דברי הימים א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״ג

The initial attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem ended in a sudden and severe disaster. Preparing for a second attempt, King David gathers the Levites to explain the root cause of the tragedy, emphasizing the critical need to strictly follow the laws of the Torah. He points back to that first journey from Kiriath-jearim, specifically from the house of Abinadab [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The core issue, David explains, was that the Levites were not the ones carrying or bringing up the Ark during that initial effort [רד״ק, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because of this oversight, tragedy struck when God struck Uzzah dead for taking hold of the Ark. When speaking about this fatal outbreak, David deliberately uses plural phrasing, stating that God broke out against all of them and that they collectively failed to seek Him properly. He speaks this way out of deep humility, hinting that he personally bears the blame and responsibility for the fatal mistake [חומת אנך].

The deep reason for the disaster was a failure to properly investigate and act according to the law [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The law, as written by Moses, explicitly dictates that the Levites alone are tasked with carrying the Ark on their shoulders using poles [רד״ק, רלב״ג]. Had the Ark been handled the right way, following these established rules, the tragic loss of life would have been entirely prevented [ביאור שטיינזלץ].