Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 6:17

And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

17. the tabernacle ] Rather, the tent, as in 1Ch 15:1. The tabernacle proper was at Gibeon (1Ch 16:39).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

In the tabernacle that David had pitched for it; for Mosess tabernacle was still at Gibeon, 1Ch 16:39; 21:29; 2Ch 1:3, which David left there, because he designed to build a temple at Jerusalem with all speed, though he was countermanded therein by God himself.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

17. they brought in the ark of theLord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle thatDavid had pitched for itThe old tabernacle remained at Gibeon(1Ch 16:39; 1Ch 21:29;2Ch 1:3). Probably it was notremoved because it was too large for the temporary place the king hadappropriated, and because he contemplated the building of a temple.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And they brought in the ark of the Lord,…. Into the city of David, the strong hold of Zion:

and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: or “stretched out”; for this was not the tabernacle of Moses, David pitched any where; that was at this time at Gibeon, where it continued to the time of Solomon, 1Ch 21:29; but this was a curtain, or curtains, which he had stretched out or drawn around for the ark to be pitched in the midst of; and this was not in his own house, for he is afterwards said to go to that, but somewhere in Jerusalem or the city of David:

and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord; that is, before the ark, and that by way of thanksgiving for its being brought safe thither, without any error or mistake on the side of him, the Levites, and the people, and without offence to God, and any mark of his displeasure as before. This must be supposed to be done by priests, and not by David himself, who was no priest.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

When the ark was brought to the place appointed for it upon Mount Zion, and was deposited in the tent which David had prepared for it, he offered burnt-offerings and thank-offerings before the Lord. “In its place” is still further defined as “in the midst of the tent which David,” etc., i.e., in the Most Holy Place; for the tent would certainly be constructed according to the type of the Mosaic tabernacle. The burnt-offerings and peace-offerings were offered to consecrate the newly erected house of God.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(17) The tabernacle.Not the tabernacle made for it in the wilderness, and which seems to have been now at Gibeon, but a special tent which David, as is immediately added, had prepared for it.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

17. The tabernacle that David had pitched for it But why did David make a new tabernacle for the ark, and not bring to his city the old one, which seems to have remained at Gibeon? Several reasons may be given. Since the desecration of Shiloh the old tabernacle was removed from one place to another, and had probably been so often remodelled and repaired that it had lost its sacredness in the eyes of the nation, and David deemed it far better to build an entirely new tabernacle. A weightier reason was, that there were now two high priests, Abiathar, who had long been attached to David, and Zadok, whom Saul had anointed in the room of the slain Abimelech, and who was now at Gibeon. 1Ch 16:39. It would have been imprudent for David to depose either of these, and therefore he wisely kept up the service of the tabernacle at Gibeon to afford Zadok the opportunity of exercising his office without interfering with Abiathar. He doubtless built this new tabernacle after the pattern of the old one, and his place in the midst, in which the ark was set, was the holy of holies.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘ And they brought in the ark of YHWH, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before YHWH.’

At last their destination was reached without any further incident. It was the Tent which David had had set up, probably modelled on the Tabernacle. And into that Tent they bore the Ark, still covered, and put it in the equivalent of the Holy of Holies (the Most Holy Place). It was only then that the priests would remove its covering, probably being in almost total darkness, but being careful not to touch the Ark itself. Then travelling poles would remain in the Ark and would protrude slightly through a curtain into the outer sanctuary, while they themselves departed from the Most Holy Place never to enter it again. After that was accomplished many burnt offerings and peace offerings were offered before YHWH. This would be done by the priests who were allocated to the task. (David neither pitched the tent, nor offered up the burnt offerings and peace offerings. It would all have been done for him on his orders. Compare 1Ki 3:4 where ‘Solomon’ offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar. If we took that literally it would have kept him busy for quite a few weeks, or even months!).

Note On The Davidic Tent.

This Davidic Tent in Jerusalem was not the Tabernacle, nor was it considered to be the Tabernacle. In fact the ancient Tabernacle had probably been destroyed early in the lifetime of Samuel, otherwise he would have been bound by his mother’s oath to remain there and serve within it. The fact that he lived in Ramah and ministered at different places brings this out. But at some stage another Tabernacle was set up (much later) because Ahimelech ministered there (1 Samuel 21). Once, however, Abiathar fled to David for his life and David was settled in Hebron, David would probably set up another Tabernacle (without the Ark) initially at Hebron. It was later then presumably transferred to Gibeon and united with the Tabernacle set up under Saul, where it was in the time of Solomon (1Ki 3:4-5). For the situation with regard to the Tabernacle had in fact become pretty complicated. When Saul had slain the priests of Nob the official High Priest who followed Ahimelech was Abiathar his son, descended from Ithamar the fourth son of Aaron, and he had fled to David with the ephod. Thus many would see him as the only one who could establish the Tabernacle. Saul, however, would eventually have had to appoint and have consecrated another High Priest, which was presumably Zadok, descended from Eliezer the third son of Aaron (although he is not actually mentioned until after Saul’s death. But it would explain why later there were two High Priests). Both High Priests would probably arrange for worship in tabernacles, but neither would be the true Tabernacle, for that had probably been destroyed by the Philistines (Jer 7:12). That that was so comes out in that Samuel appears to have been relieved from his duty of lifelong service to it which could only have signified that it had been destroyed.

When David was anointed as king over all Israel the two Tabernacles would, undoubtedly eventually be brought together (that was possibly when it moved to Gibeon), and there would therefore be two High Priests, an anomaly partly solved by David as a result of setting up the Tent in Jerusalem. So until the Tabernacle and the Tent in Jerusalem were united in the form of the Temple of Solomon the two tents would operate in parallel, the Tabernacle in Gibeon containing all the ‘original’ holy furniture, while the Tent in Jerusalem possessed the Ark which had been lost to the Tabernacle since the time when it was stolen by the Philistines, and then returned, ending up at the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel chapters 5-7). It is probable that Zadok officiated at Gibeon, while Abiathar officiated at Jerusalem in order to be near David.

Abiathar was eventually replaced by his son, who like his grandfather was named Ahimelech (2Sa 8:17), and he also officiated in parallel with Zadok. Abiathar’s early replacement may have taken place because Abiathar himself had contracted a long term ritual uncleanness or disability (possibly skin-disease) which may have eventually cleared up, for he was still around when David died and Solomon was crowned. He would still be a High Priest because High Priesthood was lifelong, and indeed he is described as ‘a Priest’ (a High Priest) in the days of Solomon (1Ki 4:4), even though not officiating (1Ki 2:26).

(End of Note.)

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett