1 Chronicles 13

1 Then David [the king of Israel, a leader of God’s people] conferred [discussed, consulted, had discussions] with all his leaders [rulers, commanders, every chief], the commanders [captains, army officers] of hundreds [companies of 100 soldiers] and of thousands [large groups, companies of 1,000 soldiers]. word study 2 And he said to the whole assembly [congregation, gathering] of Israel, “If it seems good [pleasing, acceptable] to you, and if this is of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] our God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], let us send word [a message, an invitation] far and wide to the rest of our brothers [fellow Israelites, kin] in all the land [territory, region] of Israel, and also to the priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] and Levites [descendants of Levi, assistants] in their cities [towns, settlements] and pasturelands [open fields, grazing areas], so that they may join [gather, assemble] us. word study 3 Then let us bring back [return to its rightful place] the ark [a sacred chest] of our God [Elohim, the one supreme Creator], for we did not [neglecting to, failing to] inquire of [seek, ask, or worship] Him in the days [period of time, era] of Saul [Shaul, the desired one, a Benjamite king].” word study 4 And because this proposal [was pleasing] seemed right to all [every single one, the entire congregation] the people [nation, community], the whole assembly [congregation, gathering] agreed [said they would do so, gave their consent] to it [the proposal, the plan]. word study 5 So David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] assembled [gathered, summoned] all Israel [the descendants of Jacob], from the River [Nile, a branch of the Nile in Egypt] Shihor [a river or branch of the Nile, described as dark or murky] in Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] to Lebo-hamath [the entrance of Hamath, a city in Syria], to bring [to go or come, to enter] the ark [a box or chest, the Ark of the Covenant] of God [the one supreme God, Elohim] from Kiriath-jearim [the city of forests, a place in Palestine]. word study 6 David and all [the entire nation of] Israel went up to Baalah [also known as Kiriath-jearim] of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark [a sacred chest] of God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant-keeping God], who is enthroned [sitting in majesty, dwelling] between the cherubim [heavenly guardians, angelic beings]—the ark that is called by the [divine, sacred] Name. word study 7 So they carried the ark [a sacred chest, the Ark of the Covenant] of God [Elohim, the one supreme God] from the house [a dwelling place, the home] of Abinadab [a man who sheltered the ark] on a new [recently created, fresh] cart [a wheeled vehicle, a wagon], with Uzzah [a man of strength] and Ahio [a brother, a leader] guiding [to lead, to direct] the cart [a means of transportation]. word study 8 David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] and all [every single one] the Israelites [descendants of Jacob] were celebrating [playing, making music] before God [Elohim, the one supreme God] with all [every bit of] their might [strength, power], with songs [musical expressions of praise] and on harps [lyres, stringed instruments] and lyres [harp-like instruments], with tambourines [percussion instruments], cymbals [double tinklers], and trumpets [instruments for signaling]. word study 9 When they came [to the point of, as far as] to the threshing floor [an open area for separating grain] of Chidon, Uzzah [meaning strength] reached out and took hold [to grasp, seize] of the ark [a box or chest, the Ark of the Covenant], because the oxen [domesticated cattle] had stumbled [released, let go, or slipped]. word study 10 And the anger [strong displeasure, burning fury] of the LORD [Yehovah, the one true God] burned [was kindled, ignited] against Uzzah [a Levite, meaning strength], and He struck [smote, hit] him down because he had put [laid, placed] his hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share] on the ark [a sacred chest, the Ark of the Covenant]. So he died [passed away, met his end] there [in that place, at that moment] before God [in the presence of the Almighty]. word study 11 Then David [became incensed, was deeply displeased] became angry because the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had burst forth [broken out, made a breach] against Uzzah; so he named that place [the location of the event] Perez-uzzah [the breach of Uzza, a sudden outburst of God’s wrath], as it is called [known, referred to] to this day [until now, as far as this present time]. word study 12 That day [at that specific moment, in that instant] David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] feared [stood in awe of, reverenced] God [Elohim, the one supreme God] and asked, “How [in what way, by what means] can I ever [possibly, in any way] bring [approach, come near to] the ark [a sacred chest, the Ark of the Covenant] of God [the divine Presence] to me [into my presence, before me]?” word study 13 So he did not [refused to, decided against] move the ark [a sacred chest] with him to the City [a fortified town, a place of gathering] of David; instead, he took it aside [turned it away, removed it] to the house [a dwelling place, a family home] of Obed-edom [a faithful servant, a Levite] the Gittite [a person from Gath, a city in Palestine]. word study 14 Thus the ark [a sacred chest] of God [Elohim, the supreme Lord] remained with the family of Obed-edom [a faithful Levite] in his house [dwelling place, home] for three [a period of testing, a season of refinement] months, and the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant-keeping God] blessed [bestowed divine favor, granted prosperity] his household [all that pertains to his family] and everything he owned [all his possessions, his entire estate]. word study