Introduction: The Honor of God Follows the Honor of the Monarchy
Chapter 13 of I Chronicles opens a new stage in David's reign. Until now, the nation was occupied with its own needs - crowning a king who would save them. From this point forward, David comes and says: the time has come to attend to the honor of God. And the honor of God is the Ark, which has resided in Kiryat Yearim for twenty years and must be brought up to an honorable place. As the commentary attributed to Rashi explains: "You have already attended to your own needs, to have a king to save you" - now let us attend to the honor of Heaven. The entire chapter tells the story of the first attempt to bring up the Ark, which was cut short by the breach of Uzzah, teaching us how exceedingly careful one must be with the sanctity of the holy.
Consultation with the Officers
וַיִּוָּעַץ דָּוִיד עִם־שָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וְהַמֵּאוֹת לְכׇל־נָגִיד׃ - David consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader.
Metzudat David notes with precision: "with every leader" - he did not consult with everyone, but with the leaders, the foremost among them. The Malbim points out that in II Samuel 6 this is mentioned only briefly: "David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand," whereas Ezra explains to us that David first consulted with the officers. From this it is clear that this did not occur immediately after they crowned him, but rather after he had already conquered Jerusalem, and Zion had become the City of David, as we will see further on.
"Let Us Break Forth and Send" - Breaking the Barrier
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד לְכֹל קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־עֲלֵיכֶם טוֹב וּמִן־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִפְרְצָה נִשְׁלְחָה עַל־אַחֵינוּ הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בְּכֹל אַרְצוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעִמָּהֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם בְּעָרֵי מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם וְיִקָּבְצוּ אֵלֵינוּ׃ - And David said to the entire assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, let us reach out and send to the rest of our brethren throughout all the lands of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites in their cities with open lands, that they may gather to us."
What is the meaning of "let us reach out and send" (nifretzah nishlechah)? The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: let us break through that fence that was erected until now - that no one sought God. Let us send word to the rest of our brethren for the honor of the Ark, that they may come and assemble, and we will all go together to bring the Ark of God.
Radak explains that "let us send" means sending messengers and emissaries everywhere, and "let us break forth" is like "and you shall spread out (u-faratzta) westward and eastward," an expression of spreading far and wide. That is to say, the emissaries should burst forth and reach all regions of Israel, so that everyone will come and assemble to bring the Ark.
The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that nifretzah is an expression of exerting extraordinary strength. "And you shall spread out (u-faratzta) westward and eastward" means you will gather strength to go out westward and eastward; "and increased (u-faratz) abundantly" refers to strengthening beyond the ordinary. Natural multiplication is not called peretz, but rather extraordinary increase. Similarly, "how you have broken through (paratzta)" means that he exerted strength to emerge. Thus, to "break forth" denotes exerting extraordinary strength.
"For We Did Not Inquire of It in the Days of Saul"
וְנָסֵבָּה אֶת־אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֵלֵינוּ כִּי־לֹא דְרַשְׁנֻהוּ בִּימֵי שָׁאוּל׃ - And let us bring back the Ark of our God to us, for we did not inquire of it in the days of Saul.
This is the purpose for sending word to our brothers who remain throughout all the lands of Israel, and to the Kohanim and the Levites in the cities of their open lands: "And let us bring around the Ark of our God to us" - we will go and seek it out with a multitude of people, in order to magnify the honor of the Ark, as many gather to return it to its place. "To us" - to Jerusalem. And all this is because in the days of Shaul, we did not inquire of it with the honor due to it.
And why? The Metzudat David explains: because Shaul had killed Nov, the city of the Kohanim, the ministers of the Ark, and by doing so, as it were, diminished the honor of the Ark. Thus, not only was it not sought in the days of Shaul, but its honor was further diminished following the death of the Kohanim.
Gathering the People from the Nile to Chamat
וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇל־הַקָּהָל לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן כִּי־יָשַׁר הַדָּבָר בְּעֵינֵי כׇל־הָעָם׃ - And all the congregation said that they would do so, for the matter was right in the eyes of all the people.
וַיַּקְהֵל דָּוִיד אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־שִׁיחוֹר מִצְרַיִם וְעַד־לְבוֹא חֲמָת לְהָבִיא אֶת־אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים מִקִּרְיַת יְעָרִים׃ - So David gathered all Israel together, from Shichor of Egypt even unto the entrance of Chamat, to bring the Ark of God from Kiryat Ye'arim.
