HEBREW WORD STUDY – PLAYING  –  שחק  Shin Cheth Qop

II Samuel 6:14, 21: ”And David danced before the Lord with all his might.”

(21) And David said unto Michal, [It was] before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I celebrate before the LORD.

I’ve watched a number of these phony movies about King David and me am always disappointed when they show the scene of David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant. It is usually portrayed as a well-choreographed danced, set to some fine music.  With the words I find in the Hebrew I doubt that this was a well-rehearsed exercise. So what was this dance? Was it jumping around in frenzy?  Was this a choreographed dance or was it spontaneous?   Poor David has sure taken a lot of heat over this from many Christians.   However, we tend to miss something very important in this verse, which would also serve as a very important lesson for us.

David danced before the Lord. The Hebrew word used for before is lipeni. This is often used as a preposition but it can also be used as an adjective. As a proposition, it would simply mean that David danced before God. But as an adjective, it would mean that David danced in God’s presence.  Actually, it would be more correct to say that David danced with God. 

Come on, I mean really. When you are in a worship service worshipping God, saying all sorts or praisallujahs and telling Him how wonderful He is what do you think God is doing. He is sitting upon His throne, looking down taking it all in, saying: “Hey angels, over here a minute.  Listen to that, I am wonderful and marvelous. Yep, I sure am. Oh, look at that Chaim Bentorah fellow, he sure can praise, put Him down for a blessing, see that his next book is a best seller.” Is God that insecure that He needs our constant praise to reassure Himself that He is awesome? Or that he won’t release a blessing unless telling Him how wonderful He is?    

I read in the Talmud that David danced with God, not before God.  He wasn’t dancing to get his Father’s hugs, that he already had.  He was dancing with his Heavenly Father out of pure joy. 

Note the Hebrew word for dance that is used here, it is karar.  The common word for dance in Hebrew is mawkhole, but that is not used here.  In fact, karar is used only two times in the Hebrew Bible, both in this passage.  In extra-Biblical sources karar does not mean to dance at all, it means to spin around  like a top.   Spinning in a circle was a form of worship mostly practiced by children in ancient times.  

I was in a worship service once and I saw a little 3 or 4-year-old girl rush out into the church aisle and begin to spin in a circle, just spinning around in pure joy.  In my spirit, I saw Jesus smiling and laugh and He was spinning this little child around just to delight her. 

Indeed, even today in the Middle East the Meveleviye of the Surfi order of Islam perform a sema by spinning around in a circle. They are known as Whirling Dervishes (a Dervish is an initiate of the Suri Path).   They believe that spinning around in a circle is symbolic of throwing off your ego.  

David did this spin in becal ‘oz.  In full power.  The pronoun his is not there in the Hebrew.  In fact, karar in its Semitic root means one who is possessed. My guess is that this full might  becal ‘oz was spinning him around laughing and playing like I imagined that little girl was spinning around

In verse 20, we learn his wife Michal was upset with David because he danced naked.  The word naked or uncovered however is the word nigelah in Hebrew.  This word is rarely used for naked. Its primary focus is to open up or reveal a secret.  In its Semitic root is has the idea of a return to a beginning.  David was supposed to be the spiritual head honcho of Israel, a king, a pastor? a Christian leader?  There he was spinning around like a little child, returning to his beginning as a child.  How could people have confidence in a spiritual leader who acts like a child?  What was David’s reply? In verse 21 he tells his wife that it was with God…therefore I sichaketi with God. Most of our modern translations render sicharkati as celebrate.  But that is a rare usage of this word.  The primary use of the word is the English playing.  

Of course, most translators abhor the idea of playing with God so they stretch out the meaning to be celebrate. I say we use play.  Jesus just joins in with our worship, singing and dancing with us. Do you and God ever play together, do you ever dance together, do you spin in circles together?  I wonder what Jesus really meant when he gathered children around Him and said that unless you become like little children you can not enter the kingdom of God.  I think it meant more than just the faith of a child, I think it also means that God likes to play with his children as any parent would.  Somehow I think that during that worship service as people were reciting their bless you and praise you, Lords, Jesus grabbed that little girls hand and said: “Come on little one, I’ve heard enough, let’s dance.”