2 Samuel 6:3

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.

a. NLT: 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,

b. NIV: 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

c. YLT: And they cause the ark of God to ride on a new cart, and lift it up from the house of Abinadab, which is in the height, and Uzzah and Ahio sons of Abinadab are leading the new cart;

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it ^a]out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

e. Septuagint: 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.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: They placed the Ark upon a new wagon and carried it from the house of Abinadab which was in Gibeah. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, guided the wagon.

1. “And they set the ark of God upon a new cart…”

a. And thy set [7392 * rakab] [Strong: a primitive root; to ride (on an animal or in a vehicle); causatively, to place upon (for riding or generally), to despatch:--bring (on (horse-)back), carry, get (oneself) up, on (horse-)back, put, (cause to, make to) ride (in a chariot, on, -r), set.]

b. the ark [727 * 'arown; or laron] [Strong: from 717 (in the sense of gathering); a box:--ark, chest, coffin.]

c. of God [430 * 'elohiym] [Strong: plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.]

d. upon a new [2319 * chadash] [Strong: from 2318; new:--fresh, new thing.]

e. cart [5699 * `agalah] [Strong: from the same as 5696; something revolving, i.e. a wheeled vehicle:--cart, chariot, wagon]

1). Comparative passage.

a). 1 Chronicles 13:7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

b). As stated previously it is not clear if this family were Levites. It does not really say, but was is said is that, Eleazar, the son that had the responsibility of watching the Ark of the Covenant while it was in the house of Abinadab was not included in the responsibility of transporting the Ark to the city of David.

c). Unger’s states he was a Levite. Note under Abinadab in his Dictionary.

2). This was a clear violation of the Mosaic law, only the Kohathites were to bear the Ark.

a). Numbers 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

b). Spurgeon Devotional Commentary: Here they fell into a grievous error for they neglected the precept of the law which commanded the priests to bear the ark with staves upon their shoulders.  God will be served in his own way and not in ours; the slightest neglect of this rule may lead to serious consequences.

3). In looking at 1 Chronicles 13:1-5 we see that David consulted with every leader. Although the Levites and Priests were included in the gathering, it is not stated if they were consulted. It is clear that somebody dropped the ball. Everybody was in agreement that the Ark should be brought to the city of David, though they were all filled with good intentions they were in disobedience.

a). 1 Chronicles 13:1-5 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.

13:2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:

13:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.

13:4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

13:5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.

4). In the original instructions that God gave to Moses, each of the three Levitical families, the Gershonites, the Merarites and the Kohathites each had their particular responsibilities in regards to the transporting of the Tabernacle. The Gershonites and the Merarites had the responsibility of all the materials of the Tabernacle itself.

a). Numbers 3:25, 26 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,

3:26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.

b ). Numbers 3:36, 37 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,

3:37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.

5). The Kohathites though had the responsibility of the furnishings of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense, the Brazen altar and the Candlestick (Menorah).

a). Numbers 3:31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

6). As noted above the furnishings of the Tabernacle including the Ark was to be carried by the Kohathites, but the rest of the Tabernacle, the enclosure itself with all its materials was to be carried on carts. These instructions were clearly given in Numbers.

a). Numbers 7:1-9 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them;

7:2 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered:

7:3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.

7:4 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.

7:5 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites.

Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service:

7:6 And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

7:7 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

2. “…and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah…”

a. and brought it [5375 * nasa' naw-saw' or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}; a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.]

b. out of [No Hebrew]

c. the house [1004 * bayith] [Strong: probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).]

d. of Abinadab [41 *  'Abiynadab] [Strong: from 1 and 5068; father of generosity (i.e. liberal); Abinadab, the name of four Israelites:--Abinadab.]

e. that was in Gibeah [1390 * Gib`ah] [Strong: the same as 1389; Gibah; the name of three places in Palestine:--Gibeah, the hill.]

1). Only the KJV and the Jewish Stone Edition, have “Gibeah” here. All the others either have “the hill” or “the height”. Looking at a map. Kirjath-Jearim was about 5 miles from the city of Gibeah. Also when the ark was removed from the Philistines by the inhabitants of  Kirjath-Jearim there is mention of a “hill” not Gibeah. It seems reasonable that the citizens of Kirjath-Jearim would bring the ark to their own area not to Gibeah.

a). 1 Samuel 7:1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

3. “…and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.”

 a. and Uzzah [5798 * `Uzza'; or Uzzah] [Strong: feminine of 5797; strength; Uzza or Uzzah, the name of five Israelites:--Uzza, Uzzah.]

b. and Ahio [283 * 'Achyow] [Strong: prolonged from 251; brotherly; Achio, the name of three Israelites:--Ahio.]

c. the sons [1121 * ben] [Strong: from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

d. of Abinadab [41 *  'Abiynadab] [Strong: from 1 and 5068; father of generosity (i.e. liberal); Abinadab, the name of four Israelites:--Abinadab.]

e. drave [5090 * nahag] [Strong: a primitive root; to drive forth (a person, an animal or chariot), i.e. lead, carry away; reflexively, to proceed (i.e. impel or guide oneself); also (from the panting induced by effort), to sigh:--acquaint, bring (away), carry away, drive (away), lead (away, forth), (be) guide, lead (away, forth).]

f. new [2319 * chadash] [Strong: from 2318; new:--fresh, new thing.]

g. cart [5699 * `agalah] [Strong: from the same as 5696; something revolving, i.e. a wheeled vehicle:--cart, chariot, wagon]