As we have seen, the Chronicler has no interest in chronological order. He's wandering through time and space. Now he jumps ahead from David's years as a guerilla leader to the early years of his kingship, skipping entirely over the theft of the Ark by the Philistines, its recovery (a tale involving golden hemorrhoids, as you may recall), and David's ascension to the throne, to David's decision to move the Ark to Jerusalem from Kiriath Jearim, where it happened to land after the Philistines sent it back. This chapter is largely derived from 2 Samuel 6, either with some light rewriting, or based on an alternative version of the original. David is as nonplussed as you will likely be that God decides to kill Uzzah for reaching out to prevent the Ark from falling over, which seems to have been an appropriate reaction.
Minor contradictions with the canonical version of 2 Samuel 6 include the name of the threshing floor where Yahweh wacked Uzzah (Chidon vs. Nachon), and the size of David's entourage when he went to recover the Ark (30,000 chosen men in Samuel vs. all of Israel in Chronicles). Some of the language, however, is identical.
13 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of[a] it[b] during the reign of Saul.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.
5 So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6 David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (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.
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
11 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[c]
12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” 13 He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 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 had.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 13:3 Or we neglected
- 1 Chronicles 13:3 Or him
- 1 Chronicles 13:11 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.
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