Kirjath-Jearim

For twenty years the ark of the LORD stayed in a quiet house on a hill. First Samuel 7 says “the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long,” and the people of Israel were longing after the LORD. When David set out to bring it up to Jerusalem, in 2 Samuel 6, the ark travelled on a new cart, with music and all Israel rejoicing. Then Uzzah reached out to steady it, and died, and David asked, “How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?” The ark rested three months in the house of Obededom, and God blessed that home. Read 2 Samuel 6 for the whole story.

23 verses

Joshua

Joshua 9:17

And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.

Joshua 15:9

And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:

Joshua 15:60

Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages:

1 Samuel

1 Samuel 6:21

And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

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 7:2

And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

2 Samuel

2 Samuel 6:1

Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

2 Samuel 6:2

And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

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.

2 Samuel 6:4

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 6:5

And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.

2 Samuel 6:6

And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.

2 Samuel 6:7

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

2 Samuel 6:8

And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.

2 Samuel 6:9

And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

2 Samuel 6:10

So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.

2 Samuel 6:11

And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 13:5

So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.

1 Chronicles 13:6

And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.

1 Chronicles 13:7

And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

1 Chronicles 13:8

And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

Ezra

Ezra 2:25

The children of Kirjatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 26:20

And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

City of jaars; i.e., of woods or forests, a Gibeonite town (Josh. 9:17) on the border of Benjamin, to which tribe it was assigned (18:15, 28). The ark was brought to this place (1 Sam. 7:1, 2) from Beth-shemesh and put in charge of Abinadab, a Levite. Here it remained till it was removed by David to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:2, 3, 12; 1 Chr. 15:1-29; comp. Ps. 132). It was also called Baalah (Josh. 15:9) and Kirjath-baal (60). It has been usually identified with Kuriet el-‘Enab (i.e., “city of grapes”), among the hills, about 8 miles north-east of ‘Ain Shems (i.e., Beth-shemesh). The opinion, however, that it is to be identified with ‘Erma, 4 miles east of ‘Ain Shems, on the edge of the valley of Sorek, seems to be better supported. (See KIRJATH.)

Read the full entry

The words of Ps. 132:6, “We found it in the fields of the wood,” refer to the sojourn of the ark at Kirjath-jearim. “Wood” is here the rendering of the Hebrew word jaar, which is the singular of jearim.

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(the city of forests), first mentioned as one of the four cities of the Gibeonites, (Joshua 9:17) it next occurs as one of the landmarks of the northern boundary of Judah, ch (Joshua 15:9) and as the point at which the western and southern boundaries of Benjamin coincided, ch. (Joshua 18:14,15) and in the last two passages we find that it bore another, perhaps earlier, name --that of the great Canaanite deity Baal, namely BAALAH and KIRJATH-BAAL. At this place the ark remained for twenty years. (1 Samuel 7:2) At the close of that time Kirjath-jearim lost its sacred treasure, on its removal by David to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. (1 Chronicles 13:5,6; 2 Chronicles 1:4; 2 Samuel 6:2) etc. To Eusebius and Jerome it appears to have been well known. They describe it as a village at the ninth mile between Jerusalem and Diospolis (Lydda). These requirements are exactly fulfilled in the small modern village of Kuriet-el-Enab --now usually known as Abu Gosh , from the robber chief whose headquarters it was --on the road from Jaffa and Jerusalem.