Was King David naked before the Ark?

Was King David of the Bible naked? Specifically, was he naked before the Ark of the Covenant? The question comes from a story in the second book of the Prophet Samuel: [quote]12 [I]t was told king David, that the Lord had blessed Obededom, and all that he had, because of the ark of God. So David went, and brought away the ark of God out of the house of Obededom into the city of David with joy. And there were with David seven choirs, and calves for victims. 13 And when they that carried the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a ram: 14 And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod . 15 And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet. 16 And when the ark of the Lord was come into the city of David, Michol the daughter of Saul, looking out through a window, saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord: and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle, which David had pitched for it: and David offered holocausts, and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when he had made an end of offering holocausts and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 And he distributed to all the multitude of Israel both men and women, to every one, a cake of bread, and a piece of roasted beef, and fine flour fried with oil: and all the people departed every one to his house. 20 And David returned to bless his own house: and Michol the daughter of Saul coming out to meet David, said: How glorious was the king of Israel to day, uncovering himself before the handmaids of his servants, and was naked, as if one of the buffoons should be naked . 21 And David said to Michol : Before the Lord, who chose me rather than thy father, and than all his house, and commanded me to be ruler over the people of the Lord in Israel, 22 I will both play and make myself meaner than I have done: and I will be little in my own eyes: and with the handmaid of whom thou speakest, I shall appear more glorious . 23 Therefore Michol the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.[/quote] So technically, no, David was not naked, because he wore an ephod. However, it does not appear he wore anything else. What the ephod looked like (that is, its dimensions) is not clear. Traditionally it was not a garment one wore alone, just as one does not wear an apron alone. (Unless, that is, one is a subscriber to this site!) It probably covered his genitals and buttocks when he was standing at attention. But, he was not standing at attention: he was dancing. So, it is possible he was exposed when his legs were kicking up the ephod. A post-script: David's wife, who was the daughter of Saul whom David deposed, despised him for his display (i.e., his reverence for the Lord) and mocked him for exposing himself. Yet he has no shame about it. He insults her as the daughter of Saul and says that before the Lord he will humble himself. She rejects his piety, and the story ends with the footnote that she never had children. Children were considered a blessing from the Lord in Hebrew Scriptures, so being barren was synonymous with being out of favor with the Lord. Yet David was not barren, despite his nakedness; he went on to father Solomon.