2 Samuel 6:20 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Who uncovered himself to-day— The original word נגלה niglah, which we render uncovering himself, does not mean exposing any part of the body to view, and is, I believe, never used in that sense, without some other word to determine it to that meaning. And as, in the parallel place, 1 Chronicles 15:29 this circumstance is not at all taken notice of, but only that when she saw David dancing and leaping (or, as the word should be rendered, playing on some musical instrument, as it is used 2 Samuel 6:5.), she despised him; the meaning can be nothing more than that, by dancing before the ark without his royal habit, (exchanged for the linen ephod,) and playing on his harp, or some musical instrument like the rest of the people; he appeared, i.e. exposed himself in her eyes, and in the eyes of the maid-servants of his servants, to the very meanest of the beholders, just as one of the vain fellows, openly uncovereth, or exposeth himself. The haughty woman, in the contempt of her heart, calls the Levites, the bearers of the ark, the singers and players on the instruments, רקים rekim, empty, low, worthless people; and likens David to them, because he discovered himself as they discovered themselves; i.e. appeared in the same habit, and played and danced just as they did. Michal, perhaps, had learnt infidel notions during her cohabitation with Phaltiel, and, seeing the procession from her window, thought the behaviour of David inconsistent with the dignity of the king of Israel. The word shamelessly is not in the original, but injudiciously inserted by our translators, who have themselves put a better word in the margin, namely, openly. The Hebrew words are literally, by uncovering, uncovereth; and the passage literally runs thus: How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who openly appeared to-day, in the eyes of the hand-maids of his servants, according to the open appearance in which one of the vain fellows openly appeareth!