When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,
Parallel translations
- WEB All the elders of Israel came. The Levites took up the ark;
- KJV And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
- NKJV So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.
- NASB Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark.
- NLT When all the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites picked up the Ark.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When all the elders of Israel had come, the Levites took up the ark. The ark was carried by those God had appointed for that sacred task.
Overview
The Levites, set apart to handle the holy things, lifted the ark as the law required, in contrast to the earlier mishandling that brought judgment in David's day. This careful obedience honored God's holiness and order. It models the reverence God's people owe him, approaching his presence on his terms rather than their own.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Kgs 8:3When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark,
- Josh 3:6And he said to the priests, “Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
- Josh 6:6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
- 1 Chr 15:2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”
- 2 Chr 5:7Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.
- Num 4:15When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the Tent of Meeting.
- 1 Chr 15:12–14And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
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Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 5:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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