“Wearing a linen ephod”
And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD. (2 Samuel 6:14 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A king in some kind of ceremonial outfit, dancing.
The cultural key
The garment is the point. A 'linen ephod' was the simple, short priestly covering worn by those serving before the LORD, not the robes of a monarch. Escorting the ark into Jerusalem, David strips off the trappings of royalty and worships dressed as a common priest, whirling 'with all his might.' That is precisely what enrages his wife Michal, Saul's daughter, who watches from a window and later sneers that he 'uncovered himself' before the servant girls like a vulgar man (6:20). Without knowing what a linen ephod signified, her contempt looks baffling; with it, the scene becomes a clash between royal dignity and abandoned worship.
Recovered meaning
David lays aside kingly dress to worship as an ordinary priest, and his wife despises him for the loss of dignity. The unfamiliar garment is what makes the quarrel intelligible.