1 Samuel 6:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you."

NIV: They answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you."

NASB: And they said, 'If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel away, do not send it empty; but you shall certainly return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be revealed to you why His hand does not leave you.'

CSB: They replied, "If you send the ark of Israel’s God away, do not send it without an offering. Send back a guilt offering to him, and you will be healed. Then the reason his hand hasn’t been removed from you will be revealed."

NLT: Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,' they were told. 'Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.'

KJV: And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

NKJV: 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.”

Most everyone among the Philistines was convinced of the need to get the ark of the Lord (Exodus 25:10–16) out of their territory and to send it back to the Israelites (1 Samuel 6:2). They understood that to be their only hope of stopping the plague of tumors and the panic that came with it (1 Samuel 5:6–12). They also believed it mattered how they returned the ark to Israel. They consulted with their own priests and diviners to make sure they did not send it back in a way that made Israel's God even angrier than He already was.

The priests and diviners decide it would be a terrible offense to send the ark back without an offering of some kind. It seems to be standard behavior to send gifts to those we are seeking to appease. For example, Jacob sent gifts to Esau to prevent what he expected was an impending attack (Genesis 32). Abigail sent gifts to David to placate him when he was prepared to destroy Nabal's household (1 Samuel 25). The Philistines appear to have known at least a version of the story of Moses and the plagues God sent on Egypt (1 Samuel 4:8; 6:6). Per God's instructions the Israelites had asked the Egyptians for gold, silver, and clothing before the Passover, and the Egyptians obliged (Exodus 11:2; 12:35). After the deaths of the firstborn, the Egyptians urged the people to leave quickly, and the Israelites took those gifts with them (Exodus 12:33–36). The priests seem to base their logic for their proposed offerings on their understanding of God's interactions with Egypt (1 Samuel 6:6). Whether because of this, their understanding of gods and offerings, or common relational norms, the priests agree that the Philistines should return the ark with a gift.

The priests call this a guilt offering. They seem to understand it as some form of payment to the Lord for their disrespect toward Him and His ark. They believe that if they send this guilt offering, the God of Israel will heal their people from the terrible plague. If He does, the priests add, then they will know for sure that the Lord's anger at their possession of the ark was the reason for His judgment on them.

First Samuel 6:1–18 describes the Philistine plan to send the ark of the Lord back to Israel. They hope to stop the plague and panic with which God d afflicted them (1 Samuel 5). At the advice of their priests and diviners, the Philistines place the ark and a guilt offering of five golden mice and five golden tumors on a new cart pulled by two milk cows. The cows head straight for the Israelite town of Beth-shemesh. There, the rejoicing people offer the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites living in the town place the ark and the golden images on a large rock. The lords of the Philistines see the sacrifice and return to Ekron.

The Philistine religious leaders advise the five lords of the Philistines to send the ark of the Lord back to Israel with a guilt offering to stop the plague of tumors ravishing their land (1 Samuel 5:6–12). The Philistines place the ark along with five golden mice (or five golden tumors and five golden mice) on a new cart hitched to two untrained milk cows whose calves are shut up at home. The cows head straight for the Israelite border town of Beth-shemesh. There, the people rejoice and offer the cows before the ark as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Lord kills seventy men of the town because the people looked at the ark. Frightened, the people send to Kiriath-jearim and ask them to take the ark.

First Samuel 6 finds most of the Philistines convinced that the plague and panic (1 Samuel 5:6–12) are from the Lord. They place the ark of the Lord and a guilt offering of golden mice on a cart pulled by two milk cows. The cows pull the ark straight to the Israelite town of Beth-shemesh, where the rejoicing people offer the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord before the ark. The Lord kills seventy men of the town for looking at (or in) the ark. The people of Beth-shemesh send word to those in another town to take the ark away.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.