Then. — This word is here a real note of time. It seems to denote the end of the three months’ interval mentioned in 1 Chronicles 13:14.
None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites. — See Numbers 4:5-15, where the Kohathite Levites are appointed to carry the Ark and other sacred objects; and the more definite Deuteronomy 10:8 : “At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.” David’s enunciation of the law is a tacit acknowledgment that on the former occasion (1 Chronicles 13:7-10) it had not been observed. That the Ark was now duly carried by bearers is expressly stated in the older account (2 Samuel 6:13), though their being Levites is not noticed.