So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart. David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day. That day David feared God and asked, "How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?" So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.
David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. And he and all his troops set out for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name—the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. 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, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart, bringing with it the ark of God. And Ahio was walking in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day. That day David feared the LORD and asked, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" So he was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and all his household.
Significance
These parallel accounts detail the ark's transport on a new cart (עֲגָלָה חֲדָשָׁה, agalah chadashah) from Abinadab's house, the outbreak against Uzzah at the threshing floor, and David's fearful decision to divert the ark to Obed-edom's house. The Chronicler specifies that David assembled Israel "from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath" (1 Chr 13:5), broadening the scope of the national gathering beyond Samuel's "chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all." Both accounts stress the celebratory mood before the disaster — "all kinds of wood instruments" (2 Sam 6:5) and rejoicing — making Uzzah's death a shocking rupture. The episode teaches that proper worship requires adherence to God's prescribed methods, a lesson the Chronicler makes explicit when David later says that "the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order" (1 Chr 15:13).
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s)
Redemptive-Historical Progression — parallel retelling of the new cart, Uzzah's death, and the diversion to Obed-edom, which Chronicles then interprets by Torah — "we did not consult Him about the proper order" (1 Chr 15:13); the Samuel account is advanced from raw narrative to instructed history on the road to rightly ordered temple worship.
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