The ark brought to Jerusalem 2SA 6:12

After the ark had sat twenty years in a private house, and then three more months at Obed-edom's house following Uzzah's death, David brought it the rest of the way into the city. This time the Levites carried it as the law required, a sacrifice was offered every six steps, and David danced before it with all his might while his wife watched from a window and despised him.

The text simply says Uzzah died when he reached out to steady the ark, which can sound like a harsh reaction to a well-meaning gesture. Readers often forget that the law required the ark to be carried by the Levites on poles rather than moved or touched directly, so the deeper problem was the method of transport, not Uzzah's intentions. The passage itself gives no further explanation, and Christians today still read the severity of this moment differently.

David danced before the ark with all his might as an expression of joy at its arrival in Jerusalem. His wife watched from a window and despised him, apparently judging his unrestrained dancing as beneath the dignity expected of a king. The text simply records her reaction without explaining further, leaving readers to weigh whether her view or David's own sense of worship was the right response.

The first attempt ended badly when Uzzah steadied the ark and died, leading David to leave it three months at Obed-edom's house instead of pressing on. The second time, after hearing that Obed-edom's household had been blessed, David had the Levites carry the ark as the law prescribed, with a sacrifice offered every six paces. This shift from the earlier method to the one the law required is usually read as the key reason the ark could finally and safely reach Jerusalem.