The Fallible Study Bible

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1 Chronicles15:1–13

Preparing to Move the Ark

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1 Chronicles 15:1–13 — Preparing to Move the Ark. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1

David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·ya·‘aś- ḇāt·tîm lōw bə·‘îr dā·wîḏ way·yā·ḵen mā·qō·wm la·’ă·rō·wn hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm way·yeṭ- ’ō·hel lōw

Word by word12 · parsed
וַיַּֽעַשׂ־way·ya·‘aś-David constructedH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
ʻâsâh: to do or make, in the broadest sense (Qal) The narrative's first verb is deliberately plain. K&D argues it does not mean fresh construction at all but the fitting out of the palace of 1 Chronicles 14:1 as a habitation, so that the same sentence that finishes David's house begins the ark's. Ellicott reads the plural "houses" as intensive, a single palace; JFB and Benson read it as separate apartments for the several wives.
בָתִּ֖יםḇāt·tîmbuildingsH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcNounmasculine plural
ל֥וֹlōwfor himself
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
בְּעִ֣ירbə·‘îrin the CityH5892
√ ʻîyr — a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Preposition-bNounfeminine singular construct
In-the-city-of: the construct phrase ties the ark's new address to David's own name. Geneva glosses it "That was in Zion"; Ellicott identifies it as "Castle of Zion."
דָּוִ֑ידdā·wîḏof DavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
וַיָּ֤כֶןway·yā·ḵenand he preparedH3559
√ kûwn — properly, to be erect (iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
kûwn: properly, to be erect, to establish (Hifil) The causative stem makes David the one who fixes a thing in place. The verb, not the noun, carries the theology of this unit: the ark is not merely stored, it is given a settled standing in the capital. Note that the same root returns as a Hifil perfect in v. 3 and a first person Hifil perfect in v. 12, where David himself says "I have established."
מָקוֹם֙mā·qō·wma placeH4725
√ mâqôwm — properly, a standing, iNounmasculine singular
mâqôwm: properly, a standing, a place From the root meaning to stand, so a standing-place. It is a bare, ordinary word doing extraordinary work: after Shiloh, Beth-shemesh, Kiriath-jearim and the house of Obed-edom, the ark is finally given somewhere to stand. Ellicott guesses it lay "Probably within the palace precincts."
לַֽאֲר֣וֹןla·’ă·rō·wnfor the arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxPreposition-lNouncommon singular construct
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔יםhā·’ĕ·lō·hîmof GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseArticleNounmasculine plural
וַיֶּט־way·yeṭ-and pitchedH5186
√ nâṭâh — to stretch or spread outConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
nâṭâh: to stretch or spread out The verb of spreading a tent, and of spreading out the heavens. Barnes records what is theologically awkward here: "The old "tent" or "tabernacle" was still in existence at Gibeon", so David does not restore Moses' structure but builds a second sanctuary. Cambridge calls it flatly "a new tent, not the old tabernacle."
אֹֽהֶל׃’ō·hela tentH168
√ ʼôhel — a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)Nounmasculine singular
ʼôhel: a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) The Strong's gloss is worth hearing: a tent is defined by being seen from far off. JFB says David made "an entirely new one upon the model of the former", and explains the old one stayed at Gibeon either from local unwillingness to surrender a relic or because a permanent house was already intended.
ל֖וֹlōwfor it
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
2

Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’āz dā·wîḏ ’ā·mar lō kî ’im- hal·wî·yim lā·śêṯ ’eṯ- ’ă·rō·wn hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm kî- ḇām Yah·weh bā·ḥar lā·śêṯ ’eṯ- ’ă·rō·wn Yah·weh ū·lə·šā·rə·ṯōw ‘aḏ- ‘ō·w·lām

Word by word22 · parsed
אָ֚ז’āzThenH227
√ ʼâz — at that time or placeAdverb
ʼâz: at that time or place A time marker, and Ellicott reads it as a hard one: the end of the three months the ark sat in the house of Obed-edom. K&D agrees, glossing it "at that time, i.e., at the end of the three months, 1 Chronicles 13:14." Three months of a king not touching what had killed a man stand behind the word.
דָּוִ֔ידdā·wîḏDavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
אָמַ֣ר’ā·marsaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
לֹ֤אlōNoH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
The bare negative particle opens the sentence, before any subject appears.
כִּ֖יkîone butH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִם־’im-. . .H518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
הַלְוִיִּ֑םhal·wî·yimthe LevitesH3881
√ Lêvîyîy — a Levite or descendant of LeviArticleNounpropermasculine plural
Lêvîyîy: a Levite or descendant of Levi The whole sentence exists to put this one word in the position of exception. Ellicott points to Numbers 4:5-15 for the Kohathite charge and to Deuteronomy 10:8 for the fuller warrant; Cambridge adds Numbers 1:50 and 7:9. Barnes reads David here as a man who "had carefully considered all the legal requirements with respect to moving the ark."
לָשֵׂאת֙lā·śêṯmay carryH5375
√ nâsâʼ — to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativePreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
nâsâʼ: to lift, in a great variety of applications An infinitive construct with l: for carrying. The verb means to lift, which is the whole quarrel: a cart rolls, shoulders lift. Poole makes the contrast explicit, "upon their shoulders ... and not in a cart, as it was before, to our great grief and loss." Pulpit notes that in v. 12 a different verb, to bring up, replaces this one.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲר֣וֹן’ă·rō·wnthe arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxNouncommon singular construct
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔יםhā·’ĕ·lō·hîmof GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseArticleNounmasculine plural
כִּי־kî-becauseH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
בָ֣ם׀ḇām
Prepositionthird person masculine plural
יְהוָ֗הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
The divine name stands as the subject of the choosing.
בָּחַ֣רbā·ḥarhas chosen themH977
√ bâchar — properly, to try, iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
bâchar: properly, to try, to choose A Qal perfect: the choosing is finished, done long before David. This is the load-bearing theological claim of the verse. David is not instituting a policy but obeying an election already made, which is why he can state it as law rather than decree it.
לָשֵׂ֞אתlā·śêṯto carryH5375
√ nâsâʼ — to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativePreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲר֧וֹן’ă·rō·wnthe arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxNouncommon singular construct
יְהוָ֛הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וּֽלְשָׁרְת֖וֹū·lə·šā·rə·ṯōwand to ministerH8334
√ shârath — to attend as a menial or worshipperConjunctive waw, Preposition-lVerbPielInfinitive constructthird person masculine singular
shârath: to attend as a menial or worshipper (Piel) The Piel intensive of menial attendance. Carrying and serving are bound in one clause, so the Levite's dignity is porterage. Gill limits the "for ever" honestly: "as long as the Levitical dispensation lasted, as appears from Numbers 1:50."
עַד־‘aḏ-before HimH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
עוֹלָֽם׃ס‘ō·w·lāmforeverH5769
√ ʻôwlâm — properly, concealed, iNounmasculine singular
ʻôwlâm: properly, concealed, time out of mind The noun's root idea is what is hidden, hence duration beyond sight. Poole reads it as bounded by the institution itself: "so long as the ark is to be removed, and as that worship continues." That is a careful gloss, and it keeps the verse from claiming more than the Levitical order finally held.
3

