By the time we reach , the Philistine lords are desperate. Their magicians and priests are summoned for an emergency summit. The question is not if they should send the Ark back, but how .
This is perhaps the most jarring moment in the narrative. To the human eye, Uzzah was a hero. He saw the Ark falling and reacted to save it. Why would God kill a man for instinctively protecting a holy object? samuel 6
To appease God, the Philistines sent back five gold tumors and five gold rats, representing their five rulers. By the time we reach , the Philistine lords are desperate
"Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God" (2 Samuel 6:7). This is perhaps the most jarring moment in the narrative