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1 Samuel
Chapter Six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 6
In
this chapter we are told the Philistines advised with their priests what to do
with the ark, and wherewith to send it home, 1 Samuel 6:1 whose
advice was to send with it a trespass offering, golden images of emerods and
mice, and to put it on a new cart, and the images in a coffer on the side of
the ark, and draw it with two cows, 1 Samuel 6:3, and
gave them a token whereby they might know whether they had been smitten by the
God of Israel or not, 1 Samuel 6:9 which
advice they took, and acted in all things according to it; and the lords of the
Philistines accompanied the ark to the border of Bethshemesh, 1 Samuel 6:10,
where they of Bethshemesh received it with joy, and offered the kine for a
burnt offering to the Lord, and the Levites took care of the ark and presents
in it, and the lords of the Philistines returned home, 1 Samuel 6:13, but
they of Bethshemesh looking into the ark were smitten of God, upon which they
sent to the men of Kirjathjearim to fetch it from them, 1 Samuel 6:19.
1 Samuel 6:1 Now the ark of
the Lord
was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
YLT
1And the ark of Jehovah is
in the field of the Philistines seven months,
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines
seven months. Or "in the field"F3בשדה
εν αγρω, Sept. "in
agro", Pagninus, Montanus. of the Philistines; hence Procopius Gazaeus
observes, that none of the cities daring to receive the ark, they left it
without under the open air, so thinking they should be delivered from their
calamity. But the word is often used for country, and is generally so
understood here; the Targum is,"in the cities of the Philistines;'in one
or other of them, first for a while in Ashdod, and then for some time in Gath,
and last in Ekron, and in all seven months from the time of its being taken;
and it being in wheat harvest when it was returned, 1 Samuel 6:13,
these seven months will carry us back to the beginning of winter, or towards
the end of autumn, when the battles between Israel and the Philistines were
fought, and the ark was taken. JosephusF4Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 4.
says it was with the Philistines four months only, contrary to the text.
1 Samuel 6:2 2 And
the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we
do with the ark of the Lord?
Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
YLT
2and the Philistines call
for priests and for diviners, saying, `What do we do to the ark of Jehovah? let
us know wherewith we send it to its place?'
And the Philistines called for the priests and for the diviners,.... The one
were skilled in the rites and ceremonies of religion, not only of their own,
but of other nations, particularly of Israel; and that they were not strangers
to the history and affairs of that people is plain from 1 Samuel 6:6 and
the other were skilled in judicial astrology, and knowledge of future events,
at least as they pretended to; and therefore were both thought fit persons to
advise with on the occasion of the ark, and the circumstances they were in
through that:
saying, what shall we do to the ark of the Lord? shall we send
it back to its own land, or not? the Ekronites had moved it might be sent back,
and the five lords sent for the priests and diviners to have their advice upon
it, whether it was right or not, and what they should do to it, or with it; for
if it was advisable to send it back, then another question follows:
tell us wherewith we shall send it to its place; whether on
men's shoulders, or on horses or asses, or on a carriage; and whether just as
it was taken, or with some presents with it.
1 Samuel 6:3 3 So they said, “If you send
away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means
return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed,
and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
YLT
3And they say, `If ye are
sending away the ark of the God of Israel, ye do not send it away empty; for ye
do certainly send back to Him a guilt-offering; then ye are healed, and it hath
been known to you why His hand doth not turn aside from you.'
And they said, if ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send
it not empty,.... As they perceived they had either resolved upon, or at least
were inclined to do; and which they also thought advisable and therefore would
have them by no means send it away as it was, but with some presents along with
it; for the meaning of this word "empty" is not that they should take
care that all that were in it when taken should go with it, and nothing be
taken out of it, or it be stripped of its contents; but that some gifts and
offerings should be sent along with it: perhaps they might have some notion of,
or respect unto a law in Israel, Exodus 23:15 or
might say this from a common principle received among Heathens, that deities
were to be appeased by giftsF5"Munera crede mihi", &c.
