Kiriath-jearim

Biblical Text

• Period of the conquest: In Joshua 9:17 it appears as one of the four cities of the Gibeonites. Joshua 15:9, 15:60, and 18:14–15 describe it as a town on the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
• Period of the judges: According to Judges 18:12, the tribe of Dan, while migrating northward, encamped west of this town, and the site came to be called Mahaneh-dan ("camp of Dan").
• The ark's stay: The Ark of the Covenant returned from Philistia to Beth-shemesh, but men there died after looking into the ark (1 Samuel 6:19). The people of Beth-shemesh sent messengers to Kiriath-jearim, and the men of Kiriath-jearim brought the ark into the house of Abinadab on the hill. Abinadab sanctified his son to keep the ark (1 Samuel 6:21–7:1). The ark remained there for twenty years, during which, Scripture records, "all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD" (1 Samuel 7:2).
• David's transfer of the ark: David brought the ark from Baale-judah on a new cart. Along the way Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, took hold of the ark and died (2 Samuel 6:1–11; 1 Chronicles 13:5–14). Second Chronicles 1:4 likewise records that David brought the ark up from Kiriath-jearim.
• Other references: Jeremiah 26:20 identifies the prophet Urijah, who was put to death by King Jehoiakim, as a native of this town. Nehemiah 7:29 lists men of this town among those who returned from Babylon. The same list appears in Ezra 2:25, with a slightly different Hebrew spelling.

Name and Location

The Hebrew name is understood to mean "city of forests." Its alternative names—Baalah, Kiriath-baal ("city of Baal"), and Baale-judah—contain the element "Baal." For this reason, some regard them as older names associated with Baal worship in the Canaanite period.

The site is widely identified with a hill (Deir el-Azar) near the village of Abu Ghosh, west of Jerusalem, although discussion of the archaeological evidence continues.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

Kiriath-jearim is where the ark remained after leaving Shiloh and before it was established in Jerusalem. It is therefore read as a place that reflects a period when the ark, the symbol of God's presence, had been pushed to the margins. The account of Samuel calling the people to repentance after these twenty years follows immediately (1 Samuel 7:3–6).

Many commentators connect the phrase "we found it in the fields of the wood" in Psalms 132:6 with this town, since "the fields of the wood" corresponds to the meaning of its name, "forest." The place name does not appear in the New Testament. One strand of Christian interpretation sees the presence of God symbolized by the ark as carried forward in Jesus Christ and the church.

Interpretations and Issues

• Why the ark did not return to Shiloh: The text does not explain why the ark did not return to Shiloh. The inference that Shiloh had been destroyed around this time is an interpretation based on passages such as Jeremiah 7:12 and Psalm 78:60.
• Abinadab's status: The text does not identify Abinadab as a Levite. The view that he was a Levite rests on later tradition and the conjecture of some commentators.
• The scope of the "twenty years": First Samuel 14:18 mentions the ark in the time of Saul, and as a result interpreters differ over the period the twenty years are meant to cover. The Septuagint of this verse reads "ephod" instead of "ark."
• The blessed household: The household that 2 Samuel 6:11 records as blessed because of the ark is that of Obed-edom. The text says nothing similar about the house of Abinadab.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the phrase in 1 Samuel 7:2 rendered in Korean Bibles as "longed for the LORD" is frequently used as a text emphasizing spiritual renewal and earnest longing for God. The Uzzah incident is linked to the failure to follow the method of transport prescribed in Numbers 4:15, namely that the sons of Kohath were to carry the ark with poles. It is therefore often cited in discussions of proper order in worship and service.