And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

dā·wîḏ ’eṯ- way·yaq·hêl kāl- yiś·rā·’êl ’el- yə·rū·šā·lim lə·ha·‘ă·lō·wṯ ’eṯ- ’ă·rō·wn Yah·weh ’el- mə·qō·w·mōw ’ă·šer- hê·ḵîn lōw

Word by word16 · parsed
דָּוִ֛ידdā·wîḏAnd DavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיַּקְהֵ֥לway·yaq·hêlassembledH6950
√ qâhal — to convokeConjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
qâhal: to convoke (Hifil) The causative of the root behind qâhâl, the assembly. Cambridge's note that the Greek equivalent is ekklēsia is the most consequential lexical observation in the unit: the word that will later name the church is here the word for Israel summoned to escort the ark. JFB suspects a festival occasion and stresses that many present had never seen the ark, which "had been allowed to remain so long in obscurity and neglect."
כָּל־kāl-allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לyiś·rā·’êlIsraelH3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
אֶל־’el-inH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
Unto: a preposition of motion toward, used here of the city and again of the place.
יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑םyə·rū·šā·limJerusalemH3389
√ Yᵉrûwshâlaim — Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of PalestineNounproperfeminine singular
לְהַעֲלוֹת֙lə·ha·‘ă·lō·wṯto bring upH5927
√ ʻâlâh — to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount)Preposition-lVerbHifilInfinitive construct
ʻâlâh: to ascend, or actively to mount (Hifil) Causative: to make something go up. The ark does not travel to Jerusalem, it ascends there. The same Hifil returns on the Levites' own lips in v. 12, where the duty of raising the ark is handed from the king to the consecrated bearers.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲר֣וֹן’ă·rō·wnthe arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxNouncommon singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
מְקוֹמ֖וֹmə·qō·w·mōwthe placeH4725
√ mâqôwm — properly, a standing, iNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
mâqôwm: a standing-place With the third masculine singular suffix, its place. Gill supplies the origin the Hebrew leaves out: "from the house of Obededom, where it had been three months, and for the sake of which his house was blessed." Geneva says the same in a marginal letter.
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הֵכִ֥יןhê·ḵînhe had preparedH3559
√ kûwn — properly, to be erect (iVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singular
kûwn: to establish (Hifil perfect) The third appearance of the root in three verses, and the tense has now shifted to perfect: the place is already fixed before the assembly is called. The sequence establishes, assembles, ascends is the architecture of the whole pericope.
לֽוֹ׃lōwfor it
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
4

Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

dā·wîḏ ’eṯ- way·ye·’ĕ·sōp̄ bə·nê ’a·hă·rōn wə·’eṯ- hal·wî·yim

Word by word7 · parsed
דָּוִ֛ידdā·wîḏThen heH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ףway·ye·’ĕ·sōp̄gathered togetherH622
√ ʼâçaph — to gather for any purposeConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
ʼâçaph: to gather for any purpose A workmanlike verb, deliberately less liturgical than qâhal in v. 3. K&D reads the shift as procedural: "From among assembled Israel David then specially gathered together the heads of the priests and Levites, to determine upon the details of this solemn procession." The nation is convoked; the officers are collected for a briefing.
בְּנֵ֥יbə·nêthe descendantsH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural construct
bên: a son, in the widest sense of literal and figurative relationship The construct sons of is the organizing unit of vv. 5 to 10, where it will head six successive clauses. Here it heads the priestly line, and the pattern of the list is already set before the list begins.
אַֽהֲרֹ֖ן’a·hă·rōnof AaronH175
√ ʼAhărôwn — Aharon, the brother of MosesNounpropermasculine singular
Aaron: named as the head of the priestly house, not as a living participant.
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
הַלְוִיִּֽם׃hal·wî·yimand the LevitesH3881
√ Lêvîyîy — a Levite or descendant of LeviArticleNounpropermasculine plural
Lêvîyîy: a Levite In this verse the word means Levites who are not priests. Ellicott identifies them concretely as "the six chieftains" of vv. 5 to 10, and notes the imbalance the list will show: "There were four Kohathite houses to one of Merari and Gershom, because the sub-tribe of Kohath was the elder house, and had special charge of the Ark."
5

