2 Samuel 6:2

And David arose, and went with all the people that [were] with him,.... The thirty thousand chosen men gathered together, and as many else as chose to go: from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence

And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

With all the people that were with him; with the whole body of the people; for these seem to be a differing party from the thirty thousand now mentioned. See ,2. From Baale of Judah. Quest. How from it, when they went to it; as is evident, both from , and because the ark was there, and to be fetched thence? Answ. Some affirm that the Hebrew preposition mem sometimes signifies to, as . But there is no need of that; for mentions their going to Baalah, and this place mentions their going from it; and the one of these doth manifestly suppose the other; for they went thither, that they might return thence. So the sense is plain, They went from Baale of Judah, to bring (or rather to carry, for the word signifies either) up from thence the ark; whereby it is supposed that they first went thither, which is related . Moreover, this place is commonly called Kirjath-jearim, , and formerly Kirjath-baal, , and Baalah, , and here Baale of Judah; so called because it was in the tribe of Judah, as is evident from , &c. To bring up from thence the ark of God unto Jerusalem, which, in many respects, was fitter for it than Baalah; because this was a more public place, where it would be more observed and regarded; and in the centre of the kingdom, to which they might more easily come from all parts; and the royal city, where it might be always at hand for David to inquire at, as occasion required; and the place which God had allotted for it. Whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts: thus whose belongs not to the ark, but to God; for what follows is not the name of the ark, but of God. The place may well be, and is by some, rendered thus, Upon (or at, or beside, or before) which (ark) the name, even the name of the Lord of hosts, that dwelleth between the cherubims, is called upon; i. e. by or before which they were to present their prayers to God for counsel and succour upon all occasions. And this is mentioned here as the reason why David put himself and his people to so great trouble and charge, because it was to fetch up the choicest treasure which they had, and so the benefit would abundantly recompense the inconvenience.

2 Samuel 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that [were] with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth [between] the cherubims.Ver. 2. From Baale of Judah.] Called also Kirjathbaal, and Kirjathjearim. To bring up from thence the ark of God.] Which in Saul’ s days had been slighted; and was now haply less regarded, because in a private house. That dwelleth between the cherabims.] By the presence not only of his grace, but of his glory also upon earth.

(2) From Baale of Judah.—There is either a textual error here, so that instead of from should be read to, or else the historian is so occupied with his main subject that he omits the mention of the journey to Baale. In Joshua 15:9 and 1 Chronicles 13:6, Baale is said to be another name for Kirjath-jearim. This was the place to which the ark was carried after its removal from Bethshemesh (1 Samuel 7:2), and it had remained here ever since. It has been generally identified with Kuryet-el-enab, about eight miles a little north of west from Jerusalem. More recent opinion places it at ‘Erma, about eleven miles a little south of west from Jerusalem, and four miles east of Bethshemesh. In either case it was three or four hours’ march from the capital. Whose name is called.—Neither the text nor the margin of the English represents the original quite accurately. Translate, which is called by the name, the name of Jehovah of hosts. The ark is thus described as being the visible symbol of God’s presence and of His covenant with His people.

Verse 2. From Baale of Judah] This is supposed to be the same city which, in Joshua 15:60, is called Kirjah-baal or Kirjath-jearim; (see 1 Chronicles 13:6;) or Baalah, Joshua 15:9. Whose name is called by the name of the Lord] That is, The ark is called the ark of the Lord of hosts. But this is not a literal version; the word שם shem, NAME, occurs twice together; probably one of them should be read שם sham, THERE. There the name of the Lord of hosts was invoked, &c.

2. from Baale of Judah] Baale of Judah is generally supposed to be another name for Kirjath-jearim, which is called Baalah in Joshua 15:9; 1 Chronicles 13:6, and Kirjath-Baal in Joshua 15:60. Here the Ark had remained since its return from the country of the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1-2). If the preposition “from” is correct, we must assume that the narrator passes over the journey to Kirjath-jearim, and speaks of the return only: but this seems improbable, and most commentators emend the text in accordance with 1 Chronicles 13:6, and read “to.” The ancient versions however do not take the words as a proper name, but render them “of the rulers” or “of the men, of Judah,” the word being the same as that translated “men” in ch. 2 Samuel 21:12. If this is right, the name of the place has dropped out from the text and must be restored, so that the verse would read, “And David and all the people that were with him of the rulers of Judah arose and went to Baalah to bring up, &c.” This appears to have been the reading found by the LXX., though partly misunderstood by them, and has strong claims to be considered as the true text. The usual identification of Kirjath-jearim with Kuryet-el-enab (see note on 1 Samuel 6:21) has lately been called in question by Lieut. Conder, who proposes to place it at ’Erma, four miles E. of Ain Shems (Beth-shemesh), on the edge of the Wady-es-Surar or Valley of Sorek. The name ’Erma corresponds to the form Arim, which took the place of the original Jearim in later times (Ezra 2:25); the dense brushwood still clothing the hills agrees with the meaning of the name “city of forests;” and the position suits the data much better than the Kuryet-el-enab site. See Pal. Expl. Fund Quart. Paper for Oct. 1881, p. 261. whose name, &c.] Better, which is called by the Name, the name of Jehovah of Hosts, who sitteth enthroned upon the cherubim. Cp. Deuteronomy 28:10; 1 Kings 8:43. “The Name” is first written absolutely, as at the end of Lev 24:16, and then more fully defined as “the name of Jehovah of Hosts.” In later Jewish writings “the Name” is commonly used to signify God, and especially as an equivalent for the sacred name Jehovah which might not be pronounced. The Ark is specially said to be “called by the name of Jehovah of Hosts,” because it was the symbol of the covenant between Jehovah and Israel, and because it was the place where He chiefly chose to manifest Himself by visible tokens to His people. Cp. notes on 1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Samuel 4:21; and for the meaning of the title “Jehovah of Hosts” see Additional Note I. to 1 Sam. p. 235.

From Baale of Judah - See the margin and 1 Samuel 6:21 note. Whose name ... - The literal rendering is, “Upon which is called the Name, the Name of Yahweh of Hosts, who sits upon the cherubim,” i. e.

2. From Baale of Judah — Another name for Kirjath-jearim. See on Joshua 15:9. The preposition from (îï) is probably the error of some ancient copyist. In Chronicles it is went up to Baal-ah.