The death of Uzzah
Whether Uzzah's death fits the law's demands or reads as a severity beyond them.
2 Samuel 6:6-11
6When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached for God’s ark, and took hold of it; for the cattle stumbled.
7Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark.
8David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day.
9David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How could Yahweh’s ark come to me?”
10So David would not move Yahweh’s ark to be with him in David’s city; but David carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house.
11Yahweh’s ark remained in Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house three months; and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his house.
What each tradition says
Rabbinic / Midrashic
Rashi says that because of Uzzah’s mistake, he should have expounded a fortiori. The Ark carried its own porters in the Yardein.
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J. — Sefaria (Rashi on II Samuel) — On II Samuel 6:7
Patristic
No sourced position found. Checked CCEL NPNF 1/6 (Augustine), NPNF 1/10 (Chrysostom on Matthew) and NPNF 1/14 (Chrysostom on John) full texts for Uzzah/"Oza" — no occurrence; a web search for patristic comment on 2 Samuel 6:7 returned only modern devotional material, no public-domain patristic text.
Catholic
Haydock says it is hoped Oza’s fault was expiated by his sudden death, since his intention was laudable. But God would teach his ministers with what caution they must treat sacred things, and how exactly all his injunctions were to be observed.
George Leo Haydock, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary (1859) — On 2 Samuel 6:7
Orthodox
No sourced position found. Checked archive.org for public-domain English Eastern commentaries covering 2 Samuel (Theophylact, Euthymius: no English translation; Theodoret, Cyril: modern copyrighted renderings only); no orthodox comment on Uzzah's death found.
Reformed / Protestant
Matthew Henry says the touching of the ark was expressly forbidden to the Levites under pain of death, lest they die. By this instance of severity, God would show how he might justly have dealt with our first parents, when they had eaten what was forbidden under the same penalty, lest you die.
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume II (Joshua to Esther; Christian Classics Ethereal Library) — On 2 Samuel 6:6-7 ("Uzzah Slain for Touching the Ark")
Evangelical
Wesley acknowledges this may seem very severe, considering the intention was pious and the transgression not great. But he says men are improper judges of God's actions, and God's judgments are always just, though sometimes obscure. It is reasonable, he adds, that God make some present examples of his high displeasure against sins seemingly small.
John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes on the Bible (Wesley Center Online) — On 2 Samuel 6:7