2 Samuel 6 16

2 Samuel 6:16 kjv

And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

2 Samuel 6:16 nkjv

Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

2 Samuel 6:16 niv

As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

2 Samuel 6:16 esv

As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

2 Samuel 6:16 nlt

But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him.

2 Samuel 6 verses

2 Samuel 6 16 Meaning

The verse 2 Samuel 6:16 describes Michal, daughter of Saul and wife of King David, observing from her window as the Ark of the Lord was brought into Jerusalem. When she witnessed King David engaging in uninhibited, joyous leaping and dancing as an act of worship before the Lord, she harbored deep contempt for him in her heart. This internal disdain reveals her judgment of David’s passionate, yet public, display of devotion as undignified for a king.

2 Samuel 6 16 Context

This verse is set during a monumental event: the bringing of the Ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem, the newly established capital. David’s intent is to establish Jerusalem as the religious and political center, consolidating the kingdom under God’s visible presence. This journey follows an initial failed attempt where Uzzah was struck dead for touching the Ark (2 Sam 6:6-7), highlighting the Ark’s sacredness and the necessity of proper reverence. David, now meticulously following prescribed protocols, leads a joyous procession filled with sacrifices, music, and unrestrained worship. Verse 16 captures the culminating moment as the Ark enters the City of David, focusing specifically on Michal’s private, negative reaction to David’s fervent public worship, setting the stage for their subsequent confrontation and David's defense of his actions before the Lord.

2 Samuel 6 16 Word analysis

• As the ark of the Lord: The central object, symbolizing God’s holy presence, covenant, and kingship among His people. Its entry signifies divine blessing and legitimacy for Jerusalem and David's reign.
• was entering: Signifies the culmination of the procession. The divine presence is actively coming into the human sphere, establishing residence.
• the City of David: Jerusalem, now under David’s control, signifying both its political and intended spiritual centrality.
• Michal daughter of Saul: Identifies her lineage and historical connection. As Saul’s daughter, she embodies the old, aristocratic kingdom's perspective. As David's wife (though reclaimed after an absence), her status is significant, yet her viewpoint remains distinct from his.
• watched from a window: Denotes distance, observation without participation. It suggests a certain detachment, perhaps a critical, detached appraisal rather than engaged worship or understanding. A "window" might also symbolize her privileged but perhaps confined or isolating position within the palace.
• And when she saw: Emphasizes the visual trigger for her strong reaction. Her judgment is based on what she perceived David doing physically.
• King David: His royal title is highlighted, suggesting that Michal’s critique is implicitly about how a king should behave in her estimation of royal decorum and dignity.
• leaping: Hebrew: מְכַרְכֵּר (m'karkēr). Implies vigorous, whirling, circular movements. This is not a subtle or controlled dance but one of immense energy and joy, reflecting profound ecstasy and spiritual release.
• and dancing: Hebrew: מְפַזֵּז (m'phazzēz). Conveys agile, springing, and bounding movements. Together with "leaping," it describes an energetic, almost athletic, expression of unbridled jubilation and worship, casting off royal dignity in favor of spiritual passion.
• before the Lord: This crucial phrase defines the audience and purpose of David’s actions. His worship was not for human show but an offering directed solely towards God. Michal’s failure to grasp this focus is central to her disdain.
• she despised him: Hebrew: בָּזָה (bazah). A strong verb indicating profound contempt, disdain, or scorn. It’s an internal, intense feeling of looking down on someone or something as worthless or unworthy of respect.
• in her heart: Hebrew: בִּלְבָבָהּ (b'lvāvāh). This specifies that her contempt was deep-seated, internal, and heartfelt. It wasn't just a fleeting thought but an inner judgment, suggesting a fundamental disagreement or misunderstanding of David’s character and relationship with God. It indicates a deep emotional and spiritual chasm.

2 Samuel 6 16 Bonus section

• The stark contrast between David's humility and Michal's pride mirrors the difference between David's heart for God and Saul's focus on reputation, from whom Michal inherited her perspective.
• Some scholars suggest Michal’s contempt may also stem from unaddressed personal grievances or envy towards David’s escalating success and new family dynamics, further complicating her view.
• The Ark’s arrival in Jerusalem prefigures the dwelling of God among His people in more intimate ways (e.g., Tabernacle, Temple, Jesus, Holy Spirit in believers), emphasizing the celebration of God’s active presence.
• Michal’s observation from a window subtly emphasizes a lack of participatory joy; she remains an outsider to the spiritual fervency unfolding below, unlike David who enters into the full experience.
• David's uninhibited dancing resonates with ancient Near Eastern sacred dance traditions where bodily movements expressed devotion, ecstasy, and community with the divine. It wasn't entirely anachronistic but unusual for a king of his status.
• The spiritual divide foreshadowed in this verse ultimately highlights that God often chooses to work through those who humble themselves and are willing to appear "foolish" for His sake, rather than those clinging to worldly status and wisdom.

2 Samuel 6 16 Commentary

This verse serves as a profound moment, contrasting Michal's human-centered pride with David's God-centered humility in worship. Michal, raised in Saul's royal court, prioritized conventional dignity and external appearances. Her view from the window symbolizes her detachment and limited spiritual insight. David, however, willingly set aside his royal status to engage in unrestrained, even "undignified," physical worship before the Lord. His actions were born from genuine devotion and gratitude, celebrating God's active presence. Michal’s internal contempt, rooted in her aristocratic upbringing and perhaps her father's failure, reveals a tragic inability to discern the spiritual significance of David's worship. This act of "despising" not only marked a severe break in their personal relationship, leading to her childlessness as recorded later, but also underscored a fundamental difference in their understanding of worship, leadership, and God's true king. It cautions against judging sincere devotion by worldly standards of decorum or status.