The Danger of Transgression against Divine Presence: The Case of the Ark Narrative (1 Samuel 4:1b-7:1; 2 Samuel 6)

Scholars have long debated the extent, unity and intention of the Ark Narrative in the Books of Samuel. Against the interpretation of the passage that separates the divinity from the ark or fails to treat the ark as an abode for the real manifestation of the being of the Israelite deity, this dissertation argues for the intimate bond between the ark and the God of Israel. It is on this note that the centrality of the ark in the narrative is emphasized. The significance of divine presence in ancient Near Eastern cultic statues will be investigated in order to pinpoint its bearing on the understanding of divine presence in the ark. The ark, as the visible representation of divine presence, is a functional equivalent of ancient Near Eastern cultic statues, and thus should be construed not just as a symbol, but as something closely interwoven with the being of the God of Israel. As the ancient Near Eastern context suggests, after the rituals of consecration the cultic object attains a level higher than its mundane state through a synergy of heaven and earth. Something of the being of the divinity begins to reside in the cultic object from that point and so what one does to the object becomes a matter of huge importance. Based on this frame of thought, one recognizes that the presence of the divinity in the ark is at the same time a source of blessing and danger. Proper reverence for this presence brings blessings while failure to treat this presence with the appropriate reverence brings danger both to the transgressor and the entire community. The ark narrative reveals the danger that accrues from any attempt to manipulate the divine presence in Israel's midst.