Music and Dance in 2 Samuel 6‪.‬

2 Samuel 6 tells the story of King David's transfer of the ark to Jerusalem. According to this tale, the transport was to have been completed in a single movement. A flaw in the ceremony's performance, however, forces the division of the ceremony into two stages. (1) Uzzah, who helps guide the transport of the ark, commits sacrilege by seizing it to prevent it from falling off the cart on which it was carried. The disapproving deity strikes the wrongdoer dead, thus halting the ceremony. Only after several months, during which the god's ability to bless becomes again evident, is the transport resumed and the ark brought to the city. The last stage of the ceremony is not a simple continuation of the procession terminated by the divine irruption. David makes several reforms in order to guarantee its successful outcome. For example, the ark is now carried on people's shoulders (6:13; implied in the phrase [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], "bearers of Yahweh's ark") rather than being mounted on a cart (as at first, in v. 3). David wears a linen ephod (6:14), a feature not mentioned in the first procession. David also goes in the vanguard of the second procession (6:14), whereas in the first he seems to be more in the background while other cultic officials lead the procession (vv. 4-5). The change of David's clothing and position in the ceremony suggests that in the second procession David has taken the lead as priestly director. This is complemented by the absence of the priesthood of the house of Abinadab from the second procession, which suggests that they were dismissed from their duties. Moreover, special offerings are made at the beginning of the second procession (6:13), presumably to appease any anger the deity may still have.