1 Chronicles 13:14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom… Why was the house of Obed-edom selected for the three months' sojourn of the ark? The choice of the ark's resting-place was David's first-fruits of repentance. He was terrified at the judgment upon their act of disobedience to the law, which enjoined that none but the Levites of the family of Kohath should bear it, and that upon their shoulders, too; and they at once retraced their steps, so far as they could by conveying the sacred emblem to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, that is of Gath. This city was distinguished from several other towns of the same name by the addition of Gath-rimmon (Joshua 24:21). It was not only one of the cities of the Levites in general, but of the Kohathites in particular, the very family to whom was specially assigned the post of "bearing the ark upon their shoulders." From 1 Chronicles 15:38 we find that Obed-edom was actually one of the "porters" employed to bear upon their shoulders, instead of in a cart, after the manner of the idolatrous Philistines, the sacred symbol of the presence of the Lord of hosts on the occasion of its final translation to Jerusalem. (Joseph B. Owen, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had. |
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