Limitless Word
Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all.
2 Samuel 6:1 · New Living Translation
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.
  • BSB David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all.
  • 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.

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 13:1–4David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader.
  • 1 Kgs 8:1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, with all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel, to king Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Yahweh’s covenant out of David’s city, which is Zion.
  • 1 Chr 13:6–14David went up with all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there God Yahweh’s ark that sits above the cherubim, that is called by the Name.
  • Ps 132:1–6A Song of Ascents. Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction,
  • 2 Sam 5:1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and spoke, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 6:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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.