From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê qə·hāṯ ’ū·rî·’êl haś·śār mê·’āh wə·‘eś·rîm wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word7 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nêFrom the KohathitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
קְהָ֑תqə·hāṯ. . .H6955
√ Qᵉhâth — Kehath, an IsraeliteNounpropermasculine singular
Qᵉhâth: Kehath, an Israelite Kohath heads the list though he was the second son of Levi. Barnes explains the inversion by function: "the Kohathites, of whom came the priestly family of the Aaronites, had precedence in all respects. To them especially was committed the attendance upon the ark and the bearing of it." Cambridge counts the result: "the Kohathites were 512 against 350 of the sons of Merari and the sons of Gershom combined."
אוּרִיאֵ֣ל’ū·rî·’êlUrielH222
√ ʼÛwrîyʼêl — Uriel, the name of two IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʼÛwrîyʼêl: Uriel, the name of two Israelites A rare name. Ellicott parses it and its neighbours theologically: "Uriel (El is light), Asaiah (Iah made), Joel (Iah is El) occur as Levitical names." Benson notes the genealogical problem: Uriel is not among Kohath's sons in Exodus 6:17-18, "therefore he must have been his grandson."
הַשָּׂ֔רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person of any rank or class The title recurs identically in vv. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, six times in six verses. The repetition is the point: each clan supplies one accountable head, so that no one can later say the duty was unassigned, as it evidently was at the first attempt (v. 13).
מֵאָ֥הmê·’āhand 120H3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
mêʼâh: a hundred The numbers are given without a summary total; Gill supplies one, "eight hundred and sixty two, besides their chiefs."
וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃סwə·‘eś·rîm. . .H6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyConjunctive wawNumbercommon plural
וְאֶחָ֖יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
ʼâch: a brother, in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity The word bears both senses at once here, and the ambiguity is useful: these are kinsmen and they are a guild.
6

from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê mə·rā·rî ‘ă·śā·yāh haś·śār mā·ṯa·yim wə·‘eś·rîm wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word7 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nêfrom the MeraritesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
מְרָרִ֑יmə·rā·rî. . .H4847
√ Mᵉrârîy — Merari, an IsraeliteNounpropermasculine singular
Mᵉrârîy: Merari, an Israelite The third son of Levi by birth order, given one clan here where Kohath receives four. K&D states the ratio and its reason: "four belong to Kohath, and one each to Merari and Gershon; and the Kohathites were called to take part in the solemn act in greater numbers ... since the transport of the ark was the Kohathites' special duty."
עֲשָׂיָ֣ה‘ă·śā·yāhAsaiahH6222
√ ʻĂsâyâh — Asajah, the name of three or four IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʻĂsâyâh: Asajah, the name of three or four Israelites Ellicott's gloss Iah made is a real theological datum in a list that looks like bare administration: the man who carries what God made is himself named for God's making. The same name belongs to a Simeonite in 1 Chronicles 4:36 and to an officer of Josiah in 2 Kings 22:12, different men entirely.
הַשָּׂ֔רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person of any rank or class The lexicon's range runs to princes, captains and civil officers, so the word carries no cultic colouring of its own. Using it six times over for Levitical family heads organizes the procession like a muster roll rather than a congregation, which is precisely the correction v. 13 says was wanted.
מָאתַ֥יִםmā·ṯa·yimand 220H3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfd
mêʼâh: a hundred (dual form) The Merarites are the largest single contingent listed, larger than any one Kohathite house, though the Kohathites together outnumber them.
וְעֶשְׂרִֽים׃סwə·‘eś·rîm. . .H6242
√ ʻesrîym — twentyConjunctive wawNumbercommon plural
וְאֶחָ֖יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
7

from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê gê·rə·šō·wm yō·w·’êl haś·śār mê·’āh ū·šə·lō·šîm wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word7 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nêfrom the GershomitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
גֵּרְשׁ֑וֹםgê·rə·šō·wm. . .H1648
√ Gêrᵉshôwn — Gereshon or Gereshom, an IsraeliteNounpropermasculine singular
Gêrᵉshôwn: Gereshon or Gereshom, an Israelite The firstborn of Levi, listed third and last of the three great divisions. Barnes states the inversion plainly: birth order runs "Gershom, Kohath, Merari", but precedence in the sanctuary runs the other way. Rank here is assigned by nearness to the ark, not by seniority.
יוֹאֵ֣לyō·w·’êlJoelH3100
√ Yôwʼêl — Joel, the name of twelve IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Yôwʼêl: Joel, the name of twelve Israelites Twelve men in Scripture bear the name; this one is the Gershonite head. K&D cross-references him to 1 Chronicles 6:33, tying the procession roster to the Chronicler's earlier Levitical genealogy rather than leaving it a free-standing list.
הַשָּׂ֔רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person The article on הַשָּׂ֔ר makes this a definite office, the chief of that house, not merely a leading man among others.
מֵאָ֥הmê·’āhand 130H3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃סū·šə·lō·šîm. . .H7970
√ shᵉlôwshîym — thirtyConjunctive wawNumbercommon plural
shᵉlôwshîym: thirty The Gershonite contingent is the smallest of the three parent divisions.
וְאֶחָ֖יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
8

from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê ’ĕ·lî·ṣā·p̄ān šə·ma‘·yāh haś·śār mā·ṯā·yim wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word6 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nêfrom the ElizaphanitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
אֱלִֽיצָפָ֑ן’ĕ·lî·ṣā·p̄ān. . .H469
√ ʼĔlîytsâphân — Elitsaphan or Eltsaphan, an IsraeliteNounpropermasculine singular
ʼĔlîytsâphân: Elitsaphan or Eltsaphan, an Israelite A rare name, occurring in only a handful of verses, and every one of them matters for this list: Exodus 6:22 names him a son of Uzziel, Numbers 3:30 makes him chief of the Kohathite fathers' house, and Leviticus 10:4 sends him with Mishael to carry the bodies of Nadab and Abihu out of the sanctuary. The house first named in Scripture for carrying the dead away from holy fire is here named for carrying the ark.
שְׁמַֽעְיָ֥הšə·ma‘·yāhShemaiahH8098
√ Shᵉmaʻyâh — Shemajah, the name of twenty-five IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Shᵉmaʻyâh: Shemajah, the name of twenty-five Israelites Jah heareth, on Ellicott's parsing. In a unit whose sin was that "we did not consult Him" (v. 13), a chief bearer named the LORD hears is a quiet irony the Hebrew reader cannot miss and the English reader cannot see.
הַשָּׂ֖רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person A sub-house of Kohath gets its own chief rather than being folded under Uriel of v. 5, which is why four of the six heads are Kohathite; K&D treats each as a separate fathers' house with its own standing.
מָאתָֽיִם׃סmā·ṯā·yimand 200H3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfd
mêʼâh: a hundred (dual) Two hundred men from a single sub-house.
וְאֶחָ֥יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
9

