David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all.
Parallel translations
- WEB David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
- KJV Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
- NKJV Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand.
- NASB Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
- NLT Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all.
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
David gathers thirty thousand chosen men of Israel for a great undertaking. The large assembly signals the importance of bringing up the ark.
Overview
David musters thirty thousand select troops, marking the beginning of his effort to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. The grand scale shows how central the ark and the worship of God were to be in his kingdom. David rightly desires to set the Lord's presence at the heart of the nation, though the journey will also teach him the cost of approaching God carelessly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Chr 13:1–4Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.
- 1 Kgs 8:1At that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David.
- 1 Chr 13:6–14David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
- Ps 132:1–6A song of ascents. O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured,
- 2 Sam 5:1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 6:1 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.