1 Chronicles 6:3

Upon a new cart. The law of Moses provided that the ark should be carried by the sons of Kohath (Num. 4:4-15; 7:9). David should have heeded this instruction, but he probably reasoned that the conveying of the ark on a new cart drawn by oxen would be a mark of special respect. He no doubt remembered that when the Philistines returned the ark to Israel they brought it on a new cart (1 Sam. 6:7-14). That was an entirely different situation, however, for they had acted according to the best of their knowledge. When the ark arrived in Israel it was taken from the cart by Levites (1 Sam. 6:15) in harmony with the divine directions to Moses.

In Gibeah. The ark was in Kirjath-jearim, not Gibeah. Perhaps Gibeah should here be translated instead of being rendered as a proper noun. Gib‘ah means “hill,” and is 65 times so translated (Gen. 49:26; Ex. 17:9; Num. 23:9; etc.). In that case the house of Abinadab was on the hill at Kirjath-jearim.

Sons of Abinadab. The ark had been placed in the house of Abinadab at least two or three generations earlier, after Eli’s death (1 Sam. 4:15-18; 6:1; 7:1). The fact that Uzzah and Ahio are called “sons of Abinadab” means only that they were his descendants, in harmony with Hebrew usage of this term (see on 1 Sam. 14:50; see also Vol. I, pp. 181, 186). Since Uzzah and Ahio had exercised supervisory care of the ark while it was in their home, the responsibility of transferring it to Jerusalem was now placed in their charge. This, however, was definitely out of line with the Lord’s explicit directions that the ark was to be borne upon the shoulders of Kohathite Levites (Num. 4:15; 7:9). There was no valid excuse for a disregard of the divine directions in this matter.

Drave the new cart. Although they drove the cart, they were not riding upon it. Ahio walked before the cart (v. 4) and Uzzah probably walked beside or behind the ark, where he could watch it (see v. 6).