from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê ḥeḇ·rō·wn ’ĕ·lî·’êl haś·śār šə·mō·w·nîm wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word6 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nêfrom the HebronitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
חֶבְר֑וֹןḥeḇ·rō·wn. . .H2275
√ Chebrôwn — Chebron, a place in Palestine, also the name of two IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Chebrôwn: Chebron, a place in Palestine, also the name of two Israelites The clan takes its name from Kohath's third son, and the coincidence with the city where David first reigned is only a coincidence of sound in the text as we have it; no source in this brief presses it, and neither should we.
אֱלִיאֵ֥ל’ĕ·lî·’êlElielH447
√ ʼĔlîyʼêl — Eliel, the name of nine IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʼĔlîyʼêl: Eliel, the name of nine Israelites Nine men bear it, four of them in Chronicles alone. Ellicott's rendering, God and none else is God, reads the doubled El as emphatic rather than redundant, which fits the emphatic habit of Hebrew names built on two divine elements.
הַשָּׂ֖רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person The smallest contingent in the list still receives a named chief. Size does not buy exemption from the roster, and that is the whole force of the arrangement.
שְׁמוֹנִֽים׃סšə·mō·w·nîmand 80H8084
√ shᵉmônîym — eighty, also eightiethNumbercommon plural
shᵉmônîym: eighty The smallest house, listed without apology or comment.
וְאֶחָ֥יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
10

and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

liḇ·nê ‘uz·zî·’êl ‘am·mî·nā·ḏāḇ haś·śār mê·’āh ū·šə·nêm ‘ā·śār wə·’e·ḥāw

Word by word8 · parsed
לִבְנֵ֖יliḇ·nê[and] from the UzzielitesH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine plural construct
עֻזִּיאֵ֑ל‘uz·zî·’êl. . .H5816
√ ʻUzzîyʼêl — Uzziel, the name of six IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʻUzzîyʼêl: Uzziel, the name of six Israelites Kohath's fourth son. Ellicott reconstructs the family arithmetic from Exodus 6:22, which "names three sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri", and concludes from 1 Chronicles 23:20 and 24:24 that only two Uzzielite stocks survived, the elder line of Mishael having probably failed.
עַמִּינָדָ֣ב‘am·mî·nā·ḏāḇAmminadabH5992
√ ʻAmmîynâdâb — Amminadab, the name of four IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʻAmmîynâdâb: Amminadab, the name of four Israelites The last of the six chiefs, and the one whose clan sits closest in the genealogy to the Elizaphanites of v. 8. K&D describes the split: one fathers' house founded by Uzziel's son Elizaphan and named after him, the other "founded by his other sons, and called by his name."
הַשָּׂ֔רhaś·śārthe chiefH8269
√ sar — a head person (of any rank or class)ArticleNounmasculine singular
sar: a head person Sixth and last of six; the roster is now complete and every clan has a named, answerable head.
מֵאָ֖הmê·’āhand 112H3967
√ mêʼâh — a hundredNumberfeminine singular
וּשְׁנֵ֥יםū·šə·nêm. . .H8147
√ shᵉnayim — twoConjunctive wawNumbermd
עָשָֽׂר׃ס‘ā·śār. . .H6240
√ ʻâsâr — ten (only in combination), iNumbermasculine singular
ʻâsâr: ten (only in combination) A bound form that never stands alone, used here to finish the count. Gill adds the sum the text withholds: 862 Levites besides their chiefs.
וְאֶחָ֕יוwə·’e·ḥāwof his relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
11

David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ḏā·wîḏ way·yiq·rā hak·kō·hă·nîm lə·ṣā·ḏō·wq ū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯār wə·lal·wî·yim lə·’ū·rî·’êl ‘ă·śā·yāh wə·yō·w·’êl šə·ma‘·yāh we·’ĕ·lî·’êl wə·‘am·mî·nā·ḏāḇ

Word by word12 · parsed
דָוִ֔ידḏā·wîḏDavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּקְרָ֣אway·yiq·rāsummonedH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
qârâʼ: to call out to A verb of the voice, not of administration. The Chronicler has moved from the assembly of all Israel to a room containing eight men, and the narrowing is deliberate: responsibility is about to be named, and in v. 13 it will be laid on exactly these heads.
הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֑יםhak·kō·hă·nîmthe priestsH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine plural
kôhên: literally one officiating, a priest Zadok and Abiathar hold the office together, which is itself unusual. Cambridge traces the arrangement and its end: "This double priesthood ... came to an end in the reign of Solomon." Poole ranks them, "Abiathar the high priest, and Zadok the second priest"; K&D says instead that "at that time both held the office of high priest." The sources genuinely differ on precedence.
לְצָד֥וֹקlə·ṣā·ḏō·wqZadokH6659
√ Tsâdôwq — Tsadok, the name of eight or nine IsraelitesPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
Tsâdôwq: Tsadok, the name of eight or nine Israelites Ellicott reads the name as just, "perhaps equivalent to Zedekiah, Jah is just." Cambridge notes that Zadok is always listed first because he descends from Eleazar, Aaron's third son, while Abiathar's line runs through Ithamar, the fourth.
וּלְאֶבְיָתָ֖רū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯārand AbiatharH54
√ ʼEbyâthâr — Ebjathar, an IsraeliteConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
ʼEbyâthâr: Ebjathar, an Israelite Ellicott: "Abiathar, the Father (i.e., God) excels." Cambridge records a textual tangle worth keeping in view: in some passages Abiathar is called Ahimelech, "Conversely in Mark 2:26 Ahimelech is called Abiathar."
וְלַלְוִיִּ֗םwə·lal·wî·yimand the LevitesH3881
√ Lêvîyîy — a Levite or descendant of LeviConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine plural
Lêvîyîy: a Levite The six chiefs of vv. 5 to 10 are now called by name rather than by clan.
לְאֽוּרִיאֵ֤לlə·’ū·rî·’êlUrielH222
√ ʼÛwrîyʼêl — Uriel, the name of two IsraelitesPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
עֲשָׂיָה֙‘ă·śā·yāhAsaiahH6222
√ ʻĂsâyâh — Asajah, the name of three or four IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
וְיוֹאֵ֣לwə·yō·w·’êlJoelH3100
√ Yôwʼêl — Joel, the name of twelve IsraelitesConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
שְׁמַֽעְיָ֔הšə·ma‘·yāhShemaiahH8098
√ Shᵉmaʻyâh — Shemajah, the name of twenty-five IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
וֶאֱלִיאֵ֖לwe·’ĕ·lî·’êlElielH447
√ ʼĔlîyʼêl — Eliel, the name of nine IsraelitesConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
וְעַמִּינָדָֽב׃wə·‘am·mî·nā·ḏāḇand AmminadabH5992
√ ʻAmmîynâdâb — Amminadab, the name of four IsraelitesConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
12

