And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

2 SAMUEL 6:4KJV
Know the Bible

2 Samuel 6:4 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 6:4 mean?

2 Samuel 6:4 describes the ark of God being taken from the place where it had been kept and brought along in a procession. Ahio goes ahead of the ark, giving the reader a picture of people moving with it rather than leaving it to travel alone.

The ark was a sacred chest associated with God’s presence among the people of Israel. The verse continues the account of its journey from Abinadab’s house at Gibeah. “Accompanying the ark” places people alongside the chest, while Ahio’s position is at the front.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 6:4

  • “ark” — אָרוֹן (ʾaron): This word means a chest or box. The Hebrew word describes the object’s shape; the phrase “of God” identifies the particular chest in view.
  • “before” — פָּנִים (panim): This word often means “face,” but it can also express a position in front of something. Here it helps picture Ahio leading the way ahead of the ark.

Why 2 Samuel 6:4 matters

  • The verse identifies where the journey began: the ark came from “the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah.” The ark had been kept in a household before being brought out.
  • The verse helps the reader follow the people around the ark. Ahio is named as the one going ahead, while the preceding verse names Uzzah and Ahio in connection with the new cart.
  • The procession is about the ark itself, not simply the movement of a cart. The repeated phrase “the ark” keeps the sacred chest at the center of the account that follows.

Where else these words appear

“Ahio” Hebrew H283 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Samuel 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
  • 1 Chronicles 8:14 And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth,
  • 1 Chronicles 9:37 And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.

“Abinadab” Hebrew H41 · used in 11 verses

  • 1 Samuel 7:1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
  • 1 Samuel 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.
  • 1 Chronicles 8:33 And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

“accompanying” Hebrew H5973 · used in 26 verses

  • Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
  • Genesis 48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
  • 1 Samuel 2:21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

“Gibeah” Hebrew H1390 · used in 43 verses

  • Joshua 15:57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:
  • Judges 20:21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
  • 1 Samuel 14:16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.