Ovid. de arte amandi, l. 3. :
but in any wise return him a trespass offering; here again
they seem to have some notion of the sorts and kinds of sacrifice among the
Israelites; and advise to a trespass offering, to make satisfaction and
atonement for the offence they had committed in taking away the ark; and that
they should make restoration not only by returning the ark, but by sending an
expiatory offering along with it:
then ye shall be healed; of the disease with
which they were smitten; for it seems it still continued on them, at least on
many:
and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you; which was
because the ark was detained by them; but when that should be sent home, and
they be healed upon it, then it would be a plain case that the reason why the
disease was inflicted and continued was because of that.
1 Samuel 6:4 4 Then they said, “What is
the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five
golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords
of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your
lords.
YLT
4And they say, `What [is]
the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?' and they say, `The number of the
princes of the Philistines -- five golden emerods, and five golden mice -- for
one plague [is] to you all, and to your princes,
Then said they, what shall be the trespass offering which we shall
return to him?.... They paid a great deference to their priests and diviners,
and were willing to be directed in all things by them; being ignorant of what
was most proper in this case, and might be acceptable to the God of Israel:
they answered, five golden emerods, and five golden mice; images of
these made of gold, as appears from the next verse; the reason of the former is
easy, from the above account of the disease they were afflicted with; but of
the latter no hint is given before: indeed in the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint
versions of 1 Samuel 5:6 is
inserted a clause, that"mice sprung up in the midst of their
country;'which is not in the Hebrew text, nor in the Chaldee paraphrase; yet
appears to be a fact from the following verse, that at the same time their
bodies were smitten with emerods, their fields were overrun with mice, which destroyed
the increase of them; wherefore five golden mice were also ordered as a part of
the trespass offering, and five of each were pitched upon:
according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; who were
five, and so the principalities under them; see Joshua 13:3.
for one plague was on you all, and on your lords; the lords and
common people were equally smitten with the emerods, and the several principalities
were alike distressed and destroyed with the mice; and therefore the trespass
offering, which was a vicarious one for them, was to be according to the number
of their princes and their principalities; five emerods for the five princes
and their people smitten with emerods, and five mice on account of the five
cities and fields adjacent being marred by mice.
1 Samuel 6:5 5 Therefore you shall make
images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you
shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from
you, from your gods, and from your land.
YLT
5and ye have made images of
your emerods, and images of your mice that are corrupting the land, and have
given honour to the God of Israel; it may be He doth lighten His hand from off
you, and from off your gods, and from off your land;
Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods,.... Which
some take to be images of the five cities; others of a man at large with the
disease in his back parts; others of that part of the body of a man only, in a
circular form, in which the disease was, and expressing that; but the text is
plain for the disease only, as high large tumours: though MaimonidesF6Moreh
Nevochim, par. 1. c. 1. says of these images, that the word is attributed to
them, not because of their external form, but because of their spiritual virtue
and influence; whereby the damage or disease of the emerods in the hinder parts
were removed: he seems to take them to be a sort of talismans, which were
images of a disease or noxious creature a country was infected with, made under
some celestial influence to remove it; and TavernierF7Travels, p.
92. relates, as Bishop Patrick observes, that it is a practice with the Indians
to this day, that when any pilgrim goes to a pagoda for the cure of any
disease, he brings the figure of the member affected, made either of gold,
silver, or copper, according to his quality, which he offers to his god. There
is a tradition among the Heathens, which seems to be borrowed from this
history, and serves to establish the credit of it; the Athenians not receiving
Bacchus and his rites with due honour, he was angry with them, and smote them
with a disease in their private parts, which was incurable; on which they
consulted the oracle, which advised them in order to be rid of the disease to
receive the god with all honour and respect; which order the Athenians obeyed,
and made images of the several parts, privately and publicly, and with these
honoured the god in memory of the diseaseF8Scholia in Aristoph.
