Perez-uzza was the name given to the place where Uzzah died after touching the Ark of the Covenant during its transport to Jerusalem.
Also known as Perez-uzzah
Perez-uzza, meaning "the breach of Uzzah," was the name given to the place where Uzzah, one of the men accompanying the Ark of the Covenant, was struck down by God (1Chr. 13:11). During the reign of King David, the Ark was being transported from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem on a new cart. When the oxen stumbled near the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark, touching it in the process. As a result, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down for his irreverence (1Chr. 13:9-10).
David was both afraid and angry because of this incident, and he named the place Perez-uzza. The event caused David to fear the Lord and question how he could bring the Ark to Jerusalem (1Chr. 13:12). The Ark was then taken to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, where it remained for three months, bringing blessings to Obed-edom's household (1Chr. 13:13-14).
The incident at Perez-uzza highlights the sacredness of the Ark of the Covenant and the importance of handling holy objects with reverence and according to divine instructions. It also demonstrates God's holiness and the consequences of irreverence or disobedience.
Approximate location: 31.777, 35.235 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
division of Uzza, or of strength
PE'REZ-UZ'ZA, or UZ'ZAH (breaking of Uzzah), a place called also Nachon and Chidon. 2 Sam 6:6-8; 1 Chr 13:9-11; 1 Chr 15:13. It was near Jerusalem, and there Uzzah died for his presumptuous rashness in attempting to steady the ark of God.
PE'REZ-UZ'ZA, or UZ'ZAH (breaking of Uzzah), a place called also Nachon and Chidon. 2 Sam 6:6-8; 1 Chr 13:9-11; 1 Chr 15:13. It was near Jerusalem, and there Uzzah died for his presumptuous rashness in attempting to steady the ark of God.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6560
Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.