2 Samuel 6:9

2 Samuel 6:9

And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

a. NLT: David was now afraid of the LORD, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the LORD back into my care?”

b. NIV: David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?”

c. YLT: and David feareth Jehovah on that day, and saith, 'How doth the ark of Jehovah come in unto me?'

d. Amplified Bible Classic:  David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, How can the ark of the Lord come to me?

e. Septuagint: And David feared the Lord in that day, saying, How shall the ark of the Lord come in to me?

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: David feared HASHEM on that day, and he said, “How can the Ark of HASHEM come to me?”

1. “And David was afraid of the LORD that day…”

a. David [1732 * David; rarely (fully); Daviyd] [Strong: from the same as 1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse:--David.]

b. was afraid [3372 * yare’] [Strong: a primitive root; to fear; morally, to revere; caus. to frighten:--affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).] [Gesenius: to fear, revere, be afraid, to fear, be afraid, to stand in awe of, be awed, to fear, reverence, honour, respect, to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared, to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe, to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe, to make afraid, terrify.]

1). I do not believe that this was just reverential fear David was experiencing. He was afraid, shocked and in awe because a man was struck dead by God in front of his eyes. The writer of Psalm 119 wrote of this kind of fear. The same Hebrew word for afraid is used.

a). Psalm 119:120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

2). Moses also spoke of this kind of fear.

a). Hebrews 12:18-21 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

12:19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

12:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

c. of the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

d. that day [3117 * yowm] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, + chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.]

2. “…and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?”

a. and said [559 * 'amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

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

c. come to me [935 * bow'] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

1). Why David did not enquire of the LORD about this is probably because of what just happened. He was in shock, he was in fear and that probably kept him from immediately enquiring of the LORD. He eventually did so.