Overview of 1 Chronicles 13—17

The Chronicler moves from the enthronement of David as king of Israel to his other great concern, namely, the bringing of the ark to the city. 1 Chronicles 13:1–14 is an important section in the Chronicler’s presentation of the reign of David in that David’s military expertise and nation-wide popularity were for the grander purpose of the worship of God. Despite this, however, the writer includes the account of the failed first attempt to bring the Ark from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem. This chapter is notable for recording one of David’s two failures in the Chronicler’s record (for the other see viz. David’s numbering of Israel). David’s fundamental error was not recognizing God’s ineffable holiness, and both here and later on, a number of Israelites pay the ultimate price for David’s folly. Although the Chronicler does not include some of David’s earlier moral misdemeanours, like the Bathsheba debacle, the writer in no way whitewashes David’s reputation, as some have alleged.¹

1 Chronicles 13:1–14, especially from 1 Chronicles 13:6 onward, parallels 2 Samuel 6:1–11. Chronologically, the events that it describes follow David’s wars with the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:18–25) and perhaps the construction of his palace as well (2 Samuel 5:11–12). But to the Chronicler, the account of David’s search for the ark of God takes precedence over these other matters, to which he turns in the next chapter.² So he organizes his material accordingly. And again it becomes evident that his chief concern is for theme and theology rather than strict chronology.³ Although this account reveals David’s lack of attention to ritual detail, it is essential to the development of the Chronicler’s portrayal of David as the great champion of the Levites and the catalyst for the worship of God in Jerusalem.⁴ There is, however, a second and joyous return of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:1–16:43). Between these two narratives, the Chronicler inserts snippets of information concerning David’s growing reputation among foreign leaders, some family matters and his success in battle (1 Chronicles 14:1–17). The whole section concludes with the account of God’s covenant with David, which indicates the close relationship between the Davidic king and the temple worship (1 Chronicles 17:1–27). Much of the material is found in 2 Samuel 5:1–7:29 but with significant differences and variations. Binding the whole section together is the common theme of house, whether in the sense of a palace, a household, a temple, or a dynasty (1 Chronicles 14:1; 1 Chronicles 15:1; 1 Chronicles 16:43; 1 Chronicles 17:1–27).⁵