And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yō·mer lā·hem ’at·tem rā·šê lal·wî·yim hā·’ā·ḇō·wṯ ’at·tem wa·’ă·ḥê·ḵem hiṯ·qad·də·šū wə·ha·‘ă·lî·ṯem ’êṯ ’ă·rō·wn Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê yiś·rā·’êl ’el- hă·ḵî·nō·w·ṯî lōw

Word by word18 · parsed
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרway·yō·merAnd he saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לָהֶ֔םlā·hemto them
Prepositionthird person masculine plural
אַתֶּ֛ם’at·temYouH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine plural
רָאשֵׁ֥יrā·šêare the headsH7218
√ rôʼsh — the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itcNounmasculine plural construct
rôʼsh: the head, whether literal or figurative, of place, time or rank David addresses them by office before he gives the command, and the order is the argument: because you are heads, the consecration of your brothers is your charge. Ellicott: "They were the heads of the chief divisions in each sub-group of the tribe."
לַלְוִיִּ֑םlal·wî·yimof the LeviticalH3881
√ Lêvîyîy — a Levite or descendant of LeviPreposition-lNounpropermasculine plural
הָאָב֖וֹתhā·’ā·ḇō·wṯfamiliesH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationArticleNounmasculine plural
ʼâb: father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application In the plural with the article, the ancestral houses rather than living fathers.
אַתֶּ֣ם’at·temYouH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine plural
וַאֲחֵיכֶ֔םwa·’ă·ḥê·ḵemand your relativesH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Conjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
ʼâch: a brother The same word as the clan rosters of vv. 5 to 10; the chiefs must consecrate the men they were just counted with.
הִֽתְקַדְּשׁוּ֙hiṯ·qad·də·šūmust consecrate yourselvesH6942
√ qâdash — to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)VerbHitpaelImperativemasculine plural
qâdash: to be, or causatively to make, clean ceremonially or morally (Hitpael) The theological centre of the unit. The Hitpael makes the bearers responsible for their own fitness, and the sources agree on what it involved: Ellicott lists "Bathing the person, and washing or changing the garments, and keeping oneself aloof from whatever was regarded as defiling"; JFB adds that it was "required on all grave and important occasions"; Geneva glosses it "Prepare yourselves and be pure." Ellicott draws the reason: "all this was needful to teach Israel that the All-pure requires purity in His worshippers."
וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶ֗םwə·ha·‘ă·lî·ṯemso that you may bringH5927
√ ʻâlâh — to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectsecond person masculine plural
ʻâlâh: to ascend (Hifil, conjunctive perfect) A waw-consecutive perfect following an imperative, so the grammar itself subordinates the carrying to the cleansing: sanctify yourselves, and then you shall bring up. Pulpit notices that the verb here differs from the carry of vv. 1 and 2, and suspects the Levites' fault at the first attempt lay in both directions at once.
אֵ֣ת’êṯH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲר֤וֹן’ă·rō·wnthe arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxNouncommon singular construct
יְהוָה֙Yah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהֵ֣י’ĕ·lō·hêthe GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לyiś·rā·’êlof IsraelH3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
אֶל־’el-to [the place]H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הֲכִינ֖וֹתִיhă·ḵî·nō·w·ṯîI have preparedH3559
√ kûwn — properly, to be erect (iVerbHifilPerfectfirst person common singular
kûwn: to establish (Hifil perfect, first person) The unit's key root a fourth time, now in David's own mouth and in the first person. What the narrator said of the king in v. 1, and repeated of him in v. 3, the king now says of himself. The place was never improvised.
לֽוֹ׃lōwfor it
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
13

It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî ’at·tem lō lə·mab·bā·ri·šō·w·nāh Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê·nū pā·raṣ bā·nū kî- lō ḏə·raš·nu·hū kam·miš·pāṭ

