" Notice how this sacred covenant box is named and characterized.

1. of God (the Elohim, vv. 3,4,6,7; of YHWH, v. 9)
2. called by the Name of YHWH of hosts
3. who enthroned above the cherubim

Notice how "the Name" is emphasized (cf. Deut. 28:10; 1 Kgs. 8:43)

1. capitalized in NASB
2. 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.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C. and D.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS

SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHERUBIM

6:3 "they placed it on a new cart" This is exactly what the Philistines did when they returned the captured ark (cf. 1 Sam. 6:7), but the Law of Moses demanded it be carried by Levites (cf. Num. 4:15; Deut. 10:8; 31:9,25,26; 1 Chr. 15:2).

Disobedience always caused problems (i.e., Uzzah's death, cf. 2 Sam. 6:6-8).

▣ "from the house of Abinadab" This is recorded in 1 Sam. 7:1-2.

6:5 "all kinds of instruments" See notes at Psalm 150 online. Israelites were a musical people! JPSOA footnote thinks this is a corrupt text and prefers the parallel in 1 Chr. 13:8, "with all their might and with songs" (i.e., LXX, DSS have this reading here).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:6-11
  ⁶But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. ⁷And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸David became angry because of the Lord's outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹So David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" ¹⁰And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹Thus 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.

6:6 "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.

6:7 No one but Levites could touch (or for that matter, transport) the holy ark of the covenant (cf. Deut. 10:8).

Remember that Deity is described in anthropomorphic language (i.e., anger); the only language humans understand.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE DEITY

The MT has the NOUN (BDB 1016), which has an uncertain meaning.

1. "error" comes from an Aramaic root
2. the Peshitta's translation comes from the parallel in 1 Chr. 13:10
3. "indiscretion" comes from the Aramaic Targums
4. "careless" from Akkadian root (KB 1994, NET)

The UBS Text Project, p. 221, supports the MT with a "B" rating, against (NRSV, Peshitta).

The MT has a VERB and NOUN from the same root.

1. VERB ‒ BDB 829 I, KB 971, Qal PERFECT
2. NOUN ‒ BDB 829

The LXX comes close to the literal phrase. BDB 829 I, #6, has "break out of YHWH in sudden outburst of divine judgment." Some examples:

1. Exod. 19:22,24 ‒ warning of judgment on Mt. Sinai
2. 1 Chr. 14:11 ‒ God breaking out on David's enemies
3. Ps. 60:3 ‒ defeat of Israel's army for sin
4. Ps. 106:29 ‒ judgment because of Israel's sin at Baal-Peor, Num. 25:3

▣ "Perez-uzzah" This is a play on the VERB "break out" (see above). It literally means "the break-through of Uzzah."

6:9 "David was afraid of the Lord that day" What a sad statement. The God who had brought David such peace, power, and was constantly with him, was now an object of fear. Fear, not reverence, brings emotional and physical separation.

David was truly human. His fear is overcome in this context by the divine prosperity of Obed-edom (vv. 11,12).

6:10 "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).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT:6:12-15
  ¹²Now it was told King David, saying, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. ¹³And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

6:13 David moves the ark by bearers (presumably Levites, cf. 1 Chr. 15:2). In addition he sacrificed along the way (again presumably by priests). The word "paces" (BDB 857) may refer metaphorically to specific stations along the way, not every six steps.

The MT has the VERB (BDB 502, KB 500, Pilpel PARTICIPLE; NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 228) which implies a circular motion with the added phrase, "with all his might." It was a dancing outburst of joy! His fear was over!

▣ "wearing an ephod" This was worn by priests. The LXX translates it as "a distinguishing garment." See full note at 1 Chr. 15:27 online.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LINEN

SPECIAL TOPIC: EPHOD

6:15 "shouting" Some scholars think this was their typical war cry but others, singing (v. 5).

▣ "the trumpet" This was the left ram's horn called a shophar (BDB 1051; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 68-69).

SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:16
  ¹⁶Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

6:16 "leaping" This is a rare VERB (BDB 808 II, KB 921, Piel PARTICIPLE) which denoted agility and here, excited dancing.

▣ "she despised him in her heart" One wonders how the love she once expressed to David (cf. 1 Sam. 18:20,28; 19:11-17) had grown cold. Possibly it was her removal from her home with Paltiel (cf. 2 Sam. 3:13-16).

This outburst of anger against David meant they would never have children (cf. v, 23). She became only a figurehead of Saul's family in David's harem.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:17-19
  ¹⁷So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ¹⁹Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.

6:17 "the tent which David had pitched for it" This implies the tabernacle of the wilderness was no longer in existence. It was made of animal skin and fiber. It deteriorated over time. David made a new tent (cf. 1 Chr. 15:1). See full note online at 1 Chr. 15:1.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TABERNACLE OF THE WILDERNESS

▣ "burnt offerings" Often sacrifices were offered in a series (cf. Leviticus 1-7).

SPECIAL TOPIC: BURNT OFFERING

▣ "peace offerings" See SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE OFFERING.

6:18 "he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts" This is exactly what Solomon later did at the dedication of the Temple (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:14-15).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS

6:19 "he distributed. . ." In this period worshipers were often given a food gift. Here

1. cake of bread (BDB 319 CONSTRUCT BDB 530)
2. cake of dates (BDB 80 and BDB 25)
3. cake of raisins (BDB 84 and BDB 25)

These were given to all who attended the event, men and women. It was possibly part of the Peace Offering concept of a communal meal eaten with YHWH. Eating together was a cultural event between friends!

The very helpful series of translator helps from UBS, called Handbook of. . .," p. 744, gives a different possible translation for these worship gifts.

1. loaves of bread
2. cuts of meat (NKJV, NRSV, TEV, REB, Peshitta, Vulgate' Josephus, Antiq. 7.4.2, "with a portion of the sacrifice")
3. some type of dessert

For me this better fits the concept of a shared meal (i.e., Peace Offerings).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 6:20-23
  ²⁰But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!" ²¹So David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord. ²²I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished." ²³Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did David want the ark to be brought into the city of David?
2. Why was the ark so important?
3. In this context what does the word "hosts" mean?
4. Why was bringing the ark on a cart improper?
5. Why did YHWH kill Uzzah?
6. Did David offer sacrifices?

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