Acharnen. Act ii. Scen. 1. p. 383,384. Edit. Genev. 1607. : both the disease
and cure are here plainly pointed at:
and images of your mice that mar the land; that devoured
the fruits of it, as these creatures in many instances have been known to do;
and particularly in Palestine, the country of the Philistines, where in some
places their fields were sometimes almost deserted because of the abundance of
them; and were it not for a sort of birds that devoured them, the inhabitants
could not sow their seedF9Magini Geograph. par. 2. fol. 241. : the
Boeotians sacrificed to Apollo Pornopion (which signifies a mouse), to save
their country from themF11Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 13.
; AristotleF12Hist. Animal. l. 6. c. 37. "----saepe exiguus
mus", &c. Virgil, Georg. l. 1. v. 181,182. reports of field mice, that
they sometimes increase to such incredible numbers, that scarce any of the corn
of the field is left by them; and so soon consumed, that some husbandmen,
having appointed their labourers to cut down their corn on one day, coming to
it the next day, in order to cut it down, have found it all consumed; PlinyF13Nat.
Hist. l. 10. c. 65. speaks of field mice destroying the harvest; AelianusF14De
Animal. l. 17. c. 41. relates such an incursion of field mice into some parts
of Italy, as obliged the inhabitants to leave the country, and which destroyed
the corn fields and plants, as if they had been consumed by heat or cold, or
any unseasonable weather; and not only seeds were gnawn, but roots cut up; so
the AbderitesF15Justin. l. 15. c. 2. were obliged to leave their
country because of mice and frogs:
and ye shall give glory to the God of Israel; by sending
these images as monuments of their shameful and painful disease, and of the
ruin of their fields; owning that it was the hand of the Lord that smote their
bodies with emerods, and filled their fields with mice which devoured them;
seeking and asking pardoning of him by the trespass offering they sent him:
peradventure he will lighten his hand from you: abate the
violence of the disease, and at length entirely remove it:
and from your gods; not Dagon only, but others seem to have
suffered, wherever the ark came: for the Philistines had other deities; besides
Dagon at Ashdod, there were Baalzebub at Ekron, and Marnas at Gaza, and Derceto
at Ashkelon; and perhaps another at Gath, though unknown; and besides the gods
suffered, or however their priests, by the number of men that died, and by the
fruits of the earth being destroyed; which must in course lessen their
revenues: and from off your land; the fruits of which were destroyed by mice.
1 Samuel 6:6 6 Why then do you harden
your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did
mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might
depart?
YLT
6and why do ye harden your
heart as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? do they not -- when He
hath rolled Himself upon them -- send them away, and they go?
Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and
Pharaoh hardened their hearts?.... And would not let Israel go, when their
dismission was demanded by Moses and Aaron in the name of the Lord; but was
refused from time to time, being given up to judicial blindness and hardness of
heart: and it seems by this, that though it was proposed by some to send back
the ark, and which the priests and diviners approved of; yet there were some
that were against it, who, notwithstanding the plagues inflicted on them, like
Pharaoh and the Egyptians hardened their hearts; which story these priests were
acquainted with by the tradition of their ancestors, this being a fact then
generally known in the world; or by the relation of the Israelites, over whom
they had ruled many years, and were conversant with them:
when he had wrought wonderfully among them: that is, the
God of Israel, though they mention not his name, who had wrought wonders in the
land of Egypt; the ten plagues he inflicted on them are referred to:
did they not let the people go, and they departed? who were
convinced by these plagues that they ought to let Israel go, and by them were
prevailed upon to dismiss them, and the people did go out of their land; and
therefore should not we let the ark go likewise, on whom plagues have been
inflicted for detaining it? and may we not expect more and greater, should we
refuse to dismiss it?
1 Samuel 6:7 7 Now therefore, make a new
cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the
cart; and take their calves home, away from them.
YLT
7`And now, take and make one
new cart, and two suckling kine, on which a yoke hath not gone up, and ye have
bound the kine in the cart, and caused their young ones to turn back from after
them to the house,
Now therefore make a new cart,.... For there were no
Levites, nor priests of the Lord to carry it upon their shoulders, as it was
wont to be when carried, and therefore they ordered a cart to be made; and they
might know the Levites were allowed wagons to carry some of their sacred things
on, Numbers 7:1 and a
new one for the honour of the ark, as David afterwards did, 2 Samuel 6:3.
and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke; which also
might be designed for the honour of the ark; but there was a further view in
it, at least in the providence of God; since two such creatures, who had young,
would be apt, if left to themselves, as these were, to return home to them, and
not to proceed on a journey; and being unaccustomed to a yoke, would draw one
way, and another another, in different ways; and not go on in a direct road, as
such that are used to the yoke do:
and tie the kine to the cart; in order to draw it:
and bring their calves home from them; that they
might not cry after them, which would cause them to turn back.
