King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.
Complete Jewish Bible:
and the L'vi'im carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on it, as Moshe had ordered, according to what ADONAI had said.
Berean Standard Bible:
And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
American Standard Version:
And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of Jehovah.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And the children{H1121} of the Levites{H3881} bare{H5375} the ark{H727} of God{H430} upon their shoulders{H3802} with the staves{H4133} thereon, as Moses{H4872} commanded{H6680} according to the word{H1697} of the LORD{H3068}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Numbers 4:15
- And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear [it]: but they shall not touch [any] holy thing, lest they die. These [things are] the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Numbers 7:9
- But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them [was that] they should bear upon their shoulders.
Exodus 25:12
- And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put [them] in the four corners thereof; and two rings [shall be] in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
Exodus 25:15
- The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
1 Kings 8:8
- And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy [place] before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.
2 Chronicles 5:9
- And they drew out the staves [of the ark], that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.
Exodus 37:3
- And he cast for it four rings of gold, [to be set] by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for 1 Chronicles 15:15
1 Chronicles 15:15 is a verse that captures a pivotal moment in the religious history of ancient Israel. It describes the transportation of the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest symbolizing God's presence, by the Levites, who were the priestly tribe designated to take care of the sanctuary and its furnishings. This event occurred during the reign of King David, who sought to restore proper worship practices in Israel by bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, the political capital, thus unifying the religious and political centers of the nation.
The verse emphasizes adherence to the instructions given by Moses, as recorded in the Pentateuch, which stipulated that the Ark should be carried by the Levites using poles slotted through rings on the Ark's sides, rather than being transported on a cart. This detail is significant because it reflects the importance of following divine commands in the handling of holy objects. Earlier, in 1 Chronicles 13, David had attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem using a new cart, which resulted in tragedy when one of the drivers, Uzzah, touched the Ark to steady it and was struck dead. This incident taught David the necessity of adhering strictly to the prescribed rituals and laws regarding the sacred objects.
The themes present in this verse include the importance of obedience to God's law, the role of the Levites in worship, the centrality of the Ark as a religious symbol, and the overall effort by King David to proper worship in Israel. The historical context is the early period of David's reign, as he consolidates his kingdom and seeks to honor God by establishing the Ark's place in the worship life of his people. This act of transporting the Ark according to the Mosaic Law is a reflection of David's reverence for God's instructions and his desire to lead his people in a way that is pleasing to God.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. - Strong's Number: H3881
There are 258 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לֵוִיִּי
Transliteration: Lêvîyîy
Pronunciation: lay-vee-ee'
Description: or לֵוִי; patronymically from לֵוִי; a Levite or descendant of Levi; Leviite. - Strong's Number: H5375
There are 611 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָשָׂא
Transliteration: nâsâʼ
Pronunciation: naw-saw'
Description: or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 (אֲבַד)), a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative; accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ([phrase] man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, [idiom] needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, [phrase] swear, take (away, up), [idiom] utterly, wear, yield. - Strong's Number: H727
There are 467 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָרוֹן
Transliteration: ʼârôwn
Pronunciation: aw-rone'
Description: or אָרֹן; from אָרָה (in the sense of gathering); a box; ark, chest, coffin. - Strong's Number: H430
There are 2334 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֱלֹהִים
Transliteration: ʼĕlôhîym
Pronunciation: el-o-heem'
Description: plural of אֱלוֹהַּ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative; angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. - Strong's Number: H3802
There are 58 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כָּתֵף
Transliteration: kâthêph
Pronunciation: kaw-thafe'
Description: from an unused root meaning to clothe; the shoulder (proper, i.e. upper end of the arm; as being the spot where the garments hang); figuratively, side-piece or lateral projection of anything; arm, corner, shoulder(-piece), side, undersetter. - Strong's Number: H4133
There are 10 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מוֹטָה
Transliteration: môwṭâh
Pronunciation: mo-taw'
Description: feminine of מוֹט; a pole; by implication, an ox-bow; hence, a yoke (either literal or figurative); bands, heavy, staves, yoke. - Strong's Number: H4872
There are 704 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֹשֶׁה
Transliteration: Môsheh
Pronunciation: mo-sheh'
Description: from מָשָׁה; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver; Moses. - Strong's Number: H6680
There are 475 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צָוָה
Transliteration: tsâvâh
Pronunciation: tsaw-vaw'
Description: a primitive root; (intensively) to constitute, enjoin; appoint, (for-) bid, (give a) charge, (give a, give in, send with) command(-er, -ment), send a messenger, put, (set) in order. - Strong's Number: H1697
There are 1290 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: דָּבָר
Transliteration: dâbâr
Pronunciation: daw-baw'
Description: from דָבַר; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause; act, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dearth, decree, deed, [idiom] disease, due, duty, effect, [phrase] eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-) ness, [phrase] glory, [phrase] harm, hurt, [phrase] iniquity, [phrase] judgment, language, [phrase] lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, [idiom] ought, [idiom] parts, [phrase] pertaining, [phrase] please, portion, [phrase] power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, [idiom] (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, [phrase] sign, [phrase] so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, [phrase] song, speech, [idiom] spoken, talk, task, [phrase] that, [idiom] there done, thing (concerning), thought, [phrase] thus, tidings, what(-soever), [phrase] wherewith, which, word, work. - Strong's Number: H3068
There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהֹוָה
Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.