What Does 2 Samuel 6:9 Mean in the King James?
And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The beloved is still afraid: love does not make the LORD’s presence something David can carry home on his own terms.
THE MEANING
You can be beloved and still meet the LORD’s nearness with awe; being loved does not make that nearness tame. The question “How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?” leaves the danger and mystery of that approach open.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that being loved makes the presence of God safe to shape around your own terms.
THE ROOT
וַיִּרָא
vayyirāʾ
GROWS FROM
ירא
To fear, stand in awe.
“afraid” in this verse is vayyirāʾ. This root holds both the inward response of fear and the awe evoked by what is fearsome. Here, awe does not erase danger: the LORD’s nearness can be both desired and overwhelming.
ALSO GROWS
yir’ah: Fear, awe
יִרְאָה
The same root names the response David feels, carrying reverence alongside alarm.
nora: Awe-inspiring, fearsome
נוֹרָא
The same root describes what evokes awe, keeping the force of the encounter in view.
דָּוִד
Dāwīd
GROWS FROM
דוד
Beloved.
The name carries belovedness, placing it beside David’s fear in this verse. Being beloved does not make the LORD’s presence tame or controllable.
ALSO GROWS
dōd: Beloved, loved one
דּוֹד
The shared root brings the meaning of David’s name into the moment of fear.
dōdīm: Love, intimate affection
דּוֹדִים
The same root names affection, showing that belovedness and awe can stand together.
THE PATTERN
The presence of the LORD evokes awe and sets the terms of approach.
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.THE THREAD
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.The preceding line names what stands behind the fear: Uzza is struck down and dies beside the ark. David’s question holds the violence of this nearness in view; the ark is not a harmless possession.
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