In the Book of Shmuel it is explained that "all the chosen men of Israel" were assembled - meaning they sent the select representatives, the judges, and the prominent leaders from every city. And they came "from Shichor of Egypt even unto the entrance of Chamat," from the southern border of the Negev to the northern border. "Shichor," explains the Metzudat Tzion, is the Nile. And they all went to bring the Ark of God from Kiryat Ye'arim, where the Ark had remained ever since the Philistines returned it.
Ba'alatah Is Kiryat Ye'arim
וַיַּעַל דָּוִיד וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲלָתָה אֶל־קִרְיַת יְעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה לְהַעֲלוֹת מִשָּׁם אֵת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים יְהֹוָה יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָא שֵׁם׃ - And David and all Israel went up to Ba'alatah, to Kiryat Ye'arim, which belongs to Yehudah, to bring up from there the Ark of God, Hashem, Who sits upon the cherubim, upon which the Name is called.
"Ba'alatah" is Kiryat Ye'arim, as stated by the commentary attributed to Rashi. The Radak proves this from the Book of Yehoshua: "And the border turned about to Ba'alah" - this is Kiryat Ye'arim; "to Kiryat Ba'al, which is Kiryat Ye'arim" - Ba'alatah, Ba'alah, Ba'al, a city belonging to the tribe of Yehudah. Likewise, in the Book of Shmuel it is written "from Ba'alei Yehudah," referring to that same place called Ba'alatah. That is where the Ark had remained since returning from the country of the Philistines, for twenty years, until David saw the need to bring it up to Jerusalem.
"Who Sits Upon the Cherubim" - The Place of the Resting of the Shechinah
In II Shmuel chapter 6 it is stated, "where the Name is called, the Name of Hashem of Hosts Who sits upon the cherubim, upon it" - the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is proclaimed upon the Ark. One should not think that because the Ark was exiled to the Philistines it had, Heaven forbid, lost its sanctity; that same sacred Name was still called upon it.
The Malbim explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, is called "Who sits upon the cherubim," for He dwells between the staves of the Ark. From there, Moshe Rabbeinu would hear the Voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim. And when we stand in the Shemoneh Esreh prayer, those in the Diaspora face toward Eretz Yisrael, and those in Eretz Yisrael face toward Jerusalem, toward the Beit HaMikdash, toward the Holy of Holies, toward the space between the two cherubim - because that is the place of the gate of Heaven and the Shechinah.
Rabbi Nissim Perez ztz"l once cited, apparently in the name of the Ramchal, that the very line of thin light (the kav) that the Holy One, blessed be He, drew down following the tzimtzum, and upon which the Sefirot were enclothed, descends all the way to the space between the Cherubim. In any case, this is the most sanctified place, from which Hashem, so to speak, speaks with Israel. Therefore He is called "Hashem of Hosts, Who dwells between the Cherubim" - His Name is called such because of the Ark. If so, it is certainly fitting to show honor to the Ark, which is the dwelling place of Hashem's presence, the site of the Chariot upon which the Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, rides.
The New Wagon - Where Did They Err?
וַיַּרְכִּיבוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עַל־עֲגָלָה חֲדָשָׁה מִבֵּית אֲבִינָדָב וְעֻזָּא וְאַחְיוֹ נֹהֲגִים בָּעֲגָלָה׃ - And they transported the Ark of God upon a new wagon from the house of Avinadav, and Uzza and Achyo were guiding the wagon.
The commentary attributed to Rashi asks: What did David see that led him to transport the Ark upon a wagon rather than through the bearing of the Levites, as he did later when bringing it up to Zion? After all, following the breach of Uzza, he had the Ark carried by the Levites - did he not know this beforehand? The Midrash relates that Achitophel knew the halachah but refused to reveal it out of malice and wickedness; ultimately, David said: "Whoever does not reveal it shall choke," and that is indeed what befell him in the end, on account of this and another matter. Yet the wonder regarding David himself still stands: How could David err in a matter that any schoolchild knows?
Rather, the commentary attributed to Rashi explains: David reasoned, when the Philistines returned the Ark, how did they return it? On a new wagon, as it says, "And they placed the Ark of Hashem upon the wagon." He thought: If they did so, apparently this is how it should be done. But in this he erred - do we learn from them? We learn from the Torah, and the Torah explicitly states that the carrying must be done by the Levites.
