2 Samuel 6:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

NIV: As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

NASB: Then it happened, as the ark of the Lord was coming into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.

CSB: As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

NLT: But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.

KJV: And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

NKJV: Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

David's relationship with his first wife Michal was always complicated. Her father, King Saul, wanted David dead. He used her love for David to try to get the Philistines to kill him (1 Samuel 18:20–25). When Saul sent assassins to their home, Michal helped David escape, choosing loyalty to her husband over her father (1 Samuel 19:8–17). Michal's betrayal stung Saul, and he married her to another man to keep David from having any claim on the throne (1 Samuel 25:44).

Years later, Saul was killed in battle (1 Samuel 31:1–7), David became king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), and Saul's son Ish-bosheth ruled the other tribes (2 Samuel 2:8). As David prepared to become the king over a united Israel, he demanded Ish-bosheth take Michal from her second husband, who loved her deeply, and return her to him (2 Samuel 3:14–16). She arrived to find herself only one of David's growing number of wives and concubines (2 Samuel 3:2–5).

Now Michal looks out of a window and sees her husband David, king of Israel, entering Jerusalem with the ark of God. She probably expects a solemn and dignified religious procession. Or, at least, an exalted king marching proudly as he leads his people. Instead, David dances with enthusiasm and while wearing only a thin linen garment (2 Samuel 6:14). Even worse, for Michal, the lowest of the female servants are watching. Michal is disgusted by what she considers David's shamelessness and vulgarity. She despises the man she once defied her father to protect (2 Samuel 6:20).

Second 2 Samuel 6:16–19 continues a celebration over the ark of the covenant. In the time of the priest Eli, Philistines took the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4:11). They returned it, and it sat in Baale-judah / Kiriath-jearim for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1–2). Then it apparently traveled with the army (1 Samuel 14:18). David wants God's presence closer, so he brought the ark to Jerusalem. The entire journey is filled with sacrifices and celebration, and now David adds feasting. Michal, however, isn't impressed by David's "vulgar" behavior. First Chronicles 15:29—16:1–3 records the same information, while 16:4–42 gives more detail, including David's psalm.

In 2 Samuel 6, David decides to bring the ark of God (Exodus 25:10–22) to Jerusalem. This includes an enormous crowd and a great procession. Unfortunately, he doesn't follow the Mosaic law, and a man dies for inappropriately touching the ark. David leaves the ark at a house for three months before trying again. Moving the symbol of God's presence into the nation's capital delights everyone except David's first wife, Michal. She is disgusted by David's undignified enthusiasm. The same events are noted in 1 Chronicles 13 and 15.

David has established himself as king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5). In 2 Samuel 6, the ark of the covenant reaches Jerusalem. Since its first home in Shiloh, it's been captured by Philistines, sent back home, housed in Kiriath-jearim, carried with the army, and returned to Kiriath-jearim (Joshua 18:1; 1 Samuel 4, 6; 7:1–2; 14:18). David first puts the ark on a cart, but the cart wobbles and God strikes dead the man who tries to save it. Eventually, Levites carry the ark to Jerusalem properly. Soon, David decides that God deserves a proper temple and asks if he can build one (2 Samuel 7).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.