Word by word12 · parsed
כִּ֛יkîIt was becauseH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
The conjunction opens a causal clause whose main verb never arrives in the first half of the verse.
אַתֶּ֑ם’at·temyou LevitesH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine plural
ʼattâh: thou and thee, or in the plural ye and you The emphatic pronoun stands alone with no verb; the predicate must be supplied. Ellicott reads the sense as "for because on the first occasion it was not you (that is, the heads of the Levitical houses)" who carried the ark. K&D agrees that "the predicate is wanting, but it may easily be supplied from the context." The accusation is bare and grammatically incomplete, like a man too pressed to finish the sentence.
לֹ֣אlōwere not with usH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
The bare negative, carrying the whole weight of the accusation against the Levites.
לְמַבָּרִ֥אשׁוֹנָ֖הlə·mab·bā·ri·šō·w·nāhthe first timeH4100
√ mâh — properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?)Conjunctive waw, ArticleAdjectivefeminine singular
mâh: properly, interrogative what? (here in a unique contraction) The hapax form. K&D notes that the interrogative is normally fused only with small words, and cites the closest parallels he can find in Exodus 4:2, Isaiah 3:15 and Malachi 1:13. A once-only word sits at the exact point where David explains a death.
יְהוָ֤הYah·wehthat the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙’ĕ·lō·hê·nūour GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural constructfirst person common plural
פָּרַ֨ץpā·raṣburst forth in angerH6555
√ pârats — to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
pârats: to break out, in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative The verb of a breached wall. It is the same root behind the place-name Perez-uzzah in 1 Chronicles 13:11, so David is naming the earlier disaster by its own word. Cambridge cross-references both 13:11 and 14:11, where the same root describes the LORD bursting through David's enemies: the force that broke the Philistines had broken Israel's own procession.
בָּ֔נוּbā·nūagainst us
Prepositionfirst person common plural
כִּי־kî-ForH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
לֹ֥אlōwe did notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
דְרַשְׁנֻ֖הוּḏə·raš·nu·hūconsult HimH1875
√ dârash — properly, to tread or frequentVerbQalPerfectfirst person common pluralthird person masculine singular
dârash: properly, to tread or frequent, hence to seek or enquire of A verb of beaten paths. To seek God in this sense is to go where He has said He may be found, which is precisely what the first attempt did not do. Poole notes that David "takes a part of the guilt to himself" with the plural we, and that the Levites' oversight "did not excuse his."
כַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃kam·miš·pāṭabout the proper orderH4941
√ mishpâṭ — properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penaltyPreposition-k, ArticleNounmasculine singular
mishpâṭ: properly, a verdict pronounced judicially, including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty The most freighted noun in the unit. Barnes states the concrete content: "The "due order" was that the ark should be borne on the shoulders of Kohathite Levites - not that it should be placed upon a cart, drawn by oxen, and rudely shaken." Ellicott turns it into a principle: "As there is a "due order" by which God rules the physical world, so is there a corresponding order whereby His will is fulfilled in the spiritual sphere."

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The verb that joins a palace to a tent — 15:1

The unit opens on a single Hebrew verb doing double duty. וַיַּֽעַשׂ־ (ʻâsâh, H6213) is the ordinary word for making, and K&D refuses to let it mean masonry: "For עשׂה is not synonymous with בּנה, but expresses the preparation of the building for a dwelling." On that reading v. 1 is not a second building project after 1 Chronicles 14:1 but the finishing of the first, and the same act that makes David's house habitable makes room for the ark. Ellicott takes the plural houses as intensive, one palace; Benson and JFB take it literally, separate apartments for several wives, JFB adding that "Where polygamy prevails, each wife has a separate house or suite of apartments." Either way the next two verbs are the load-bearing ones: וַיָּ֤כֶן, the Hifil of kûwn, he caused to stand firm, and וַיֶּט־ (nâṭâh), he stretched out. Barnes and Cambridge both insist the tent is new, not Moses' tabernacle, which Barnes says "was still in existence at Gibeon." JFB explains the choice by the plan for a permanent house; Benson and Poole say the same. So the ark comes home to a structure with no history, pitched by a king who has just learned what happens when the history is ignored. ⚙ The ordering is worth naming: kûwn appears four times in this pericope (vv. 1, 3, 12 twice over in narrator and first person), and it is the only theological verb David is allowed to keep.

ii. Six clans, eight names, one accountable head apiece — 15:2-11

Ellicott hears אָ֚ז (’āz, v. 2) as a hard date: "This word is here a real note of time. It seems to denote the end of the three months' interval mentioned in 1Chronicles 13:14." K&D reads it identically. What fills the silence is legal research: Barnes says David "had carefully considered all the legal requirements with respect to moving the ark," and Gill supposes he "had since more diligently consulted the law of God about this matter." The result is stated as a bare prohibition. K&D renders the Hebrew flatly: "there is not to bear, i.e., no other shall bear the ark than the Levites," and quotes Bertheau's conclusion that "By this arrangement, it is expressly acknowledged that it was contrary to the law to place it upon a cart." Then the text does something a careless reader skips: it counts. Three gathering verbs narrow the circle, qâhal for the nation (v. 3, which Cambridge marks as "a solemn religious assembly (Heb. Qâhâl, Greek ἐκκλησία)"), ʼâçaph for the orders (v. 4), qârâʼ for eight men by name (v. 11). Six times the word הַשָּׂ֔ר (sar, H8269) appears, one accountable head per clan, four of the six Kohathite because, as K&D and Barnes agree, the Kohathites bore the holiest vessels. Cambridge does the arithmetic: 512 Kohathites against 350 Merarites and Gershomites together. Gill sums the whole to "eight hundred and sixty two, besides their chiefs," a figure the Hebrew never states. ⚙ The list is not filler. It is the answer to v. 13: the first time, nobody had been named.

iii. Sanctify yourselves, and the confession that follows — 15:12-13

The command is a Hitpael imperative, הִֽתְקַדְּשׁוּ֙, make yourselves holy, and every source in this brief fills in the same content. Ellicott: "Bathing the person, and washing or changing the garments, and keeping oneself aloof from whatever was regarded as defiling." K&D adds "avoiding coition and the touching of unclean things," citing Exodus 19:10 and 19:15. Geneva glosses it "Prepare yourselves and be pure." JFB says the neglect of these rules meant "no step could have been taken." Ellicott also notices that the ark's title swells here to "ark of the LORD God of Israel" and reads it "by way of warning." Then comes the confession, and its Hebrew is broken. לְמַבָּרִ֥אשׁוֹנָ֖ה occurs nowhere else in Scripture, as Ellicott and K&D both state, and the clause has no predicate: K&D says "the predicate is wanting, but it may easily be supplied." The verb of judgment is פָּרַ֨ץ (pârats), broke out, the root behind Perez-uzzah at 1 Chronicles 13:11, and Ellicott notes the same phrase at Exodus 19:22 and 19:24. The fault is named with כַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃ (mishpâṭ), a judicial word, which Cambridge would render "according to the ordinance" and Barnes reduces to the practical: shoulders, not a cart "drawn by oxen, and rudely shaken." Poole catches the pronoun: David says we, and "takes a part of the guilt to himself." Henry, reading the whole chapter, says David "does not try to justify what had been done amiss, nor to lay the blame on others." Cambridge dissents on one word, rendering the seeking as directed to the ark rather than to God. ⚙ We leave that disagreement standing; the suffix will not settle it.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ This is the tool's own fallible reading, offered to be tested. The pericope is usually preached as a lesson about method, and that is not wrong, but the Hebrew puts the weight somewhere else. Between the first attempt and the second, nothing changed about David's desire and nothing changed about the ark. What changed is that names were written down. Six times הַשָּׂ֔ר, the head, and then eight men called by voice, and then a command addressed to them in the second person plural: you sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers. At the first attempt the ark was moved by a crowd and a cart, and when it slipped, the man who reached for it was acting on nobody's authority, because nobody had been given any. The confession in v. 13 says exactly this, and its grammar enacts it: the sentence has no predicate, only the naked pronoun אַתֶּ֑ם, you, where a verb should be. Ellicott supplies "it was not you that carried up the ark." So the sin was not an incorrect procedure chosen over a correct one. It was that the holy thing was handled by everyone in general and therefore by no one in particular, and mishpâṭ, a judicial word, is the Chronicler's name for the difference. The remedy is not more reverence in the abstract but assigned, consecrated, countable persons. And note what David does with the blame he could easily have placed: Poole sees it, and Henry sees it, that the king who has just told the Levites they were absent immediately says we. Order that is laid only on subordinates is not order; it is a second way of not seeking God. The line below is our own, not Scripture.