"And Uzza and Achyo were guiding the wagon" - they were the sons of Avinadav. The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: Do not think that they sat upon the wagon; rather, it was in the manner of those who guide a wagon: one walks in front of the wagon to guide it along a straight path, and one walks beside the wagon so that it does not overturn and fall. Achyo walked in front of the Ark and Uzza walked at the side of the wagon, as is stated in Shmuel II. From this we can understand why it was specifically Uzza who reached out his hand: this was his role - to maintain the balance. When he saw that the oxen stumbled and the wagon tilted, he realized that he had to steady the Ark.
The Rejoicing and Song
וְדָוִיד וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל מְשַׂחֲקִים לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים בְּכׇל־עֹז וּבְשִׁירִים וּבִכְנֹּרוֹת וּבִנְבָלִים וּבְתֻפִּים וּבִמְצִלְתַּיִם וּבַחֲצֹצְרוֹת׃ - And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs, with lyres, with harps, with timbrels, with cymbals, and with trumpets.
"Celebrating before God" - rejoicing before the Ark. "With all their might" (bechol oz) - with all their strength. "And with songs" - singing vocally, and in addition with lyres and other musical instruments. "And with cymbals" (uv'miltziltayim) - two copper instruments, like the cymbals known today, struck together to make a loud sound, as in "with clanging cymbals" (b'tziltzelei shama), as the Metzudat Tzion explains.
The commentary attributed to Rashi notes the difference in phrasing: here it says "with all their might" (bechol oz), whereas in Shmuel II 6 it says "with all manner of cypress wood" (bechol atzei beroshim). He explains that the intent is one and the same: with all wooden musical instruments and with all the might of musical instruments - all the wooden instruments upon which they played, and with all their might they played upon those musical instruments.
The Threshing Floor of Chidon - The Threshing Floor of Nachon
וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־גֹּרֶן כִּידֹן וַיִּשְׁלַח עֻזָּא אֶת־יָדוֹ לֶאֱחֹז אֶת־הָאָרוֹן כִּי שָׁמְטוּ הַבָּקָר׃ - And they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, and Uzza reached out his hand to hold the Ark, for the oxen stumbled.
Radak notes: In the Book of Shmuel it is written, "until the threshing floor of Nachon," and this is also accurate - it had two names, Chidon and Nachon. It is quite possible that it was called "Chidon" only after the death of Uzza. What is the connection? It relates to the verse, "May his eyes see his ruin (kido)," meaning his downfall; the commentators there explain "kido" as "eido" (his calamity) - as in the Hebrew expression "simcha le'eid," rejoicing at someone's misfortune or calamity, when one sees a person fall and be broken and rejoices at his ruin. If so, "the threshing floor of Chidon" means the threshing floor where tragedy struck, where Uzza died. And it is very plausible that this name appears specifically here in Divrei HaYamim, written later by Ezra, as he describes the place according to the name it acquired following the event; whereas in II Shmuel, the verse describes the place as it was called at that very time - the threshing floor of Nachon.
Malbim analyzes the wording closely: It does not say that he grasped the Ark, but rather "to grasp the Ark" - he merely intended to hold it, and he died "because he put forth his hand." The mere reaching out of his hand, even before he actually held it, was already what brought punishment upon him.
"And He struck him because he put forth his hand"
וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהֹוָה בְּעֻזָּא וַיַּכֵּהוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח יָדוֹ עַל־הָאָרוֹן וַיָּמׇת שָׁם לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים׃ - And the anger of Hashem burned against Uzza, and He struck him down because he put forth his hand upon the Ark, and he died there before God.
The commentary attributed to Rashi connects this to the phrasing in II Shmuel 6: "And God struck him there for the indiscretion (al ha-shal)" - "al ha-shal" is related to "al ha-shelach" (for putting forth his hand), as if it were the same word, because he put forth his hand. Just as we find, "The dogs shall eat the flesh of Izevel in the moat (bechel) of Yizre'el," while in another verse it says, "in the portion (bechelek) of Yizre'el."
Radak adds: Uzza was not a Levi, and this was David's mistake, for the Ark was supposed to be transported by the Levi'im and not on a wagon, as it is stated, "But to the sons of Kehas he gave none, for the service of the sacred objects belonged to them; they carried them upon their shoulders." David himself later confesses his error and says, "None should carry the Ark of God except the Levi'im." And how did David err? Radak explains: David assumed that the entire command to carry the Ark on the shoulders was only a temporary directive for that time, while they were in the wilderness, when the Mishkan was transported on wagons; therefore, Hashem commanded that the Ark be carried on the shoulders to show that the sanctity of the Ark is greater than the sanctity of the Mishkan. But when there is no Mishkan being transported on wagons, there is no need to demonstrate that the Ark is more sacred, and consequently it could be brought on a wagon. Furthermore, as the commentary attributed to Rashi notes: it had arrived on a wagon from the fields of the Philistines; if it was fitting to arrive on a wagon from the fields of the Philistines, it was thought fitting now as well.
