And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.
David and all the people of Israel went up to Baalah (also called Kirjath-jearim), which was in the territory of Judah, to bring back the ark of God the LORD from there. This was the ark where God's presence dwells between the golden cherubim, and God's name is upon it.
David and all Israel traveled to retrieve the sacred ark of God, which represented God's presence among His people.
📚 Historical Context
The ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines decades earlier but was eventually returned and left in Kirjath-jearim for about 70 years. Now that David had established his kingdom and conquered Jerusalem, he wanted to bring this most sacred object to his new capital city. The ark was considered the earthly throne of God, containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.
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