1 Samuel 6:8 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on
the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as
a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.
YLT
8and ye have taken the ark
of Jehovah, and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which ye have
returned to Him -- a guilt-offering -- ye put in a coffer on its side, and have
sent it away, and it hath gone;
And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart,.... Which was
dispensed with in these uncircumcised Philistines, there being no other to do
this service:
and put the jewels of gold; or rather "vessels
of gold"F16כלי הזהב
"vasa aurea", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, &c. ; the five golden
emerods, and the five golden mice:
which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the
side thereof; in a basket, as the Syriac version: in a scrip, as the Arabic;
in a purse, or bag, as JosephusF17Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 2. ;
which latter is probable enough:
and send it away, that it may go; that is, set it a going,
without any driver or guide; but leave it to take its course of itself to the
land of Israel. JosephusF18Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 2. says it was
set in a place where three ways met, that it might take which it might; and the
taking of the right way must be a strong evidence of its being under the
direction of God.
1 Samuel 6:9 9 And watch: if it goes up
the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this
great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that
struck us—it happened to us by chance.”
YLT
9and ye have seen, if the
way of its own border it goeth up to Beth-Shemesh -- He hath done to us this
great evil; and if not, then we have known that His hand hath not come against
us; an accident it hath been to us.'
And see if it goeth up by the way of its own coast to Bethshemesh,.... The
nearest city to the land of the Philistines, which lay on their borders, and
the borders of the tribe of Judah; see Gill on Joshua 15:10. Now
the lords of the Philistines are directed by their priests to observe, whether
these kine, that drew the cart on which the ark was, took the direct road to
the borders of the land of Israel, and to Bethshemesh, the nearest city that
lay on that coast: if so, they might conclude then,
he hath done us this great evil; that is, the God of
Israel, whose ark this was; he had inflicted the disease of the emerods on
them, and sent such numbers of mice into their fields, that had destroyed the
increase of them:
but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that hath
smote us; but that there is some other cause of it:
it was a chance that happened to us; and so might have been
the case if the ark had never been taken or detained, and to be imputed to
fate, or to the stars, or some secret causes they know not of.
1 Samuel 6:10 10 Then the men did so; they
took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at
home.
YLT
10And the men do so, and take
two suckling kine, and bind them in the cart, and their young ones they have
shut up in the house;
And the men did so,.... Made a new cart, not the lords of the
Philistines, but workmen by their orders:
and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart; with the gear
that horses, asses, or oxen, were usually fastened to a carriage they drew:
and shut up their calves at home; or, "in the
house"F19בבית "in domo",
Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; the cow house or stable where they used to be
put; this they did to restrain them from following the cows, which would
disturb them in drawing the cart.
1 Samuel 6:11 11 And they set the ark of
the Lord
on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors.
YLT
11and they place the ark of
Jehovah upon the cart, and the coffer, and the golden mice, and the images of
their emerods.
And they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart,.... Perhaps
the same men that made the cart; however they were the Philistines, yet were
not punished for touching it, as Uzzah was, though an Israelite, 2 Samuel 6:6.
and the coffer with the mice of gold, and the images of their
emerods; which coffer was placed in a purse or bag hung at the side of
the ark, with the golden mice and emerods in it.
1 Samuel 6:12 12 Then the cows headed
straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway,
lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And
the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
YLT
12And the kine go straight in
the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, in one highway they have gone, going and
lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the
Philistines are going after them unto the border of Beth-Shemesh.