And what was Uzza's sin? Metzudas David explains that "the anger of Hashem burned against Uzza" because of a lack of faith, for he did not believe that Hashem had the power to prevent His Ark from falling. After all, the Ark bears its bearers - does it really need you to support it?
David's Anger - Toward Himself
וַיִּחַר לְדָוִיד כִּי־פָרַץ יְהֹוָה פֶּרֶץ בְּעֻזָּא וַיִּקְרָא לַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא פֶּרֶץ עֻזָּא עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And David was distressed because Hashem had breached an outburst against Uzza, and he called that place Peretz Uzza to this day.
Heaven forbid that David was upset with Hashem, may He be blessed; rather, he was upset with himself, as Metzudas David explains: in the manner of a person who is pained and dismayed. His distress was directed at himself - that as a consequence of the action he had taken, Hashem had breached an outburst against Uzza, and this pained him deeply.
וַיִּירָא דָוִיד אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר הֵיךְ אָבִיא אֵלַי אֵת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים׃ - And David feared God on that day, saying, "How shall I bring the Ark of God home to me?"
Radak notes: "Heich" is like "eich" (how), as the letters Alef, Hei, Vav, and Yud interchange, similar to "And how (ve-heich) can this servant of my lord..." And David feared God, saying: How can I now remain at ease and bring the Ark to me?
The Malbim in Shmuel: A Detailed Account of the Sins Regarding the Honor of the Aron
The Malbim in II Shmuel, chapter 6, details the sins that occurred here, and we will present them briefly for the sake of completeness. Behold, Hashem despised the way they compromised the sanctity of the Aron:
1. They mounted it on a new wagon, instead of carrying it on the shoulder as the Torah commanded. And that which is stated, "from the house of Avinadav" - refers back to the wagon, meaning the wagon was provided from Avinadav's funds.
2. "And Uzzah and Achyo drove the wagon" - they should have learned from the Pelishtim, who did not drive the wagon at all, but rather the cows directed the way on their own; yet here, they drove the wagon themselves - which was even worse than what the Pelishtim did.
3. "And they carried it from the house of Avinadav" - Uzzah and Achyo carried it from the house onto the wagon, since it had previously been inside the house. If it was already being carried on the shoulder, Levi'im were required, yet they were not Levi'im but non-Levi'im (zarim).
4. "With the Aron of God" - when they carried it, they did not carry it with the poles, but grasped the body of the Aron itself, rather than using poles mediating between themselves and the Aron. This is forbidden, as it is written in our passage in Divrei HaYamim: "and they carried on their shoulders with the poles upon them."
5. "And Achyo walked before the Aron" - one who walks before the Aron has his back turned to it. Is that how one walks? Even when they carried the Aron with poles, all four bearers faced the Aron, with two walking backwards; they never traveled with anyone turning his back to the Aron. Yet here he walked before it, turning his back to it, which was a disgraceful act and a cause for wrath. Even the lords of the Pelishtim guarded against this and walked behind it, not before it.
6. Two things were not done properly regarding the celebration: first, that they were "playing" (mesachakim) - in a frivolous manner, and not in the manner of "rejoice with trembling." Second, it was not done with musical instruments designated for the Avodah, nor by the Levi'im, who were designated to play musical instruments before Hashem. Instead, "all the House of Israel" played together, "with all manner of cypress wood and with all kinds of music" - they brought all kinds of instruments that were not customary to play before Hashem.
And after they erred in all of this, the Malbim adds, Uzzah sinned further by reaching out his hand to hold the Aron. He thought the Aron needed support so as not to topple, whereas he should have known that Hashem, Who dwells upon it, bears and is not borne, as Chazal stated: it bore its bearers - all the more so itself! And what triggered this was that "the oxen stumbled" under the wagon; he should have understood that this was a hint to them regarding the improper deeds they were committing, which was the cause of their faltering and alarm.
Regarding the expression, "And He struck him for the error (al ha-shal), and he died there by the Aron of God," the Malbim explains it as though it were written: He struck him and he died there for the error while by the Aron of God. For the Aramaic Targum of "shgagah" (unintentional error) is "shalu"; "al ha-shal" means inadvertently, for having lapsed and forgotten, having erred and forgotten the sanctity of the Aron and the fear of Hashem while in the presence of the Aron of God. This is a grave sin in a bearer of the Aron - to forget the awe of the King while standing before Him. All of this aroused the wrath of Hashem against them.
A Fall from the Level of Love to the Level of Awe
"And David was distressed (vayichar le-David)" - from this David realized that they had not been properly careful regarding the honor of the Aron, and he was distressed with himself. The Malbim deduces this from the phrasing: it says "vayichar le-David" and not "vayichar af" (anger flared). Wherever it says "vayichar af," the anger is directed toward someone else; but wherever "vayichar" appears alone, one is distressed with oneself. Just as in "And Kayin was very distressed, and his countenance fell" - he was not angry with another, but distressed with himself, so that his face became darkened like a charred loaf.
"And David feared Hashem on that day" - until that moment, the Malbim explains, David had always served out of joy. Serving Hashem with joy is a far higher level than serving out of fear, and such service pours down upon a person an abundance of loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, and joy. But now, trembling over the punishment inflicted upon Uzza, he fell from the level of love to the level of fear - fear of punishment, which is an inferior and lower level. David therefore said: "How shall I bring the Ark of God to me?" - for he realized that he had fallen from his level and was no longer worthy for the Ark to come to him. Previously he thought he was worthy, as he served out of joy; but now that he served merely out of fear and dread, he was not on the appropriate level. Moreover, he saw that "anyone who approaches the Ark of Hashem shall die," and understood that the Ark consumes anyone who does not treat it properly, and so he feared: How can I bring the Ark to me, this is a great danger!
The House of Oved-Edom the Gittite
וְלֹא־הֵסִיר דָּוִיד אֶת־הָאָרוֹן אֵלָיו אֶל־עִיר דָּוִיד וַיַּטֵּהוּ אֶל־בֵּית עֹבֵד־אֱדֹם הַגִּתִּי׃ - So David did not remove the Ark unto him into the city of David, but turned it aside into the house of Oved-Edom the Gittite.
David did not move the Ark toward himself to the City of David, but diverted it to the house of Oved-Edom the Gittite. Oved-Edom was a Levi, and one of the gatekeepers, as it is written, "and Oved-Edom and Ye'iel the gatekeepers." If so, why is he called "the Gittite"? That might imply he was one of the Philistine residents of Gat. But this was not the case: he simply resided in Gat. Just as a person living in Morocco is called Moroccan, and this does not mean he is a gentile - a Moroccan Jew, a Yemenite Jew, an Iraqi Jew, and likewise a Gittite Jew. Even though the territory of Gat was Philistine land, Jews lived there too; and he was not just any Jew, but a Levi of distinguished lineage.
וַיֵּשֶׁב אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עִם־בֵּית עֹבֵד אֱדֹם בְּבֵיתוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים וַיְבָרֶךְ יְהֹוָה אֶת־בֵּית עֹבֵד־אֱדֹם וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ׃ - And the Ark of God remained with the household of Oved-Edom in his house for three months, and Hashem blessed the household of Oved-Edom and all that he had.
"With the household of Oved-Edom" - adjacent to his dwelling place, for he designated a special room for it in his home. And in that merit, "and Hashem blessed the household of Oved-Edom and all that he had": because the Ark was with him, his household was blessed. Even though the Ark stayed alongside him and all his household, not only was none of them harmed, but his wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law all gave birth in great abundance. This came to show that not only does the Ark not consume, but it brings forth abundance and blessing - when it is treated properly and with due reverence.
In summary: King David sought to restore the honor of the Ark, which had diminished during the days of Shaul, and gathered all of Israel from the Nile to the approach of Chamat. However, the transport was conducted unlawfully - on a wagon instead of on the shoulders of the Levi'im, learning from the Philistines instead of from the Torah, and accompanied by a series of flaws in the honor of the Ark enumerated by the Malbim. Uzza further took it upon himself to grasp the Ark, forgetting that the Ark carries its bearers, and was struck down on the spot. David was seized with fear, falling from the level of service out of love and joy to service out of fear of punishment, and said, "How shall I bring the Ark of God to me?" The Ark was diverted to the home of Oved-Edom the Gittite - a distinguished Levi who resided in Gat - and there, for three months, the other side of that very same divine power was revealed: not destruction, but blessing, when the holy is treated properly and with due reverence.