1 Samuel 6:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

NIV: The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

NASB: When the five governors of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.

CSB: When the five Philistine rulers observed this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

NLT: The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron that same day.

KJV: And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

NKJV: So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

The five lords of the five major Philistine cities had followed the cows pulling the cart as far as the Israelite border at Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 6:12). They likely wanted to make sure that the ark reached the Israelites and the cows did not turn around and walk it back into Philistine territory.

Now Scripture reveals they stayed and watched from a distance as the Israelites in Beth-shemesh removed the ark from the cart and sacrificed the cows to the Lord on a large stone. This apparently concluded the matter for them, and the five lords returned to the Philistine city of Ekron, hoping the return of the ark of the Lord would bring an end to the plague in their land (1 Samuel 5:6–12; 6:2–9).

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 1:09:29 PM