Poole on 2 Samuel 6:8-11: David's Grief over the Death of Uzzah

Verse 8:[1]  And David was displeased, because the LORD had made (Heb. broken[2]) a breach upon Uzzah:  and he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah (that is, the breach of Uzzah[3]) to this day.

[David was discouraged, ‎וַיִּחַר]  He was angry (Pagnine, Martyr); he resented it (Vatablus, similarly Junius and Tremellius); he was troubled.  By anger here is denoted sadness, by Synecdoceh of species:  for anger is also a certain sort of sadness (Piscator).  He was angry, not against God, whom he was not able to accuse of severity or injustice; but against the sin, either of the priests or his own.  Perhaps this detracted much from the authority and estimation of David (Martyr).  He was saddened, 1.  out of compassion of Uzzah, who had undertaken this at his will:  2.  By the dismay of the people, frightened by this calamity:  3.  By the profanation of sacred things:  4.  By fear, lest the guilt of Uzzah extend to himself (Menochius).  He feared both for himself (lest he be seen as unworthy of such a guest, or lest he be smitten), and for the city.  He remembered what both the Philistines and the men of Beth-shemesh suffered on account of the violation of the ark[4] (Martyr).

David was displeased, or, grieved, both for the sin, which he acknowledgeth, 1 Chronicles 15:2, 13, and for God’s heavy judgment; whereby their hopes were dashed, and their joys interrupted, and a good subject struck dead for the circumstantial error of a pious mind, which he might possibly think harsh and very severe, and therefore be displeased or offended at this sharp providence.

[That the Lord had smitten, ‎אֲשֶׁ֙ר פָּרַ֧ץ יְהוָ֛ה פֶּ֖רֶץ [5]]  That He had ruptured a rupture (Montanus, Vatablus, Pagnine, Malvenda, thus the Septuagint, Tigurinus), or by a rupture (Syriac); He had erupted by an eruption upon Uzzah (Junius and Tremellius); that He had made a scattering because of Uzzah (Munster).

[The Smiting of Uzzah]  This name was put upon this place, so that it might remind men to respect the discipline (Martyr).

Verse 9:[6]  And (Ps. 119:120; see Luke 5:8, 9) David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

Afraid of the Lord; either that God was displeased with him for removing the ark, and bringing it to his city; or lest God should proceed further in the way of his judgments upon him and his people; or lest the ark being brought to his house, might be the occasion of inconveniencies and great calamities, for some neglects or errors which they might easily and frequently commit.  How shall the ark of the Lord come unto me? how may I presume, or how shall I dare do it, when God hath showed his displeasure for my attempting it?  I will therefore wait further upon God for his direction in the case, and at present forbear.  But why did not David consult God presently by the Urim, as he used to do?  This therefore seems to have been his infirmity and neglect.

Verse 10:[7]  So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David:  but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom (1 Chron. 13:13) the Gittite.

[And he was unwilling to turn the ark to himself]  Fearing that he might summon evil to himself by some fault of his own (Menochius).  David sinned somewhat here:  He was easily able to see from the sacred books that those things were not duly performed.  If David was ignorant of the will of God concerning the conveyance of the ark to Zion, he ought not to have begun:  if he knew with certainty, he ought not to have ceased.  He sins through a paralogism, namely, false cause.  For, the ark was not the cause of his calamity, but the sin, with which removed, God would be propitious (Martyr).

[Into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite]  He was a Levite, as it is evident out of 1 Chronicles 15:18, 21, 24; 16:5, 38; 26:4 (Menochius, thus Lyra, Lapide, Serarius, Malvenda, Martyr).  How then was he a Gittite?  Response:  Because he was born there, or dwelt there, like Elimelech in Moab, Ruth 1 (Lapide out of Serarius).  In those times the Levites were sojourning, and were dwelling in whatever place was suitable.  See Judges 17 (Malvenda).  Perhaps he lived in exile there with David, so that he might escape Saul, who killed the priests[8] (Martyr).  Or his father had sojourned there (Menochius).  Rather, he was called a Gittite from Gath-rimmon, a Levitical city, Joshua 21:24, 25 (Malvenda out of Junius).  Question:  Whether it was lawful for David to expose his neighbor to danger, so that he might save himself?  Response:  David did not compel anyone to keep the ark in his house; but Obed-edom willingly accepted, whereby he showed his own faith and piety (Martyr).  But where then was this house?  Response:  Either in the city of Jerusalem, or in a place near to it (Lapide out of Josephus, Sanchez in Tostatus); as it is evident, 1.  because in that place was the threshingfloor of Nachon, and in the same place the threshingfloor of Araunah, 2 Samuel 24:18, 21, where the temple was afterwards built.  2.  Unless this had happened at Jerusalem, in that most famous city, the sacred Historian would not have passed over in silence the city where the house of Abinadab, and the threshingfloor of Nachon were, with only the house and the threshingfloor named (Sachez).

Into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite:  Which doubtless was done by the consent and desire of the owner of it, who for the enjoyment of so great a privilege, was willing to expose himself to some hazard; and wisely considered that the late judgment was not to be imputed to the ark, but to Uzzah’s carelessness in managing it.  The Gittite:  he was certainly a Levite, 1 Chronicles 15:18, 21, 24; 16:5; 26:4, and here called a Gittite, either, first, from Gath of the Philistines, where he or his father might be born or have sojourned, which might be upon divers occasions; or, secondly, from Gath-rimmon, which was a Levitical city, Joshua 21:24, 25.

Verse 11:[9]  (1 Chron. 13:14) And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months:  and the LORD (Gen. 30:27; 39:5) blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.

[He blessed Obed-edom]  In all his flocks, crops, and business (Tirinus).  All things fell out prosperously to him (Grotius, Menochius).  He increased suddenly with great wealth (Serarius out of Josephus).  He increased him with goods, spiritual and temporal (Lyra).

And all his household:  With happy success in all their affairs and actions.

[1] Hebrew:  ‎וַיִּ֣חַר לְדָוִ֔ד עַל֩ אֲשֶׁ֙ר פָּרַ֧ץ יְהוָ֛ה פֶּ֖רֶץ בְּעֻזָּ֑ה וַיִּקְרָ֞א לַמָּק֤וֹם הַהוּא֙ פֶּ֣רֶץ עֻזָּ֔ה עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

[2] Hebrew:  ‎פָּרַץ.

[3] Hebrew:  ‎פֶּ֣רֶץ עֻזָּ֔ה.

[4] 1 Samuel 5; 6.

[5] פָּרַץ signifies to break through.

[6] Hebrew:  ‎וַיִּרָ֥א דָוִ֛ד אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֵ֛יךְ יָב֥וֹא אֵלַ֖י אֲר֥וֹן יְהוָֽה׃

[7] Hebrew:  ‎וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֣ה דָוִ֗ד לְהָסִ֥יר אֵלָ֛יו אֶת־אֲר֥וֹן יְהוָ֖ה עַל־עִ֣יר דָּוִ֑ד וַיַּטֵּ֣הוּ דָוִ֔ד בֵּ֥ית עֹבֵֽד־אֱד֖וֹם הַגִּתִּֽי׃

[8] See 1 Samuel 22.

[9] Hebrew:  ‎וַיֵּשֶׁב֩ אֲר֙וֹן יְהוָ֜ה בֵּ֣ית עֹבֵ֥ד אֱדֹ֛ם הַגִּתִּ֖י שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה חֳדָשִׁ֑ים וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־עֹבֵ֥ד אֱדֹ֖ם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּיתֽוֹ׃