Uzza, or Uzzah

2 Samuel 6:1 David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David arose, and went with all the people who were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from there God’s ark, which is called by the Name, even the name of Yahweh of Armies who sits above the cherubim. 3 They set God’s ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadab’s house that was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 4 They brought it out of Abinadab’s house, which was in the hill, with God’s ark; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with castanets, and with cymbals. 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached for God’s ark, and took hold of it; for the cattle stumbled. 7 Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark. 8 David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day. 9 David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How could Yahweh’s ark come to me?” 10 So David would not move Yahweh’s ark to be with him in David’s city; but David carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house. 11 Yahweh’s ark remained in Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house three months; and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his house. 12 King David was told, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of God’s ark.” (World English Bible, public domain. This story is also told in 1 Chronicles 13.)

I confess that this story has always bothered me. It bothered David, too. Uzzah seems to have been  just trying to protect the Ark, and God seems to have killed him for it.

Before I go further, a side note. There are two versions of Uzzah's name -- Uzza and Uzzah. It is possible that these names tell us about two different people. It is also possible that there was more than one Uzza, or more than one Uzzah, in the Old Testament. I am assuming that there was only one Uzzah, and that, for reasons I don't know, his name is spelled in two different ways in the World English Bible, and, most likely, in other versions of the Bible. See here for more examination of the question of how many Uzzahs, or Uzzas, that there were.

1 Chronicles 8:1-7 tells us about the ancestry of Uzza, probably the same man as in the story above.

2 Kings 21:22-26 indicates that Uzzah may have been known about much later, as King Amon was buried in a tomb in "The garden of Uzza."

Ezra 2:49 lists offspring of Uzzah as some of the Temple servants, returning from captivity, and this is also true of Nehemiah 7:51.

I believe that God is just. I also believe that God directs, or allows, things that I don't understand. Perhaps God's justice was illustrated in the life of Uzzah, when it suddenly ended, but, even in death, his family was honored by being among those returning from captivity, and among those tending to the care of the holy places and ceremonies of Israel. Perhaps Uzzah is resting until the Final Kingdom, or perhaps he is even now worshipping God as we speak!

Thanks for reading.