The first time, holiness was everybody's business, which is how it became nobody's.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Uriel, and the Kohathite line the Chronicler has already drawn verbal / quotation: confirmed

The head of the Kohathites in v. 5 is אוּרִיאֵ֣ל (ʼÛwrîyʼêl, H222), a name the Hebrew Bible uses in only a handful of verses. K&D does not treat this roster as a free-standing list; he sends the reader back through the Chronicler's own Levitical genealogy for each of the three parent houses, and Ellicott glosses the name El is light. The Verifier confirms the lexeme is shared with 1 Chronicles 6:24, where the same rare name stands inside the Kohathite descent. ⚙ The effect is that the procession roster is not new administration; it is the genealogy of chapter 6 being called to duty.

1 Chronicles 6:24

basis: Verifier: shared Hebrew lexeme H222 ʼÛwrîyʼêl, rare at 4 verses in the canon; a real verbal link within the Chronicler's own Kohathite genealogy, with no quotation claimed in either direction

Elizaphan and Uzziel: the house that once carried bodies out of the sanctuary verbal / quotation: confirmed

Verse 8 names the sons of אֱלִֽיצָפָ֑ן (ʼĔlîytsâphân, H469) and v. 10 the sons of עֻזִּיאֵ֑ל (ʻUzzîyʼêl, H5816). Ellicott and Geneva both identify Elizaphan as Uzziel's son and Kohath's grandson, and K&D describes the resulting split into two fathers' houses. The Verifier finds both lexemes together at Exodus 6:22, Numbers 3:30 and Leviticus 10:4. The last of those is the sharpest: it is the verse in which Elizaphan and Mishael are called to carry Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after fire from the LORD consumed them for unauthorized worship. ⚙ The Chronicler assigns the ark, after the death of Uzza, to the very clan Moses assigned to the bodies after the death of Nadab. Cambridge should be heard against over-confidence here: he allows that Elizaphan may instead stand for Izhar, which would loosen the genealogy though not the shared lexeme.

Exodus 6:22 · Numbers 3:30 · Leviticus 10:4

basis: Verifier: shared Hebrew lexemes H469 ʼĔlîytsâphân, rare at 6 verses, and H5816 ʻUzzîyʼêl at 16 verses, across all three refs; Leviticus 10:4 adds H175 ʼAhărôwn (328 vv, common, not load-bearing). Verbal link only; the thematic pairing of Nadab with Uzza is our inference and is marked as such

Asaiah the Merarite, and the Chronicler's cross-reference to himself verbal / quotation: confirmed

עֲשָׂיָ֣ה (ʻĂsâyâh, H6222, Iah made on Ellicott's parsing) heads the Merarites in v. 6. K&D explicitly points the reader to the Chronicler's earlier Merarite genealogy for this man, and the Verifier confirms the shared lexeme with 1 Chronicles 6:30. ⚙ The pattern holds for all three parent houses: Uriel to 6:24, Asaiah to 6:30, Joel to 6:33. Chronicles is quoting its own archive, which is a claim about the book's method rather than about its theology.

1 Chronicles 6:30

basis: Verifier: shared Hebrew lexeme H6222 ʻĂsâyâh, 8 verses in the canon; K&D independently identifies the two as the same Merarite chief

The same names, other men: a caution about lexeme links flagged: verify source

The Verifier also returns 2 Chronicles 13:2 for H222 and 2 Kings 22:12, 22:14 and 2 Chronicles 34:20 for H6222. Those are real shared lexemes and false connections: the Uriel of 2 Chronicles 13:2 is the father of Micaiah of Gibeah, and the Asaiah of 2 Kings 22 is an officer of Josiah three centuries later. ⚙ We record the link and refuse the inference. A shared proper name is evidence of shared vocabulary, not of shared reference, and this thread exists so that the confirmed threads above are read as narrower than they look.

2 Chronicles 13:2 · 2 Kings 22:14

basis: Verifier reports shared lexemes H222 (4 vv) and H6222 (8 vv), but the referents are different persons in different centuries; the lexical basis is sound and the interpretive link is not. Flagged so no reader takes the computed match for a theological one

Broke out upon us: the verb of Perez-uzzah and of Sinai structural / thematic: confirmed

David's word for the disaster is פָּרַ֨ץ (pârats, H6555), to break out. Cambridge sends the reader to 1 Chronicles 13:11, where the same root gives the place-name Perez-uzzah, and to 1 Chronicles 14:11, where it describes the LORD bursting through David's enemies like a flood. Ellicott adds a further location, writing of "Our God made a breach. —Broke out upon us" that it is the "same phrase" as Exodus 19:22 and 19:24, where the LORD warns that He will break out against priests who force their way up the mountain. ⚙ The through-line the sources draw is that the breaking-out is one act with two directions: against Israel's enemies, and against Israel when it approaches wrongly.

