17:16 David went in, sat before the Lord, and said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, 5 that you should have brought me to this point?
1 tn Heb “for at the time of day in a day they were coming to David to help him until [there was] a great camp like the camp of God.” The term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) is probably used idiomatically here to indicate the superlative.
2 tn Heb “and the anger of the
3 tn Heb “because he stretched out his hand over the ark.”
4 sn The modern reader might think God seemed to overreact here, but Israel needed a vivid object lesson of God’s holiness. By loading the ark on a cart, David had violated the instructions in God’s law (Exod 25:12-14; Num 4:5-6, 15). Uzzah’s action, however innocent it may seem, betrayed a certain lack of reverence for God’s presence. God had to remind his people that his holiness could not under any circumstances be violated.
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 tn Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result: “so it might become a reality.”
5 tn Heb “so it might be established.”
6 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result (parallel to the previous purpose/result clause): “[so]…you might gain lasting fame.”
7 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
8 tc Heb “the
9 tn Heb “the house of David.”