1 Then David had discussions with the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds and with every chief.
2 And David said to all the men of Israel who had come together there, If it seems good to you and if it is the purpose of the Lord our God, let us send to all the rest of our brothers, everywhere in the land of Israel, and to the priests and the Levites in their towns and the country round them, and get them to come together here to us;
3 And let us get back for ourselves the ark of our God: for in the days of Saul we did not go to it for directions.
4 And all the people said they would do so, for it seemed right to them.
5 So David sent for all Israel to come together, from Shihor, the river of Egypt, as far as the way into Hamath, to get the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 And David went up, with all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim in Judah, to get up from there the ark of God, over which the holy Name is named, the name of the Lord whose place is between the winged ones.
7 And they put the ark of God on a new cart, and took it out of the house of Abinadab; and Uzza and Ahio were the drivers of the cart.
8 Then David and all Israel made melody before God with all their strength, with songs and corded instruments of music, and with brass instruments and horns.
9 And when they came to the grain-floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to keep the ark in its place, for the oxen were slipping.
10 And the wrath of the Lord, burning against Uzza, sent destruction on him because he had put his hand on the ark, and death came to him there before God.
11 And David was angry because of the Lord's outburst of wrath against Uzza, and he gave that place the name Perez-uzza, to this day.
12 And so great was David's fear of God that day, that he said, How may I let the ark of God come to me?
13 So David did not let the ark come back to him to the town of David, but had it turned away and put into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
14 And the ark of God was in the house of Obed-edom for three months; and the Lord sent a blessing on the house of Obed-edom and on all he had.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 1 Chronicles 13
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 13 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CHRONICLES 13
The contents of this chapter are the same with 2 Samuel 6:1, only David's consultation with the principal men of Israel concerning the affair herein transacted is premised in the first four verses of this.
And David consulted with the captains of thousands, and hundreds, and with every leader. With the chiliarchs and centurions, and every officer in that large body of armed men in every tribe, who met to make and crown him king: for at that time was this consultation had, and therefore is connected with it; though the affair advised about was not yet done, as Dr. LightfootF8Works, vol. 1. p. 61,62. observes, and was not done until some considerable time afterwards. Advice being taken, the several officers went with their men to their respective countries, to meet again at a certain time and place to put the thing projected into execution; and between this and that time were Hiram's message to David on his accession to the throne, the taking of Jerusalem, and the two battles with the Philistines, as the same writer notes; most of which are recorded before this in the book of Samuel, and follow here.
And David said unto all the congregation of Israel,.... To the above persons, as representatives of it:
if it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God; if it could be thought by them a good and useful thing, and agreeable to the will of God, and would make for his glory:
let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere that are left in all the land of Israel; that were not then present with them, even all the common people; whom David, though king, owns as his brethren; nor is his antitype ashamed to own this relation between him and his people, Hebrews 2:11.
and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs: given to them in the several tribes to dwell in, see 1 Chronicles 6:54,
that they may gather themselves unto us; at a certain time and place appointed.
And let us bring again the ark of our God to us,.... The symbol of the divine Presence, than which nothing was more desirable to David, and he chose to begin his reign overall Israel with it:
for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul; he being indifferent to religion, and careless about it, and the enjoyment of the presence of God, and having direction from him; and the people also content with worship at the tabernacle at Gibeah, though the token of the divine Presence was absent.
And all the congregation said that they would do so,.... They unanimously agreed to the motion:
for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people; they saw the propriety, necessity, and usefulness of it.
So David gathered all Israel together,.... The principal of them, even 30,000 select men, 2 Samuel 6:1.
from Shihor of Egypt; or the Nile of Egypt, as the Targum and other Jewish writers, called Shihor from the blackness of its water, see Jeremiah 2:18 though some think the river Rhinocurura is meant, which both lay to the south of the land of Israel:
even unto the entering of Hamath; which the Targum interprets of Antiochia, which lay to the north of the land; so that this collection of the people was made from south to north, the extreme borders of the land:
to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim; where it then was, and had been a long time, see 1 Samuel 7:1, from hence to the end of the chapter the account is the same with 2 Samuel 6:1, see the notes there; what little variations there are, are there observed. See Gill on 2 Samuel 6:1, 2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Samuel 6:3, 2 Samuel 6:4, 2 Samuel 6:5, 2 Samuel 6:6, 2 Samuel 6:7, 2 Samuel 6:8, 2 Samuel 6:9, 2 Samuel 6:10, 2 Samuel 6:11