וַיִּוָּעַץ דָּוִיד עִם־שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת לְכָל־נָגִיד׃   13:1

1Chr. 13:1   And David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, according to every leader.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לְכֹל קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־עֲלֵיכֶם טוֹב וּמִן־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִפְרְצָה נִשְׁלְחָה עַל־אַחֵינוּ   13:2

הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בְּכֹל אַרְצוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעִמָּהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּעָרֵי מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם וְיִקָּבְצוּ אֵלֵינוּ׃

1Chr. 13:2   And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it is good to you and it is from the Lord, our God, let us go abroad; let us send out to our brethren remaining in all the regions of Israel, and with them the priests and the Levites in the towns of their open lands that they gather themselves to us.”

וְנָסֵבָּה אֶת־אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֵלֵינוּ כִּי־לֹא דְרַשְׁנֻהוּ בִּימֵי שָׁאוּל׃   13:3

1Chr. 13:3   “Then we will bring back to us the ark of our God, of which we did not inquire in the days of Saul.”

וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָל־הַקָּהָל לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן כִּי־יָשַׁר הַדָּבָר בְּעֵינֵי כָל־הָעָם׃   13:4

1Chr. 13:4   And the entire assembly promised to do so, for the matter was right in the eyes of all the people.

וַיַּקְהֵל דָּוִיד אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־שִׁיחוֹר מִצְרַיִם וְעַד־לְבוֹא חֲמָת לְהָבִיא אֶת־אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים   13:5

 מִקִּרְיַת יְעָרִים׃

1Chr. 13:5   So David gathered all Israel, from the river Shihor of Egypt and up to the going in of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

וַיַּעַל דָּוִיד וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲלָתָה אֶל־קִרְיַת יְעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה לְהַעֲלוֹת מִשָּׁם אֵת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים   13:6

 יְהוָה יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָא שֵׁם׃

1Chr. 13:6   And David went up with all Israel to Baalah, to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, Who is called the Name, the Lord having set the cherubim.

וַיַּרְכִּיבוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עַל־עֲגָלָה חֲדָשָׁה מִבֵּית אֲבִינָדָב וְעֻזָּא וְאַחְיוֹ נֹהֲגִים בָּעֲגָלָה׃   13:7

1Chr. 13:7   They mounted the ark of God onto a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving on the cart.

וְדָוִיד וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל מְשַׂחֲקִים לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים בְּכָל־עֹז וּבְשִׁירִים וּבְכִנֹּרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבְתֻפִּים   13:8

  וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצֹצְרוֹת׃

1Chr. 13:8   And David and all Israel were playing before God with total strength, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־גֹּרֶן כִּידֹן וַיִּשְׁלַח עֻזָּא אֶת־יָדוֹ לֶאֱחֹז אֶת־הָאָרוֹן כִּי שָׁמְטוּ הַבָּקָר׃   13:9

1Chr. 13:9   As they came up to the threshing floor of Chidon, then Uzza stretched out his hand to grasp the ark, when the oxen had stumbled.

These events were first recorded in 2Sam. 6:6.

וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהוָה בְּעֻזָּא וַיַּכֵּהוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח יָדוֹ עַל־הָאָרוֹן וַיָּמָת שָׁם לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים׃   13:10

1Chr. 13:10   And the anger of the Lord was kindled at Uzza, and He smote him because he had stretched out his hand upon the ark, and he died there before God.

וַיִּחַר לְדָוִיד כִּי־פָרַץ יְהוָה פֶּרֶץ בְּעֻזָּא וַיִּקְרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא פֶּרֶץ עֻזָּא עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃   13:11

1Chr. 13:11   And David's [anger] was kindled that the Lord had broken out a bursting forth at Uzza, so the name of Perez-uzza was given to that place until this day.

Strange!  The Hebrew for the word anger is missing from the text of the scripture, and has to be assumed.  So David’s anger was kindled?  At whom?  The Lord?  Or himself?  No way to know, except that the next verse may contain the clue we need to answer this question.  David now feared the Lord, and frustratingly questioned his own judgment on recovering the ark.  This must be a new development for him.  Until now he had revered the Lord and assumed He was with him.  So I suspect his anger was directed toward himself.  Apparently, in his ignorance or neglect of God’s rules in the Torah about the holy ark, he had brought about Uzza’s death.  But let’s wait until Chapter 15 for a more conclusive clue.                                                      [Return to 1Chr. 15:13]

וַיִּירָא דָוִיד אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר הֵיךְ אָבִיא אֵלַי אֵת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים׃   13:12

1Chr. 13:12   And David feared God at that time saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

וְלֹא־הֵסִיר דָּוִיד אֶת־הָאָרוֹן אֵלָיו אֶל־עִיר דָּוִיד וַיַּטֵּהוּ אֶל־בֵּית עֹבֵד־אֱדֹם הַגִּתִּי׃   13:13

1Chr. 13:13   So David did not take away the ark to him to the city of David, but turned it aside to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.

וַיֵּשֶׁב אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עִם־בֵּית עֹבֵד אֱדֹם בְּבֵיתוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים וַיְבָרֶךְ יְהוָה אֶת־בֵּית עֹבֵד־אֱדֹם   13:14

 וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ׃

1Chr. 13:14   And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that was his.

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