What Does 2 Samuel 6:17 Mean?
And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it down in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had stretched out for it, and David sent up rising offerings and wholeness offerings before the LORD.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.THE KEY
In Hebrew, both “offered” and “burnt offerings” come from the root “go up,” while the offerings named for wholeness stand beside them.
THE MEANING
At the center is a place made ready for the ark; before the LORD, the offering rises and the peace offerings carry wholeness. You see ascent and wholeness held together in one scene of presence.
THE ROOT
וַיַּעַל
wayya'al
GROWS FROM
עלה
ʿ-l-h
To go up, rise, or ascend; in this verb form, to bring up.
“sent up” in this verse is wayya'al. The verb וַיַּעַל (wayya’al, “he brought up”) stands beside עֹלוֹת (olot, “burnt offerings”), and both come from עלה (ʿ-l-h, “go up”). English separates the act of offering from the offering’s name, while Hebrew sounds them as one movement of ascent.
ALSO GROWS
olah: A burnt offering; literally, that which goes up.
עֹלָה
The offering itself shares the verb’s root, making ascent part of both the act and its name.
aliyah: Ascent, going up.
עֲלִיָּה
This branch makes the upward movement carried by the verse’s root explicit.
שְׁלָמִים
shelamim
GROWS FROM
שלם
sh-l-m
To be whole or complete; to bring to completion.
“wholeness offerings” in this verse is shelamim. The name שְׁלָמִים (shelamim, “offerings of wholeness”) belongs to the same root as שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “wholeness, peace”) and שָׁלֵם (shalem, “whole, complete”). English “peace” can sound like a feeling, but the Hebrew root keeps completeness within the offering’s name.
ALSO GROWS
shalom: Wholeness, peace.
שָׁלוֹם
It shows the wholeness carried in the name of the offerings.
shalem: Whole, complete.
שָׁלֵם
It makes the root’s sense of completeness visible in another word from the same seed.
THE PATTERN
Offering to God appears as ritual gift, embodied life, and praise spoken aloud.
If his drawing near is a wholeness offering from the herd, male or female, he brings it near whole before the LORD.Therefore I urge you, brothers, through the compassions of God, to set your bodies beside God as a living sacrifice, set apart, well-pleasing to him, which is your true service.Through him, then, let us always carry up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.THE THREAD
The LORD lift up his face upon you, and give you wholeness.Here “peace” is שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “wholeness”), from the same שלם (sh-l-m) root as the offerings named for wholeness in this verse. The blessing opens that wholeness as the LORD’s face turned toward you and peace given.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
You can read any verse this way in the app, keep it as a card, and send it on.
A Bible app where you send verses from your keyboard and in Messages, and every verse has a Deep Dive.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us