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The Shared Word Translation · Study & Discuss

1 Chronicles 13

David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader.

Then David said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to our kindred who remain in all the lands of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites in their towns and pasturelands, that they may gather to us. Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” The whole assembly said to do so, for the matter seemed right in the eyes of all the people.

So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD, who sits enthroned above the cherubim—the ark called by the Name.

They set the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their strength, with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to hold the ark, because the cattle stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and he struck him because he had reached out his hand against the ark. He died there before God. David was angry because the LORD had burst out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez-uzzah, as it is to this day. David feared God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

So David did not bring the ark to himself, to the City of David, but turned it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belonged to him.

Translation guide

Two ways of attending to Scripture

TSW helps readers examine how the text is shaped. Fluent helps readers hear and absorb how the passage moves as a whole. They complement one another; neither is presented as the better or more faithful Bible.

TSW

Study & Discuss

Keeps more of the source text’s wording, patterns, structure, repetition, and interpretive questions visible. Use it to slow down, notice details, prepare to teach or preach, and explore Scripture with others.

Fluent

Read & Reflect

Expresses the passage in natural English for sustained reading, prayer, devotion, teaching, and growing biblical fluency. Use it to follow the movement of a passage and absorb Scripture as a whole.

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Notes

Translation notes for 1 Chronicles 13.

v02–04

- 2: David’s proposal joins broad communal participation with the condition, “if it is from the LORD our God.” The people’s agreement in verse 4 confirms that the plan seems right to them, but the chapter’s later events leave open the question of how human consensus relates to faithful approach to God.

v06

- 6: “The ark called by the Name” is a compact expression linking the ark with the divine Name. The wording does not identify the ark with God; rather, it marks it as the holy sign of God’s presence and reign among Israel.

v09–12

- 9–12: The account does not question Uzzah’s apparent attempt to keep the ark from falling, yet it directly connects his death with his reaching out his hand against it. The sharp movement from public celebration to judgment, and then David’s fear, preserves the gravity and danger of drawing near to God without explaining away the event.

v11

- 11: Perez-uzzah means “breach against Uzzah.” The place-name memorializes the LORD’s sudden “bursting out” against Uzzah, using the same Hebrew root.

Study help

Vocabulary

Selected source-language vocabulary for 1 Chronicles 13.

v02

- **2 — קָהָל (*qahal*):** “assembly.” David addresses Israel not merely as scattered individuals but as a gathered people participating in a shared decision.

v03

- **3 — דָּרַשׁ (*darash*):** “seek.” Israel’s failure to “seek” the ark in Saul’s days presents the ark’s return as a renewal of attentiveness to God.

v06

- **6 — שֵׁם (*shem*):** “name.” In the phrase “called by the Name,” God’s Name signifies God’s revealed presence, reputation, and claim upon the people.

v10–11

פָּרַץ (parats)

“break out; burst out.” The LORD’s anger breaks out against Uzzah, and the resulting place-name, Perez-uzzah, keeps that breach in Israel’s memory.

v02

קָהָל (qahal)

“assembly.” David addresses Israel not merely as scattered individuals but as a gathered people participating in a shared decision.

v03

דָּרַשׁ (darash)

“seek.” Israel’s failure to “seek” the ark in Saul’s days presents the ark’s return as a renewal of attentiveness to God.

v06

שֵׁם (shem)

“name.” In the phrase “called by the Name,” God’s Name can denote God’s revealed presence, reputation, and claim upon the people.