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Verse
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1 Samuel 6:18
ESV and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
NIV And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
NASB and the gold mice, corresponding to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five governors, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they placed the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
CSB The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages. The large rock on which the ark of the Lord was placed is still in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh today.
NLT The five gold rats represented the five Philistine towns and their surrounding villages, which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rock at Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of the Lord, still stands in the field of Joshua as a witness to what happened there.
KJV And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.
NKJV 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.

What does 1 Samuel 6:18 mean?

The first part of this verse appears to summarize the official listing of the five major Philistine cities in the previous verse (1 Samuel 6:17). Some commentators believe the guilt offering sent by the Philistines included ten golden items, five shaped like tumors and five shaped like mice or rats. Others believe the mice mentioned in this verse to be the representations of the tumors, meaning only the golden figures of the mice or rats were in the box sent along with the ark of the Lord.

Whether two sets of five golden items—both tumors and mice—or one set of five items—tumors represented by mice—there is an item representing each of the five major Philistine cities (1 Samuel 6:17). If the mice are in addition to the tumors, perhaps the second set of five is understood to represent each of the five lords more broadly. Many towns, large and small, fortified and unwalled, were under the control of the five lords of each of the five cities. A golden item was included for each lord and all his cities (1 Samuel 6:4).

The final part of the verse may be meant to show that the ark (Exodus 25:10–16) was officially received by Israel from the Philistines. The great stone upon which the ark was set and the sacrifices made stands as the witness that the Israelites received what was sent by the Philistines.

It's also possible that the great stone in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh is meant to serve as a witness of the sad and terrible events of the verses that follow this one (1 Samuel 6:19–21).
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