1Well, the Chest of Jehovah just laid there in a Philistine field for seven months, and soon their land became overrun with mice. 2So the Philistines called a meeting of their priests, clairvoyants, and witches, and they asked, ‘What should we do with the Chest of Jehovah? Tell us how we can go about returning it to where it belongs!’ 3And they replied, ‘If you return the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah the God of Israel, return it empty. For, by doing this you will really upset them, but the thing will be settled. [Their God] will no longer [oppress you] and everyone will be healed [from the plague].’ 4But [the leaders] asked, ‘Then, what should we do in return for all the torment that it caused?’ And they replied, 5‘Each of the five Philistine governors should send along a gold [model of their] buttocks, because the fault was theirs… both the rulers and the people. Also, send along a representation of five gold mice, the type that are overrunning the land; and [don’t forget to] give glory to Jehovah if you wish Him to [stop being angry] with you, your gods, and your land. 6‘Why do you keep allowing Him to oppress your hearts the way that He oppressed the hearts of Egypt and its Pharaoh? For, it was only after He mocked them that [His people] were finally set free. 7So now, take a new wagon and two first-born oxen that have given birth to their first calves, and hook them to a yoke. Then hitch the oxen to the wagon and lock their calves inside the Temple. 8Next, take the Chest of Jehovah and put it on the wagon, then replace the things in the Chest with the gold representations of your torment and send it on. 9Then, as you travel along the road to their border and get to BethShemesh, watch to see if He does the same evil things to them. And if not, we’ll know that it wasn’t His hand that touched us, but it was just a coincidence.’ 10And that’s what the Philistines did. They took two first-born oxen and hitched them to the wagon, and locked their calves inside the Temple. 11Then they put the Chest of Jehovah on the wagon and placed the gold mice and the images of their buttocks inside the chest, 12and they removed the [sacred] things that were in there and sent it along the road to BethShemesh… they [didn’t stop] and they didn’t turn right or left. And the Philistine governors followed behind, until they reached the borders of BethShemesh. 13Well at the time, the people of BethShemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. And when they saw the Chest of Jehovah, they started cheering and ran to meet it. 14Then they took the wagon into the field of Joshua (which was near BethShemesh), up to a huge rock, where they split the wood of the wagon and sacrificed the oxen as whole burnt offerings to Jehovah. 15The Levites then took the Chest of Jehovah and removed the items of gold that were in it, and placed them on the large rock. Then the men of BethShemesh sacrificed the whole burnt offerings (along with other sacrifices) to Jehovah. 16And when the five Philistine governors saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day. 17Now, these are the gold buttocks that the Philistines sent to remove the torment of Jehovah: There was one from AshDod, one from Gaza, one from AshKelon, one from Gath, and one from Ekron. 18And each of the well-fortified Philistine cities sent gold mice, one from each of the five governors… they were also removed from the Chest of Jehovah and placed on the large rock. [You can still find that rock] in the field of JoShua near BethShemesh today. 19But then Jehovah struck the men of BethShemesh, because they had [been examining] the Chest of Jehovah. He struck down seventy of their [leaders] and fifty thousand of their people, and they went into mourning, because Jehovah had struck so many people with such a great calamity. 20And the men of BethShemesh asked, ‘Who can stand in the presence of this holy God Jehovah, and who can we send to carry this Chest? 21So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath JaIrim saying, The Philistines have returned the Chest of Jehovah, so come here and take it.’
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE PHILISTINES COUNSEL HOW TO SEND BACK THE ARK. (
1Sam 6:1-9)
the ark . . . was in the country of the Philistines seven months--Notwithstanding the calamities which its presence had brought on the country and the people, the Philistine lords were unwilling to relinquish such a prize, and tried every means to retain it with peace and safety, but in vain.
2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners--The designed restoration of the ark was not, it seems, universally approved of, and many doubts were expressed whether the prevailing pestilence was really a judgment of Heaven. The priests and diviners united all parties by recommending a course which would enable them easily to discriminate the true character of the calamities, and at the same time to propitiate the incensed Deity for any acts of disrespect which might have been shown to His ark.
