2 Samuel 6:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord — and I will celebrate before the Lord.

NIV: David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.

NASB: But David said to Michal, 'I was before the Lord, who preferred me to your father and to all his house, to appoint me as ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. So I will celebrate before the Lord!

CSB: David replied to Michal, "It was before the Lord who chose me over your father and his whole family to appoint me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel. I will dance before the Lord,

NLT: David retorted to Michal, 'I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord.

KJV: And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.

NKJV: So David said to Michal, “ It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord.

David has spent months transferring the ark of the covenant from a house in Kiriath-jearim to his capital, Jerusalem. He assembled hundreds of officials, singers, and musicians (1 Chronicles 15). He offered countless sacrifices (2 Samuel 6:13). He joined the crowd, dancing and singing. He even wrote a new psalm (1 Chronicles 16:8–36).

It's the dancing that upsets his wife, Michal (1 Samuel 19:11; 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:13). More specifically, she is angry about what David wore and who was watching. She sarcastically confronts him for wearing a short, sleeveless robe (2 Samuel 6:14) and dancing like a commoner in front of the female servants (2 Samuel 6:20).

David sounds quite controlled under the circumstances. He has just returned from celebrating a historic moment. He wants to bless his family with joy, including Michal. Instead of affirming him, she attacks his behavior and his character. David tells her he's concerned only with God's opinion. How he dances and what he wears are all for the Lord's sake. David wasn't seeking approval from the people, or his wife.

The rebuke is calm but pointed. David reminds Michal that the Lord chose him over her father (1 Samuel 18:20–21) and all her male relatives to become king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:13; 28:17). He will worship the God who chose him however he pleases. If that disgusts her, she can be disgusted while the common people show respect (2 Samuel 6:22).

Second Samuel 6:20–23 records a spat between David and his first wife, Michal. Michal was King Saul's daughter. She fell in love with David and risked her life to protect him (1 Samuel 18:20–29; 19:11–17). When David left, Saul gave her to another; when David became king, he took her back (1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:12–16). She sees David's exuberant celebration of the ark's arrival in Jerusalem as shameless and unbecoming. David defends his joy and rejects her judgment. Michal never bears a child; there will be no son descended from both David and Saul to vie for the throne.

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.