Men from Kiriath-jearim brought the ark to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They consecrated Eleazar his son to have charge of the ark. 1 Samuel 7:1
In 1 Samuel 7:1–2 the ark is moved from Beth-shemesh to Kiriath-jearim and placed in a private household, where a man named Eleazar is set apart to guard it. Then the story pauses to mark a long stretch of time: twenty years pass with the ark staying there. These verses pick up immediately after the ark’s return to Israelite territory and the deadly incident at Beth-shemesh (end of chapter 6). The narrative first resolves the practical question of where the ark will rest, then shifts from a quick sequence of events to a time marker that sets up what comes next.
These verses close the immediate crisis after the ark’s return and the deaths at Beth-shemesh. The ark of Yahweh is moved to a safer location—Kiriath-jearim—and placed in a specific household (Abinadab’s). A named person (Eleazar) is set apart to guard it.
A common mistake is to treat this as trivia. Names, places, numbers, and sequence details often carry memory, covenant identity, or narrative movement in the biblical story.
Start with 1 Samuel 7:1, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
1The men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh.