📖WEB · 1 Chronicles 13:13
What does 1 Chronicles 13:13 mean?
"So David didn’t move the ark with him into David’s city, but carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house."
— 1 Chronicles 13:13 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzza, and he struck him, because he put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God.
David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken out against Uzza. He called that place Perez Uzza, to this day.
David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring God’s ark home to me?”
So David didn’t move the ark with him into David’s city, but carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house.
God’s ark remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months; and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom’s house and all that he had.
Explanation
This verse comes right after a sobering event in Israel's history. David, newly established as king over a unified Israel, had decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant—the sacred chest representing God's presence among his people—up to Jerusalem, his new capital. He organized a grand procession with music and celebration, but the ark was transported improperly, carried on a new cart rather than being borne on the shoulders of Levites using poles, as God had commanded in the Law of Moses (Numbers 4:15; 7:9). Along the way, the oxen stumbled, a man named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, and God struck him dead for touching it (1 Chronicles 13:9-10). This terrified David, and in his fear and anger, he abandoned the plan to bring the ark into Jerusalem at that time. Instead, he diverted it to the nearby house of Obed-Edom, a Gittite, which is what verse 13 records.
The book of 1 Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile, likely by a priestly figure (traditionally associated with Ezra), for the returning Jewish community. The Chronicler's purpose was to remind the people of their identity, their covenant relationship with God, and the importance of proper worship, especially centered on the temple and the ark. This account of David's failed first attempt to move the ark serves as a teaching moment about the seriousness of approaching God correctly, according to
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.