1 Chronicles 13:11 · Exodus 19:22 · 1 Chronicles 14:11

basis: Basis is commentator-recorded, not Verifier-computed: Ellicott states the Exodus 19:22, 24 phrase is the same, and Cambridge cross-references 1 Chronicles 13:11 and 14:11. The Verifier did not return these pairs, so we claim a motif and shared idiom, not a measured lexeme frequency

Zeal without the ordinance: a cross-Testament pattern, not a quotation structural / thematic: confirmed

The failure of the first attempt was not indifference. It was, on the Chronicler's own account, worship offered warmly and without מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ), the judicial word rendered "the due order" by Barnes and "according to the ordinance" by Cambridge. Paul's diagnosis of his kinsmen in Romans 10:2 runs along the same fault line, zeal for God unmatched by knowledge, and Hebrews 12:28 makes reverence and awe the condition of acceptable service. ⚙ This is our reading, and it is a pattern claim only: the New Testament passages are Greek and can share no lexeme with this Hebrew, no commentator in this brief draws the connection, and neither text cites 1 Chronicles 15. Read it as a shape that recurs, not as a link the text asserts.

Romans 10:2 · Hebrews 12:28

basis: Cross-Testament, so no shared Strong's lexeme is possible and no verbal tier may be claimed. Shared motif only: zeal for God that lacks the appointed order, against 1 Chronicles 15:13's mishpâṭ (H4941). No NT citation of this passage exists and no source in the brief proposes the link; it is ⚙ synthesis

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The tent David pitched, and the fallen tent of David rebuilt ancient/widely-held

Verse 1 ends with David spreading a tent for the ark, and Barnes and Cambridge both stress that it was a new one, unrelated to Moses' tabernacle still standing at Gibeon. That improvised shrine in Zion is the sanctuary of David's reign, and Amos 9:11 speaks of the LORD raising up the fallen booth of David, a text James applies at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:16-17 to the ingathering of the Gentiles under the risen Christ. ⚙ The apostolic use of that Amos oracle is ancient and explicit, which is why this reading is marked as widely held. We under-claim on one point deliberately: the referent of Amos's booth is debated, most often taken as the Davidic dynasty rather than this particular tent, and none of the commentators in this brief connects the two. What the Chronicler gives us is the shape, a king who makes a dwelling for the presence inside his own city, and a New Testament that says the dwelling is raised again and the nations come in.

Amos 9:11 · Acts 15:16-17

Sanctify yourselves: the bearers cleansed before the holy thing is lifted ancient/widely-held

David will not let the ark move until the men who touch it are clean, and the sources are unanimous about what that involved: washing the body, washing or changing the garments, keeping aloof from every defilement (Ellicott, K&D, JFB, Geneva, Poole, Pulpit all say versions of it). Ellicott draws out the reason, that "the All-pure requires purity in His worshippers." The New Testament keeps the demand and relocates its source: Hebrews 9:14 speaks of a conscience cleansed by the blood of Christ for the service of the living God, and Hebrews 10:22 of hearts sprinkled and bodies washed. ⚙ This is the ordinary apostolic reading of the Levitical washings, ancient and widely held. Our own addition is narrower and offered for testing: in this unit the cleansing is commanded to the bearers, not to the onlookers, so the New Testament application falls first on those who handle holy things on other people's behalf.

Hebrews 9:14 · Hebrews 10:22

A divided priesthood with an expiry date novel

Cambridge notices something the verse does not comment on: Zadok and Abiathar share the office in v. 11, and "This double priesthood ... came to an end in the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 2:27; 1 Kings 2:35)." K&D says both men held high priestly rank at once; Poole ranks one above the other. Either way the arrangement was temporary, and the line of Ithamar was cut off from it within a generation. ⚙ Hebrews 7:23-24 states the general principle, that the former priests were many because death prevented them from continuing, whereas Christ holds His priesthood permanently. Applying that specifically to the Zadok and Abiathar arrangement of this verse is our own extension; no commentator in this brief makes it, so we mark it novel and offer it as a reading to be tested rather than a received one.

Hebrews 7:23-24 · 1 Kings 2:27

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text: BSB (CC0) with the Berean interlinear and Strong's numbers; all Hebrew surfaces, parses and glosses above are taken from that apparatus and not retyped from memory. Commentary is verbatim public domain, quoted only as contiguous substrings and named by author.

What is uncertain in this unit, stated plainly. (1) לְמַבָּרִ֥אשׁוֹנָ֖ה in v. 13 occurs nowhere else in Scripture; Ellicott says so outright and K&D calls the contraction unique, so every English rendering of it is reconstruction from context. (2) The clause in v. 13 has no predicate; K&D and Ellicott both supply one, and the supplied words are theirs. (3) The suffix on דְרַשְׁנֻ֖הוּ is read as God by BSB and Gill, but Cambridge renders "we sought not unto it," meaning the ark. We have not resolved this. (4) The identity of Elizaphan in v. 8 is disputed: Ellicott and Geneva make him Uzziel's son, Cambridge allows that he may stand for Izhar. (5) The relative rank of Zadok and Abiathar in v. 11 is disagreed on within the brief itself, Poole ranking them and K&D making both high priests. (6) Gill's total of 862 Levites is arithmetic performed on the text, not a figure the text supplies. (7) Henry's entry is a comment on 15:1-24 as a block, so his words are quoted here for the unit rather than for any single verse.

Thread bases: where a badge says Verifier, the shared Strong's lexemes and their canon frequencies are the computed record. Where a badge says commentator-recorded, no Verifier pair was returned and the basis is a named source's own cross-reference. The cross-Testament thread claims a motif and nothing more; Greek and Hebrew share no Strong's numbers and no verbal tier is available to it. The homonym thread is flagged on purpose: the lexeme matches are real and the persons are different.

⚙ Everything marked with this symbol is machine synthesis and fallible. Nothing above adds to Scripture, and where our reading goes beyond the sources it says so.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)