4 Five golden emerods--Votive or thank offerings were commonly made by the heathen in prayer for, or gratitude after, deliverance from lingering or dangerous disorders, in the form of metallic (generally silver) models or images of the diseased parts of the body. This is common still in Roman Catholic countries, as well as in the temples of the Hindus and other modern heathen.
five golden mice--This animal is supposed by some to be the jerboa or jumping mouse of Syria and Egypt [BOCHART]; by others, to be the short-tailed field mouse, which often swarms in prodigious numbers and commits great ravages in the cultivated fields of Palestine.
5 give glory unto the God of Israel--By these propitiatory presents, the Philistines would acknowledge His power and make reparation for the injury done to His ark.
lighten his hand . . . from off your gods--Elohim for god.
6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?--The memory of the appalling judgments that had been inflicted on Egypt was not yet obliterated. Whether preserved in written records, or in floating tradition, they were still fresh in the minds of men, and being extensively spread, were doubtless the means of diffusing the knowledge and fear of the true God.
7 make a new cart--Their object in making a new one for the purpose seems to have been not only for cleanliness and neatness, but from an impression that there would have been an impropriety in using one that had been applied to meaner or more common services. It appears to have been a covered wagon (see on
2Sam 6:3).
two milch kine--Such untrained heifers, wanton and vagrant, would pursue no certain and regular path, like those accustomed to the yoke, and therefore were most unlikely of their own spontaneous motion to prosecute the direct road to the land of Israel.
bring their calves home from them--The strong natural affection of the dams might be supposed to stimulate their return homewards, rather than direct their steps in a foreign country.
8 take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart--This mode of carrying the sacred symbol was forbidden; but the ignorance of the Philistines made the indignity excusable (see on
2Sam 6:6).
put the jewels . . . in a coffer by the side thereof--The way of securing treasure in the East is still in a chest, chained to the house wall or some solid part of the furniture.
9 Beth-shemesh--that is, "house of the sun," now Ain Shems [ROBINSON], a city of priests in Judah, in the southeast border of Dan, lying in a beautiful and extensive valley. JOSEPHUS says they were set a-going near a place where the road divided into two--the one leading back to Ekron, where were their calves, and the other to Beth-shemesh. Their frequent lowings attested their ardent longing for their young, and at the same time the supernatural influence that controlled their movements in a contrary direction.
12 the lords of the Philistines went after them--to give their tribute of homage, to prevent imposture, and to obtain the most reliable evidence of the truth. The result of this journey tended to their own deeper humiliation, and the greater illustration of God's glory.
14 and they clave--that is, the Beth-shemites, in an irrepressible outburst of joy.
offered the kine--Though contrary to the requirements of the law (
Lev 1:3;
Lev 22:19), these animals might properly be offered, as consecrated by God Himself; and though not beside the tabernacle, there were many instances of sacrifices offered by prophets and holy men on extraordinary occasions in other places.
17 And these are the golden emerods . . . and the mice--There were five representative images of the emerods, corresponding to the five principal cities of the Philistines. But the number of the golden mice must have been greater, for they were sent from the walled towns as well as the country villages.
18 unto the great stone of Abel--Abel, or Aben, means "stone," so that without resorting to italics, the reading should be, "the great stone."
19 he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark--In the ecstasy of delight at seeing the return of the ark, the Beth-shemesh reapers pried into it beneath the wagon cover; and instead of covering it up again, as a sacred utensil, they let it remain exposed to common inspection, wishing it to be seen, in order that all might enjoy the triumph of seeing the votive offerings presented to it, and gratify curiosity with the sight of the sacred shrine. This was the offense of those Israelites (Levites, as well as common people), who had treated the ark with less reverence than the Philistines themselves.
he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men--Beth-shemesh being only a village, this translation must be erroneous, and should be, "he smote fifty out of a thousand," being only fourteen hundred in all who indulged this curiosity. God, instead of decimating, according to an ancient usage, slew only a twentieth part; that is, according to JOSEPHUS, seventy out of fourteen hundred (see
Num 4:18-
Num 4:22).
21 Kirjath-jearim--"the city of woods," also called Kirjath-baal (
Josh 15:60;
Josh 18:14;
1Chr 13:6-7). This was the nearest town to Beth-shemesh; and being a place of strength, it was a more fitting place for the residence of the ark. Beth-shemesh being in a low plain, and Kirjath-jearim on a hill, explains the message, "Come ye down, and fetch it up to you."