And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh,.... Though
they had none to drive, lead, or guide them, yet they steered their course to
the road that led to Bethshemesh, though there were other ways they might have
taken; which shows they were under the direction of God himself:
and went along the highway; or, "in one
highway", or "post"F20במסלה
אחת "in via elata una", Montanus;
"eadem semita", Tigurine version; so Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. ; though they had never been used to a yoke, they drew together in
one path; and did not draw one way, and another another, as oxen unaccustomed
to a yoke do:
lowing as they went; on account of their calves, which showed their
sense of them, and their natural affection for them; and yet went on, did not
attempt to go back to them; by which it was plain they were under a
supernatural influence:
and turned not aside to the right or to the left; when other
ways presented, on the right hand or on the left; they kept going straight on
in the road that led to the place they were destined for; all which can be
reckoned nothing less than a miracle:
and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border
of Bethshemesh; not before them to guide them, or on the side of the ark to take
care of it, but behind: and not at all out of respect and reverence to it, but
to see what would be the issue of things, whether it would turn out an
imposture or not; and that they might be able to make a true judgment of what
had befallen them, as their priests and diviners had directed them to; they
followed it until it was out of their territories, and in the hands of the
Israelites. This place Bethshemesh is thought by some, as R. Isaiah observes,
to be the same with Timnathheres, where Joshua was buried, in Judges 2:9, which
signifies the figure of the sun, as this does the house of the sun; and where,
perhaps, when inhabited by the Canaanites, was a temple of the sun; and it was,
according to BuntingF21Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 123. ,
twelve miles from Ekron, from whence the ark came; and so far it was followed
by the Philistines. This was a city given to the Levites, and so a proper place
for the ark to come to be taken care of; hence mention is made of Levites that
took it down from the cart, 1 Samuel 6:15; see
Gill on Joshua 21:16.
1 Samuel 6:13 13 Now the people of
Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they
lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
YLT
13And the Beth-Shemeshites
are reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and
see the ark, and rejoice to see [it].
And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the
valley,.... Which began at Pentecost, in the month Sivan, about our May;
so that there were many people in the fields, who were eyewitnesses of this
wonderful event:
and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to
see it; for though the ark while in the tabernacle was only seen by the
high priest, when he went into the holy of holies; yet this having been brought
out from thence, and exposed in the camp of Israel, some of this place very
probably were there at that time, and had seen it, and knew it again by its
form and splendour; and which gave them great pleasure to behold, which had
been taken, and had been so long in the hand of the enemy, and the people of
Israel deprived of it; which was the symbol of the divine Presence among them,
and now restored to them again; and in this wonderful way, without seeking for
it, without going to war on account of it, without paying a ransom for it; and
was brought to them in a cart drawn by cattle without a driver, the lords of
the Philistines with a large retinue following it. This is to be understood not
of their looking "into" it, as they afterwards did, and were
punished, as Kimchi; but of their looking "on" it.
1 Samuel 6:14 14 Then the cart came into
the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was
there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt
offering to the Lord.
YLT
14And the cart hath come in
unto the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite, and standeth there, and there
[is] a great stone, and they cleave the wood of the cart, and the kine they
have caused to ascend -- a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite,.... In that
part of the valley where they were reaping wheat which belonged to him, whom we
nowhere else read; whether a priest or Levite, which is not improbable, since
this was a city of the Levites, or a common Israelite, is not certain:
and stood there where there was a great stone; afterwards
called the great stone of Abel, 1 Samuel 6:18. By
the providence of God it was so ordered, that the kine made a stop just at this
place; and proceeded no further, as if sensible they were come to their
journey's end, and had brought the ark into the hands of its friends, and to a
proper place for them to express their thankfulness for it; for this stone
seemed designed to be, as it was, the altar on which the burnt offering, by way
of thanksgiving for the return of the ark, was to be offered; the Jews sayF23Hieron.
Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. D. this stone was the altar built by Abraham:
and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt
offering unto the Lord; the cart they cut in pieces, and laid the wood of it in order
upon the stone, and slew the two cows, and laid their pieces on the wood, and
set fire to it, and burnt them with it, as expressive of joy and thankfulness
that the ark was returned. This was done, not by the lords of the Philistines,
as some of the ancient Jews thought, as Kimchi relates, in which they are
followed by some Christian interpreters; but by the men of Bethshemesh, as
Kimchi, by the priests there; for though this was not the proper and usual
place for sacrifice, nor were cows offered in sacrifice; yet this being an
extraordinary case, and thank offerings were necessary as soon as the ark was
returned, these things were dispensed with; and the rather, since Shiloh, where
the tabernacle was, was destroyed; and besides, the ark of the Lord was here
present, which sanctified the place, as it did the tabernacle, and made it fit
for such service; and as for these cows, they had been employed in sacred
service, and the Lord had a right unto them, and claim upon them; and it seemed
not fitting that they should be after employed to any other use and service
than his own; nor were the men of Bethshemesh blamed or punished for this,
though they afterwards were for looking into the ark.
1 Samuel 6:15 15 The Levites took down the
ark of the Lord
and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of
gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh
offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord.
YLT
15And the Levites have taken
down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer which [is] with it, in which [are] the
vessels of gold, and place [them] on the great stone; and the men of
Beth-Shemesh have caused to ascend burnt-offerings and sacrifice sacrifices in
that day to Jehovah;
And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord,.... Or,
"had took it down"F24הורידו
"deposuerant", Meudoza; so Pool. ; for this, though here related, was
done as soon as the ark came into the field, or quickly after, and before the
burnt offering could be made, which was burnt with the wood of the cart; and
though the persons that took it down are called Levites, they were priests, who
were of the tribe of Levi; for it was the work of the priests to take it down,
though the Levites then might carry it; and it is remarkable that Bethshemesh
was given to the Kohathite Levites, whose business it was to carry the ark on
their shoulders; see Joshua 21:10.
and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were; the
purse or bag in which were the five golden mice, and the five golden emerods:
and put them on the great stone; both the ark and the
coffer, by which the cart stood, and on which the sacrifice of burnt offering
was probably offered:
and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed
sacrifices, the same day unto the Lord; besides the burnt
offering of the two cows, they offered others to testify their thankfulness for
the return of the ark; and also peace offerings, on which they feasted with one
another, to express their greater joy.
1 Samuel 6:16 16 So when the five lords of
the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
YLT
16and the five princes of the
Philistines have seen [it], and turn back [to] Ekron, on that day.
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it,.... Observed
all that was done, how the kine performed their journey, drew the cart in which
the ark was straight to Bethshemesh, stopped in a field near it, where it was
received joyfully by the people, and sacrifices offered on account of it:
they returned to Ekron the same day; as they might very well,
since it was but twelve miles from Bethshemesh.
1 Samuel 6:17 17 These are the
golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to
the Lord:
one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
YLT
17And these [are] the golden
emerods which the Philistines have sent back -- a guilt-offering to Jehovah:
for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned
for a trespass offering unto the Lord,.... Along with the ark:
for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon, one, for Gath one, for
Ekron one; which were the five principalities of the Philistines that
belonged to the five lords before mentioned; and each of these were at the
expense of a golden emerod, and sent it along with the ark to make atonement
for the offence they had been guilty of in taking and detaining it.
1 Samuel 6:18 18 and the golden rats, according
to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the
five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as
the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which
stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
YLT
18and the golden mice -- the
number of all the cities of the Philistines -- for the five princes, from the
fenced city even unto the hamlet of the villages, even unto the great meadow on
which they placed the ark of Jehovah -- [are] unto this day in the field of
Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite.
