Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 13:9
When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes David’s procession moving the ark to Jerusalem at the precise moment the draft animals falter. The account addresses Israel’s leadership and people during a religious relocation.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּשְלַ֨ח (va/i.yish.Lach) translates literally as "and he stretched out," detailing Uzzah’s physical response. It connects to אֶת־ יָד֗/וֹ (et- ya.D/o), meaning "his hand," to specify the direct contact made with the object.
The thread — This event parallels the account in 2 Samuel 6:6, which identifies the location as the threshing floor of Nacon. Both passages record the same moment of animal stumbling and Uzzah’s intervention during the ark’s transport.
Why it lands — The text records a fatal violation of transport protocol triggered by panic, not malice. It requires the reader to recognize that proximity to the sacred does not override prescribed boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 6:6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled.