Abinadab

Abinadab, in whose house the ark of God was kept for 20 years.

Abinadab was a man from Kiriath-jearim in whose house the ark of God was kept for twenty years after it was returned by the Philistines (1Sa 7:1). The ark had been captured by the Philistines in battle, but after God afflicted them with plagues, they sent it back to Israel (1Samuel 5-6). The men of Beth-shemesh, where the ark first arrived, were struck down by God for looking into the ark, so they sent messengers to Kiriath-jearim to take the ark away (1Sa 6:19-21).

The ark remained in Abinadab's house until King David decided to bring it to Jerusalem. David and the Israelites went to Abinadab's house to retrieve the ark, placing it on a new cart driven by Abinadab's sons, Uzzah and Ahio (2Sa 6:3; 1Ch 13:7). However, when the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, God struck him down for his irreverence (2Sa 6:6-7). After this incident, David left the ark in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months before successfully bringing it to Jerusalem (2Sa 6:10-12).

A Levite of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark of the covenant was deposited after having been brought back from the land of the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:1). It remained there twenty years, till it was at length removed by David (1 Sam. 7:1, 2; 1 Chr. 13:7).