And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of
the Philistines belonging to the five lords,.... That is, as many
golden mice as there were cities under the jurisdiction of the five lords,
which are the same before mentioned:
both of fenced cities and of country villages; walled and
unwalled towns; it seems by this, as it was but reasonable it should be, that
the several villages adjacent and belonging to the five principal cities
contributed their part towards the expense of the five golden emerods, and five
golden mice, since they were afflicted both in their persons, and especially in
their fields, as well as those in the cities; though Kimchi and others think
that the country villages sent each of them a golden emerod, and a golden
mouse, fearing the presents of the five cities would not serve for them; and
therefore, though the priests and diviners only ordered five of each, according
to the number of the principal cities, yet they of themselves sent more: all
the country villages that reached
even unto the great stone of Abel; the Targum is,"unto
the great stone';and so the Septuagint version, reading Eben instead of Ebal;
or "lamed" is put for "nun", as "nun" for
"lamed", Nehemiah 13:7. The
Vulgate Latin version is unto great Abel, taking it for a city, as does
Procopius Gazaeus, who calls it the great city Abel, through which they carried
the ark of the Lord; so JeromF25Trad. Heb. ut supra. (Hieron. Trad.
Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. D.) , who takes it to be the same with Bethshemesh,
called Abel because of the mourning in it for the men of Bethshemesh after
slain; or to distinguish it from another Abel is called "great", 2 Samuel 20:15 but
it seems plainly to be the same with the great stone, 1 Samuel 6:14, here
called Eben Gedolah, here Abel Gedolah, by the change of a letter, having its
latter name by anticipation from the great mourning hereafter made, next
mentioned:
whereon they set down the ark of the Lord; when it was
taken out of the cart, as also the coffer in which were the presents, 1 Samuel 6:15,
which: stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the
Bethshemite: the supplement, which stone remaineth, seems necessary, lest it
should be thought the ark remained there unto the time of the writing this
book, which was not true, for it was soon after this fetched to Kirjathjearim;
but the stone remained, and might be seen; and posterity in following times
were told that was the stone on which the ark was put when it returned to
Israel.
1 Samuel 6:19 19 Then He struck the men of
Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck
fifty thousand and seventy men[a] of the
people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the
people with a great slaughter.
YLT
19And He smiteth among the
men of Beth-Shemesh, for they looked into the ark of Jehovah, yea, He smiteth
among the people seventy men -- fifty chief men; and the people mourn, because
Jehovah smote among the people -- a great smiting.
And he smote the men of Bethshemesh,.... That is, God smote
them, though they had received the ark with such expressions of joy, and had
offered sacrifices on account of it; yet sinning in one particular after
mentioned, which was highly resented, they were smitten by him with a
thunderbolt, as Josephus saysF26Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 4. :
because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; which was
forbidden the Levites, Numbers 4:20 out of
curiosity these men opened the ark, to see whether the Philistines had taken
anything out of it, or put anything into it; and this, when in the tabernacle,
being only to be seen by the high priest; and supposing they should never have
the like opportunity again, to look upon the tables of the law which were in
it, took it; and the rather they might be emboldened to this action, since it
had been in the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, who had profaned it;
and as yet not restored to its pristine purity, holiness, and place:
even he smote of the people fifty thousand and seventy men; but as
Bethshemesh was but a small place, a village, as JosephusF1Antiqu.
l. 6. c. 1. sect. 3. calls it, and it seems not likely that there should be
such a number of persons in it, and especially that should look into the ark;
or that God, who is good and merciful, should destroy so large a number for
this offence, however he might think fit to make an example of some, it is
thought that the case was not as our version represents it. Some who think
there were so many slain, yet distinguish them, seventy of the elders of the
people, and 50,000 of the congregation, or common people, as the Targum; which
accounts not for the difficulty at all: others think that only seventy of the
men of Bethshemesh died, and that 50,000 were such as flocked out of the country
on this occasion; but as this was on the same day the ark came into those
parts, it can hardly be thought that so great a number should be got together
so soon; and still less that they should all of them open the ark, and look
into it. Abarbinel is of opinion that only seventy men of Bethshemesh were
slain, and that the other 50,000 were the Philistines that died on account of
the ark while it was among them; and reads the words, "with the men of
Bethshemesh he smote--even he smote of the people seventy"; that is, of
the men of Bethshemesh; 50,000, that is, of the Philistines, and so this gives
the sum of all that died on account of the ark, both while it was in the hands
of the Philistines, and when returned to Bethshemesh, which is not an
improbable sense: but others, and perhaps more truly, think that only seventy
persons were smitten with death; for the order in which this account is given
is different from all others in the Hebrew text, the lesser number being put
first with a considerable distinguishing accent upon it, whereas the greater
number is always expressed first; it stands thus, "of the people seventy
men; 50,000 men": 5000, according to the Syriac and Arabic versions.
