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Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

2 Samuel 6:14

Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord .

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ark;   Dancing;   David;   Ephod;   Jerusalem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dancing;   Ephod;   Linen;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ark of the Covenant;   Ephod, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ark of the Covenant;   Dancing;   Ephod;   Linen;   Uzzah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ark;   Dancing;   Ephod;   Music;   Tabernacle;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Jerusalem;   Psalms, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dance;   Ephod;   Linen;   Tabernacle;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dance;   High Priest;   King;   Levites;   Mahol;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ark of the Covenant;   Art and Aesthetics;   Ephod;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Pilgrimage;   Praise;   Samuel, Books of;   Transportation and Travel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ark;   Chronicles, I;   Dress;   Games;   Jerusalem;   Linen;   Priests and Levites;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Dancing;   Nachon;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dance;   David;   Ephod;   Jerusalem;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ephod;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   Ark of the Covenant;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   David;   Dress;   Ephod (1);   Games;   Gesture;   Images;   Linen;   Praise;   Psalms, Book of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ark of the covenant;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Dancing;   Ephod;   Linen;   Priest;   Samuel, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod.
Hebrew Names Version
David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen efod.
King James Version
And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Lexham English Bible
Now David was dancing with all his might before Yahweh, and David was wearing a linen ephod.
English Standard Version
And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
New Century Version
Then David danced with all his might before the Lord . He had on a holy linen vest.
Amplified Bible
And David was dancing before the LORD with great enthusiasm, and David was wearing a linen ephod [a priest's upper garment].
New American Standard Bible
And David was dancing before the LORD with all his strength, and David was wearing a linen ephod.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid danced before the Lorde with al his might, & was girded with a linnen Ephod.
Legacy Standard Bible
And David was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Contemporary English Version
He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then David danced and spun around with abandon before Adonai , wearing a linen ritual vest.
Darby Translation
And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Easy-to-Read Version
David was dancing in front of the Lord . He was wearing a linen ephod.
George Lamsa Translation
And David sang praises before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Good News Translation
David, wearing only a linen cloth around his waist, danced with all his might to honor the Lord .
Literal Translation
And David was dancing with all his might before Jehovah. And David was girded with a linen ephod.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid daunsed wt all his mighte before the LORDE, and was girded with an ouerbody cote of lynne.
American Standard Version
And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Bible in Basic English
And David, clothed in a linen ephod, was dancing before the Lord with all his strength.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid daunced before the Lorde with all his might, & was girded with a linnen Ephod.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
King James Version (1611)
And Dauid daunced before the Lord with all his might, and Dauid was girded with a linnen Ephod.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David sounded with well-tuned instruments before the Lord, and David was clothed with a fine long robe.
English Revised Version
And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Berean Standard Bible
And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and daunside with alle strengthis bifor the Lord; sotheli Dauid was clothid with a lynnun surplis.
Young's Literal Translation
And David is dancing with all strength before Jehovah, and David is girded with a linen ephod,
Update Bible Version
And David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Webster's Bible Translation
And David danced before the LORD with all [his] might; and David [was] girded with a linen ephod.
World English Bible
David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
New King James Version
Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
New Living Translation
And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.
New Life Bible
He was dancing before the Lord with all his strength. And he was wearing a linen vest.
New Revised Standard
David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, David, was dancing with all boldness before Yahweh, - David, being girt with an ephod of linen.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod.
Revised Standard Version
And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod.

Contextual Overview

12 David was told, "The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God." So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David. 13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf. 14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord . 15 David and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord , shouting and blowing trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord , she despised him. 17 They brought the ark of the Lord and put it in its place in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before the Lord . 18 When David finished offering the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 He then handed out to each member of the entire assembly of Israel, both men and women, a portion of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

danced: Exodus 15:20, Judges 11:34, Judges 21:21, Psalms 30:11, Psalms 149:3, Psalms 150:4, Luke 15:25

with all his: Deuteronomy 6:5, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23

girded: 1 Samuel 2:18, 1 Samuel 2:28, 1 Samuel 22:18, 1 Chronicles 15:27

Reciprocal: Exodus 28:4 - ephod Exodus 32:19 - the dancing 1 Samuel 19:24 - stripped 2 Samuel 6:20 - uncovered 2 Samuel 6:21 - before 2 Chronicles 20:27 - forefront Ezekiel 46:10 - General Hosea 3:4 - ephod

Cross-References

Exodus 2:3
But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile.
Matthew 24:38
For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.
Luke 17:27
People were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage—right up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
1 Peter 3:20
after they were disobedient long ago when God patiently waited in the days of Noah as an ark was being constructed. In the ark a few, that is eight souls, were delivered through water.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David danced before the Lord with all [his] might,.... That is, before the ark of the Lord; not a set dance, or along with others; but he leaped and skipped as "car", a lamb, does, and that for joy that the ark was like to be brought home to his house, without any token of the divine displeasure, as before; the Targum is,

"he praised before the Lord with all his might;''

exerted himself to the uttermost in singing the praises of God vocally, or by playing on an instrument; to which sense are the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, which is approved of by Castel p; who observes, it nowhere appears to have been a custom to dance before the ark; but it might be now done, though not usual, and therefore was observed by Michal with contempt, 2 Samuel 6:16; a later writer q shows that dancing is the proper sense of the word:

and David [was] girded with a linen ephod; which others, besides priests, sometimes wore, as Samuel did, and which David might choose to appear in, rather than in his royal robes, as being more agreeable to the service of God, and lighter for him both to walk and dance in on this occasion.

p Lexic. col. 1793. q Hackman. Praecidan. Sacr. p. 156, 157.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Danced - The Hebrew word is found only here and in 2 Samuel 6:16. It means “to dance in a circle,” hence, simply to dance. The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 15:27 gives a widely different sense.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 6:14. And David danced before the Lord — Dancing is a religious ceremony among the Hindoos, and they consider it an act of devotion to their idols. It is evident that David considered it in the same light. What connection dancing can have with devotion I cannot tell. This I know, that unpremeditated and involuntary skipping may be the effect of sudden mental elation.


 
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