I Chronicles Chapter 13

And David conferred with the officers of the thousands He said to them, “You have already engaged in matters that are for your benefit, for you have a king to save you; now you should engage in the honor of God.”

it has been opened The fence that was closed until now has been opened, for no one has yet inquired of God. let us send to our brethren remaining because of the honor of the Ark.

from Shihor of Egypt and until the approach to Hamath This parallels (I Kings 8:65): “from the approach to Hamath to the brook of Egypt”

to Baalah, to Kirjath The meaning is — to Baalah, which is Kirjath-Jearim.

to bring up from there, etc — As it is written (II Sam. 6:2): “... which is called a name, the name of the Lord of Hosts, Who dwells upon the cherubim;” i.e., the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was called upon the Ark. Although the Ark had been exiled to [the land of] the Philistines, this name did not leave it, because it was hallowed.

And they set the Ark of God on a new cart Why did David see fit to set it on a new cart rather than to have it borne by the Levites, as he did when he finally brought it from there to Zion? Because David said, “Corresponding to the way it came to me when the Philistines returned it on a new cart, as it is written (I Sam. 6:11): And they placed the Ark of the Lord on the cart, etc.” Therefore, he was punished.

and Uzza and Ahio They were the sons of Abinadab, as is written in II Samuel (6:3).

drove the cart as is the custom of cart drivers, one walks in front of the cart and directs it in a straight way, and one is alongside the cart, so that it does not turn over and fall. And so it is written (II Sam. 6: 4): “... and Ahio went before the Ark,” and Uzza was alongside the cart; therefore, Uzza stretched forth his hand to take hold of the Ark when the oxen swayed it, and therefore, he was punished.

with all [their] might Here it is written — בְּכָל עֹז, with all strength, and in II Samuel (6:5): “בְּכָל עֲצֵי, with all wood.” The meaning is: with all manner of wooden musical instruments, and here the meaning is: with all powerful musical instruments.

and with songs and with harps and with psalteries and with timbrels All of these are musical instruments, but cymbals (מְצִלְתַּיִם) were not a musical instrument, and their function was only to make sounds, like the instrument called the kettle drum, Pauken in German, which is struck with sticks to make sounds. This is implied further (15: 25): “and with resounding cymbals,” and it is written (ibid. verse 19): “And the singers: Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, with copper cymbals to resound.” And it is written further below (25:6): “with song in the House of the Lord, with cymbals, etc.,” and because of this, they are called מְצִלְתַּיִם. Similarly (Deut. 28:42): “... the locusts (הַצְּלָצַל) will inherit.” This is a species of locust that makes a sound, as it is written in the prophecy of Joel (2:5) about the locusts: “Like the sound of chariots on the mountaintops, they will leap, etc.”

to Goren Kiddon the name of a place.

and He struck him down because he stretched forth his hand upon the Ark This is what is written in II Samuel (6:7): “... and God struck him down there” עַל הַשַּׁל meaning עַל הַשֶּׁלַח, because he stretched forth to hold the Ark. Another example of this is (I Kings 21:23): “The dogs will devour Jezebel” בְּחֵל יִזְרְעֶאל. In another verse it is written: (II Kings 9:10): “בְּחֵלֶק יִזְרְעֶאל,” in the territory of Jezreel. So will we explain עַל הַשַּׁל here as הַשֶּׁלַח

and he died there before God before the Ark of God, and in (II Samuel 6:7): “...and there he died by the Ark of God.”

And David feared God, etc — saying What did he fear? Saying - that he said, “How will I bring the Ark of God to me?”

the Gittite He was from Gath originally and he previously sojourned in Gath. He was a Levite, as it is written (below 15:16): “And David said to the officers of the Levites to station their brethren, the singers,” and it says shortly after (verse 24): “... and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gate sentries for the Ark.”

ויועץ דויד — בש"ב (ו, א) נכתב בקיצור ויוסף עוד דוד את כל בחור מישראל שלשים אלף, ועזרא באר שתחלה התיעץ עם השרים ע"ז, וזה לא היה תיכף אחר המלכתו, כי בעת מעשה זו כבר כבש את ירושלים, וציון היתה עיר דוד, כמבואר לקמן:

ויאמר לכל קהל ישראל — שהם שריהם שעומדים במקומם

ואם מן ה' אלהינו — יצא הדבר

נפרצה — מלשון התחזקות יותר על הגבול, כמו (בראשית כח, יד) ופרצת ימה וקדמה:

ויקהל — ובשמואל מבואר שנתקבצו כל בחור מישראל, דהיינו ששלחו בחיריהם ושופטיהם מכל עיר ועיר כמש"ש

מן שיחור — ר"ל מגבול נגב עד גבול צפון, וכן מלבא חמת עד נחל מצרים:

בעלתה — כמ"ש בעלה היא קרית יערים (יהושע טו, ט)

יושב הכרובים אשר נקרא שם — ר"ל אחר שה' נקרא בשם יושב הכרובים, ששוכן בין בדי הארון, אם כן ראוי לחלק לו כבוד כי ה' שוכן עליו, וזה פי' למ"ש בשמואל (שם, ב) אשר נקרא שם שם ה' צבאות יושב הכרובים (נקרא) עליו, ר"ל בעבורו נקרא ה' בשם יושב הכרובים:

וירכיבו וכו' ודוד וכו' — בשמואל מאריך יותר, ושם בארתי פרטי החטאים שחטאו בזה נגד קדושת הארון:

לאחז — באר שמ"ש בשמואל (שם, ו) ויאחז, ר"ל שרצה לאחוז, ומת על אשר שלח ידו על הארון הגם שלא אחז בו עדיין:

עם בית עובד אדום — שישב אצלו ביחד עם כל בני ביתו ולא הוזק א' מהם, ויתר הדברים בארתי בשמואל שם (סי' ו):