JosephusF2Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 3. is express for it that only
seventy men were slain, and so some of the ancient JewsF3T. Bab.
Sotah, fol. 35. 2. T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 20. 2. Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 5.
fol. 186. 2. ; who say that these seventy were equal to 50,000, because of
their superior excellency and dignity, as Ben Gersom observes, being the
priests of the Lord, or the sanhedrim; but Bochart'sF4Hierozoic.
par. 1. l. 2. c. 36. col. 370. sense seems to be preferable to all others, that
there is a defect of the particle מ, "out
of"; and so to be read, either seventy men out of fifty thousand; that out
of the 50,000 that flocked on this occasion from various parts, seventy were
smitten for the reason before given; or rather seventy men, fifty out of 1000
men; that is, a twentieth part of the number of them, so that, out of 1400,
seventy men were struck with death for their curiosityF5So Noldius,
No. 779. . Something of this story seems to be retained by tradition among the
Heathens; we are toldF6Pausan. Achaica, sive, l. 7. p. 435. that
when Troy was taken an ark was found, in which was the image of Bacchus; which
being opened by Eurypylus, he was struck with madness as soon as he saw the
image:
and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many
of the people with a great slaughter; I see no occasion for
the supplement "many"; it was a great slaughter, if we consider the
awful manner in which it was made, by thunder and lightning, as may be
supposed; however, by an immediate stroke from heaven; and the persons on whom
it was made, men of a sacred character, priests and Levites; and a great
number, considering it was but a small city. Hence the place was called Abel,
which signifies weeping, mourning, lamentation, 1 Samuel 6:18.
1 Samuel 6:20 20 And the men of Beth
Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to
whom shall it go up from us?”
YLT
20And the men of Beth-Shemesh
say, `Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and unto whom doth He
go up from us?'
And the men of Bethshemesh said, who is able to stand before this
holy Lord God?.... The Targum is,"before the ark of this holy Lord
God;'which is said either by way of complaint of the severity of God, and the
strictness of his justice; or in reverence of his holiness, acknowledging their
imperfection, sin, and guilt, by reason of which they could not stand before
him; nor can any, but on account of the mercy seat over the ark, or through
Christ, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice:
and to whom shall he go up from us? that is, the ark, the
symbol of God's presence, which they seem to be desirous of parting with; being
unworthy of it, and conscious of their impurity in comparison of God that dwelt
in it; and of their weakness to give the honour and reverence that was due unto
it; and yet they knew not who were fit for it, or would choose to receive it,
because of the danger they were liable to through every inadvertency in them,
and irreverence of that.
1 Samuel 6:21 21 So they sent messengers to
the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back
the ark of the Lord;
come down and take it up with you.”
YLT
21And they send messengers
unto the inhabitants of Kirjath-Jearim, saying, `The Philistines have sent back
the ark of Jehovah; come down, take it up unto you.'
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim,.... Which was
a city further on in the tribe of Judah, and lay among some woods, from whence
it had its name, and was formerly called Kirjathbaal, from Baal's being
worshipped there; of which see Joshua 15:9, they
might choose to send hither to fetch the ark from them, because it was at a
greater distance from the Philistines, their city Bethshemesh being on the
borders of them; and because it might be a place of greater eminence and
strength, and besides lay in the way to Shiloh, whereby they might suppose it
was intended to be had; unless Shiloh was before this time destroyed:
saying, the Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; which they
doubted not would be good news to them:
come ye down, and fetch it up to you; but say not
one word of the reason of this request, lest it should discourage them; but
rather represent it as a favour to them, and an honour done them, as indeed it
was. Kirjathjearim seems to have stood on an eminence in comparison of
Bethshemesh, and therefore it is said to come down from the one, and go up to
the other. That Bethshemesh was in a valley, see 1 Samuel 6:13 and
this on a hill, 1 Samuel 7:1.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)