Verse Lens · Concise explanation
1 Chronicles 13:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next name, action, speech, or consequence: “And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “David and the assembly agree to retrieve the ark.”
The first royal project after consolidation is the ark
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Chronicles 13:1–4. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Chronicles 13:1–4
Read 1 Chronicles 13:2 with 13:1–4. The selected wording supplies one step in the thought unit through its next name, action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the relationships and outcome summarized here: David consults commanders and leaders, proposes gathering Israel, priests, and Levites, and admits the ark was neglected in Saul's days.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “David and the assembly agree to retrieve the ark,” 1 Chronicles 13:2 advances the thought unit through its next name, action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The first royal initiative after consolidation turns toward worship through broad consultation. 1 Chronicles 12:38–40 has just established this prior movement: The assembled troops and wider Israel share purpose, eat for three days, and receive abundant food from near and distant relatives. Together those details explain why “David and the assembly agree to retrieve the ark” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 1 Chronicles 13:1–4 together
Why these verses belong together: 1 Chronicles 13:1–4 forms the complete movement “David and the assembly agree to retrieve the ark”: David consults commanders and leaders, proposes gathering Israel, priests, and Levites, and admits the ark was neglected in Saul's days.
Verse 1. 1 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.
Verse 2. 2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
Verse 3. 3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.
Verse 4. 4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
What Remains True
Worship requires ordered, truthful, skilled, and accountable service, while sacred office, beauty, or scale never determines a person's worth. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: David consults commanders and leaders, proposes gathering Israel, priests, and Levites, and admits the ark was neglected in Saul's days. In 1 Chronicles 13:2, the concrete line “And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Chronicles 13:1–4 — David and the assembly agree to retrieve the arkSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 1 Chronicles 13:1–4, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 13:1–4
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 1 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 1 Chronicles 13:1–4, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